Yissy García & Bandancha

Daughter of Bernardo García, founding percussionist of the legendary Cuban superband Irakere, the drummer was literally born to the Cuban percussion tradition and has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the most exciting young instrumentalists in jazz. Beginning studies of classical percussion at age nine, García performed as a soloist with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba while still a student, turning her focus to drum set and jazz studies and sharing the stage with the likes of Roy Hargrove, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. With her blistering chops and deep feel for Afro-Cuban rhythms, García powered the longstanding band Anacaona, touring the world and gaining invaluable experience that has bolstered her formidable musicality and informed her own au courant compositions blending classic funk, R&B, hip-hop, timba, Latin jazz, and electronic music. Inspired by the electro-acoustic jazz pioneered by Herbie Hancock, she formed Bandancha in 2012, welcoming Esperanza Spalding as a special guest for an International Jazz Day performance last year. García was part of saxophonist Jane Bunnett’s Maqueque project, recording their debut recording that won the Juno Award for Best Jazz Album, and performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert and at Lincoln Center with Joshua Bell and rock luminary Dave Matthews.