Trombone Shorty + Foundation Lead American Musicians on Dynamic Cultural Exchange to Cuba with Cimafunk, January 16-20, 2025

ABOUT TROMBONE SHORTY

If anybody knows their way around a festival, it’s Grammy-winning artist Trombone Shorty. Born Troy Andrews, he got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Shorty’s proven he’s more than just a horn player, though. Catch a gig, open the pages of the New York Times or Vanity Fair, flip on any late-night TV show and you’ll see an undeniable star with utterly magnetic charisma, a natural born showman who can command an audience with the best of them. Since 2010, he’s released four chart topping studio albums; toured with everyone from Big Boi to Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more; played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, Newport Jazz, and nearly every other major festival; performed four times at the GRAMMY Awards, five times at the White House, on dozens of TV shows, and at the star-studded Sesame Street Gala, where he was honored with his own Muppet; launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to support youth music education; and received the prestigious Caldecott Honor for his first children’s book. Meanwhile in New Orleans, Shorty now leads his own Mardi Gras parade atop a giant float crafted in his likeness, hosts the annual Voodoo Threauxdown shows that have drawn guests including Usher, Nick Jonas, Dierks Bentley, Andra Day, and Leon Bridges to sit in with his band, and has taken over the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s hallowed final set, which has seen him closing out the internationally renowned gathering after performances by the likes of Neil Young, the Black Keys, and Kings of Leon.

ABOUT TROMBONE SHORTY FOUNDATION

In New Orleans, music is everywhere: the clubs, the churches, the streets, the schools, and in the air. The city's musical culture is celebrated as an essential part of life—past, present and future. Founded by renowned New Orleans musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews in 2012, the Trombone Shorty Foundation inspires and uplifts the next generation of New Orleans musicians by developing their talent, educating them about the music business, and connecting them to the city’s unique musical heritage. Now in its 12th year, the Trombone Shorty Foundation proudly contributes to the time-honored traditions of “passing it on" and "playing it forward."

ABOUT CIMAFUNK

Cuban music has a new global ambassador: Cimafunk. With a name and image that pays tribute to the Cimarrons – Cubans of African descent that resisted slavery – and music and showmanship that re-embodies funk legends from the last century, the medical-school student turned funk artist has developed into a musical force crafting the sonic future of the island and a global, cultural phenomenon that unites and celebrates blackness across borders, oceans and languages. 

With his unmistakable AfroCuban sounds, no holds barred live show and multiple Grammy-nominations, Cimafunk is redefining what the planet understands as Cuban music. Cimafunk’s debut album “Terapia” (2018), with its groundbreaking #1 single “Me Voy” – followed by his breakout performance at SXSW 2019 and widely praised NPR Tiny Desk Concert, started a movement of converting millions of people to the religion of groove, one live show at a time. The AfroCuban rockstar has moved the spotlight well beyond the Buena Vista Social Club, salsa and reggaeton. Cimafunk’s distinctive musical fusion continued to grow in its artistry with both the release of his second album  "El Alimento” (‘The Nourishment ) -which was met with an abundance of critical praise that included Best Albums of the Year lists of Rolling Stone, NPR and more… as well as an equal volume of glowing reviews for his unrivaled live shows, which quickly made him one of the most in-demand festival performers.

From a local sensation on Havana’s small alternative music scene to global success, Cimafunk’s ascent is as dizzying as an F1 race. Performing with La Tribu (The Tribe), his 9-piece band from Havana, Cimafunk has electrified global audiences on massive stages and worldwide temples of music, making a name for himself as one of the great showmen of today. From New Orleans Jazz Festival and Lollapalooza Chile to becoming the first Cuban-born artist to play Coachella, this undisputed star of Afro-Latin music has earned the adoration of musical icons such as Argentine Fito Páez, who has hailed him as "one of the lights of the continent's future,” the Godfather of Funk George Clinton, who refers to him as “the next one,” and Chucho Valdés, who credits Cimafunk with masterfully and organically blending “AfroCuban with African American, converting this into a new school that until now I haven’t heard done.”

Cimafunk has collaborated on records and shared the stage with the likes of Alejandro Sanz, Big Freedia, CeeLo Green, ChocQuibTown, Chucho Valdés, Fito Páez, Fonseca, Fred Wesley, Galactic, George Clinton, Jon Batiste, Juanes, Leoni Torres, Lettuce, Lupe Fiasco, Michael Brun, Monsieur Periné, Nik West, Preservation Hall,, Omar Portuondo, Orquesta Aragón, Robert Glasper, String Cheese Incident, The Soul Rebels and Trombone Shorty. Susan Sarandon, Ron Delsner and other personalities have become superfans, often seen side-stage lost in the groove, and the likes of Paul McCartney and more have come out to check out the AfroCuban sensation.

Catalina, the lead single from Cimafunk’s latest album Pa tu’ Cuerpa (For your Body), is currently nominated for Record of the Year at the 2024 Latin Grammys.