Since moving to New York City in 2014, Cuban trumpeter Kali Rodriguez-Peña, has been blending traditional sounds from his native country with the influences of some of his heroes like Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard, and the compositional style of Wayne Shorter’s music, along with elements of R&B and Hip Hop. Solidly established on the scene, he is poised to become one of the leading voices of a generation of young talented Cuban musicians who are taking their best shot in the Big Apple.
Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Kali has played with renowned Cuban and international musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Arturo O’Farrill, Paquito D’Rivera, Chucho Valdés, Olga Tañón, Anat Cohen, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Michel Camilo, Miguel Zenón, Jeff “Tain” Watts, David Murray, Cándido Camero, Bobby Carcasses, among others. In March of 2016 he was selected as a finalist for the National Trumpet Competition. In Havana he won top prizes at the annual Jojazz contest for improvisation and best small combo. He arranged and produced his own album Gente de Colores in 2011. He has also performed in some of the top venues and festivals of the USA and Canada including Montreal Jazz Festival, Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Symphony Space, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Black Cat (SF), Freight and Salvage (Berkeley), and Dieze Once (Montreal), to mention just a few. In 2019 he graduated from the renowned Manhattan School of Music where he was awarded a full scholarship and studied under the tutelage of Jon Faddis and Stefon Harris. He has also been a guest lecturer at the University of California, Riverside on Cuban music and Jazz. Kalí also participated as a guest performer in the album “Familia” by Grammy-winning artists Arturo O’Farrill and Chucho Valdés, as well as Michel Camilo’s latest release “Essence.”

Kali Rodríguez-Peña Trumpet
Kazemde George Saxophone
Gabriel Chakarji Piano
Bam Bam Rodriguez Bass
Zack O'Farrill Drums