Barcelona’s late-week listings, from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 November, contain a compact route through Latin American musical language: first as part of a contemporary jazz quartet, then through the song forms of Cuba. The useful pairing starts on Thursday at 23 Robadors with Martín Leiton Quartet “Takin’ Off,” featuring Oscar Latorre, Anti de la Rubia, Toni Saigi and Andreu Pitarch, and reaches Harlem Jazz Club on Saturday with Telva Rojas and Cuarteto Ébano de Cuba. These are two different working vocabularies, joined by rhythm, melody and a close attention to ensemble exchange.[1][2][3][4]

A Barcelona quartet with a porous border

At 22:00 on Thursday, Martín Leiton brings a personnel list that makes the date feel grounded in the city’s jazz network. The bassist leads the group with saxophonist Anti de la Rubia, pianist Toni Saigi and drummer Andreu Pitarch, while trumpeter Oscar Latorre features on this 23 Robadors bill. Leiton’s ongoing quartet has been presented as emerging from Barcelona’s jazz scene, with music informed by jazz and Latin American folk traditions. That context gives the concert a particular focus: listen for the ways a small-group jazz format can carry influences beyond its standard repertoire without losing the directness of bass, piano, horns and drums. It also makes the specific combination of improvisers central, with each player’s instrumental role clear before the first tune begins.[1][3][4]

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Cuban song forms at Harlem

Saturday shifts the thread from composition-led contemporary jazz toward a named set of Cuban forms. Telva Rojas appears with Cuarteto Ébano de Cuba at Harlem Jazz Club at 23:00; the venue’s event listing identifies the programme with Cuban music, boleros, son and guarachas. Those labels matter because they frame the night around song and dance traditions with distinct tempos, textures and vocal weight. Following Leiton’s Thursday set with this Saturday concert makes a useful two-stop plan: the first hears Latin American reference points inside a Barcelona jazz quartet, while the second places Cuban repertoire itself at the centre of the room.[2][4]

Plan the two-night route

Start at 23 Robadors, C/ d’en Robador 23, on Thursday 19 November at 22:00 for Martín Leiton Quartet “Takin’ Off.” Then head to Harlem Jazz Club on Saturday 21 November at 23:00 for Telva Rojas and Cuarteto Ébano de Cuba. The shows sit two days apart, leaving space to treat them as a short listening sequence instead of a rushed double bill. Check the official 23 Robadors and Harlem Jazz Club pages again before leaving for current door times, admission details and any programme changes.[1][2]

Sources

  1. Martín Leiton Quartet “Takin’ Off” feat. Oscar Latorre — 23 Robadors
  2. Telva Rojas & Cuarteto Ébano de Cuba — Harlem Jazz Club
  3. Martín Leiton — Festival Jazz Barcelona
  4. Catalan Jazz on Tour: Martín Leiton Quartet — Budapest Music Center