Humberto Ríos & Pablo Rodríguez

An Atlantic duo, from Havana and La Palma, where composition and improvisation share the same breath.

What does an island sound like when it meets another island? Rhythmic, bright, irrepressible. Two identities, two instruments, and between them, a whole band: Humberto’s piano turns into a drum kit, Pablo’s baritone violin becomes a double bass, and the composed material takes unexpected turns. And all of it acoustic. From there they change gear as they please: from grooving, percussive passages and rather unruly jazz solos to something so warm and intimate the hall goes quiet. By then the audience is no longer simply listening; they have been swept along.

Humberto and Pablo met a long way from home, at a spontaneous jam in 2016: both classically trained, both studying jazz in Rotterdam. They have been playing as a duo ever since. Jazz is the sea that joins them; their writing borrows its light and colour from Impressionist music.

Individually, they have shared the stage with Pat Metheny, Roy Hargrove, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jorge Pardo and Carles Benavent. Humberto currently plays with Niña Pastori and the Cuban Jazz Syndicate; Pablo is a founding member of the Dutch North Sea String Quartet and plays in the Brainteaser Orchestra.

As a duo, they were finalists in Keep an Eye The Records at the Bimhuis and were selected for the JAZZ I AM, LPA Market and MAPAS showcases. Their debut album, Conversaciones (2019), took them to Jazz à Juan, the Auditorio de Zaragoza and many other stages across Spain.

“A real emotional spectacle. The classical training of the two musicians allows them to move playfully through classical music, folklore, jazz and funk.”

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