Jazz In The Jungle: Calixto Oviedo & The Cuban Jazz Train

Jazz in the Jungle 🌴 Calixto Oviedo & the Cuban Jazz Train with DJ Maurice Bernstein (Giant Step) Miami Beach Botanical Garden 📍 Friday, May 9th, 7-11 PM Ticket link in bio @miamijazzbooking 🎟️ Join us for Jazz in the Jungle this Friday at the beautiful Miami Beach Botanical Garden for an evening Calixto Oviedo & the Cuban Jazz Train with DJ Maurice Bernstein (Giant Step) Calixto Oviedo: Calixto Oviedo, a Latin Grammy-nominated artist for La Rumba del Siglo (2000), is a celebrated Cuban drummer with over 38 years of professional experience. Born on October 14, 1955, in the Havana barrio of La Víbora, Calixto showed musical promise as a toddler, initially mimicking Orquesta Aragón with a toy violin before switching to makeshift drums. By age eight, he was studying at the conservatory while already performing professionally. At 17, he formed his first band with musicians who would later join NG La Banda—a group he would help define with landmark recordings like Santa Palabra, Échale Limón, and El Trágico. Throughout his storied career, he has collaborated with legends such as Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Chucho Valdés, and Danilo Pérez. His endorsements include Aquarian Drumheads, DC California Drums, Gon Bop, Innovative Percussion, and Soultone Cymbals. After relocating to Sweden in the mid-1990s, Oviedo recorded the acclaimed La Recompensa with his son Yulién and continued to perform internationally, including with the Afro-Cuban All Stars. In 2013, he moved to Lakewood, Colorado, where he began teaching at major U.S. universities like Berklee College of Music and California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), where he became a professor in 2014. Calixto has graced stages at world-renowned festivals such as Montreux Jazz, North Sea Jazz, Umbria Jazz, and Montreal Jazz Festival. His extensive discography spans decades and includes collaborations with Adalberto Álvarez, NG La Banda, Issac Delgado, and Chuchito Valdés, among many others, showcasing his enduring influence on Afro-Cuban jazz and Timba music. Maurice Bernstein: Maurice began in 1990 as the President and Co-Founder of Giant Step, a groundbreaking weekly club and concert promotions company. Under their leadership, Giant Step showcased emerging artists and became a respected brand in music discovery. Maurice also launched Giant Step Management, where they ran the day-to-day operations of a music management company, securing deals with major labels and developing artists, lauchingthe careers of Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk, The Roots, Mark Ronson and Lady Gaga. As a DJ, Maurice's ranging and diverse musical tastes make for an unforgettably eclectic and electifying multi-genre listening experience.