Elio Villafranca

Born in the Pinar del Río province of Western Cuba, Steinway Artist pianist and composer Elio Villafranca was classically trained in percussion and composition at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba. Since his arrival in the U.S. in late 1995, he has been involved in jazz and Latin jazz scenes on both the East and West Coasts. Based in New York City, he is resident professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

Elio Villafranca is at the forefront of the latest generation of remarkable Cuban pianists, composers and bandleaders that for several years has been making major creative contributions to the international development of modern jazz. In the 2010 Grammy Awards he was nominated in Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year, for his performance, composition and coproduction in the album Things I Wanted To Do by Chembo Corniel. Villafranca was also pianist in the CD La Guerra No by John Santos Y El Coro Folklorico Kindembo, which was nominated in the 2010 Grammy Awards as Best Traditional World Music Album. In 2008 The Jazz Corner nominated Elio Villafranca as pianist of the year as well as receiving the Jazz Twirlie Nomination by Dick Crockett, of "The Voice" at 88.7FM, for his album The Source In Between. That year, Mr. Villafranca was also honored by BMI with the BMI Jazz Guaranty Award and received the first NFA/Heineken Green Ribbon Master Artist Music Grant for the creation of his Concerto for Mariachi, for Afro-Cuban Percussion and Symphony Orchestra.

Over the years Elio Villafranca's music has featured jazz master artists such as Pat Martino, Terell Stafford, Billy Hart, Jane Bunnett, Eric Alexander, J.D. Allen, Sean Jones, Willie Jones III, and Lewis Nash, and Victor Lewis among other notable instrumentalists. Elio has also performed nationally and internationally as leader of his quartet, and as a sideman he has collaborated with leading jazz and Latin jazz artists including: Wynton Marsalis; Jon Faddis, Billy Hard, Billy Harper, Sonny Fortune, Giovanni Hidalgo, Eddie Henderson, Miguel Zenón, Cecil McBee, and Johnny Pacheco. Villafranca has toured Europe and has performed at various world-renowned venues and events including the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Ghent, Belgium; at the Blue Note Jazz Club in Milan and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy; at the North Sea Jazz Festival at The Hague, Holland, Jazz a Beaune, France; the Guinness Jazz Festival and a national tour of Ireland among others.

Projects and Recordings as a Bandleader:
Villafranca has released four albums, 2 CDs and one Vinyl. His most recent recording Dos Y Mas, a duo collaboration with Cuban percussionist Arturo Stable, was released this past January by Motema Music. Previous to that recording he released in February 26th, 2011, his first LP with title "Dynamic Resolution, another duo collaboration, but this time with Cuban bassist Charles Flores. Due to the demand, Dynamic Resolution was later released in CD in November of 2011. His second album, The Source in Between, 2007, featuring saxophonist Eric Alexander and drummer Dafnis Prieto, remained in the top 10 of the JazzWeek World Top 50 Chart for eleven weeks. His first album, Incantations/Encantaciones, 2003, featuring Pat Martino, Terell Stafford, and Dafnis Prieto was ranked amongst the 50 best jazz albums of the year by JazzTimes magazine in 2003.

Up coming recordings:
In November of 2011, Villafranca recorded a new Vinyl with his band The Jass Syncopators, featuring Victor Lewis, JD Allen, and Vincent Herring among other great artist. All of the funds generated by this album with title Flower by the Dry River will be donated to Direct Grace Funds for Children of the world subject to abuse, starvation, and poverty. This project was premier last September at Dizzy's Jazz Club Coca Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center and it will be release in 2012. This month, Villafranca recorded a new project entitled The Exaras/Villafranca Project. This project, in collaboration with Greek guitarist Spiros Exaras, fuses the Cuban pianism with traditional music from Greece. The Exaras/Villafranca Project will also be release in 2012. Lastly, at the end of 2012, Villafranca will record two more projects: A new recording for Motema Music with Dos Y Mas " Classical Minds," and a Latin project called "On any Giving Night In Havana" for the American ShowPlace Music. This last recording will revisit the 1950s musical legacy of Cuba.