Axel Tosca
Arthur's Tavern57 Grove Street, New York 10014
Axel Tosca brings his piano-led music to Arthur’s Tavern for an evening drawing on jazz, Latin music and Timba. The Cuban-born, New York-based musician is billed here under his own name; his Saturday residency is presented elsewhere as the Axel Tosca Trio, a format he often performs with bassist Daniel Winshall and drummer David Frazier Jr. Expect a cross-pollinated approach shaped by Cuban rhythm and jazz rather than a narrowly defined set.
Tosca grew up in a prominent Cuban musical family: his mother is Trova singer Xiomara Laugart and his father folk singer-guitarist Alberto Tosca. He played early shows with his parents, studied with Miriam Valdez, and worked in Cuba with Dennis & Swing, the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, Bobby Carcases, Teresa Garcia Caturla and Jose Miguel Crego. After moving to the United States in 2005, he studied jazz at the New School and became a founding member of (U)nity. His 2016 self-titled debut included Laugart, Keyon Harrold, Ron Blake, Jeff “Tain” Watts, James Genus and Luisito Quintero. His collaborations also reach from The Roots and George Clinton to BeBe Winans, Steve Gadd, J Balvin and Bad Bunny. La Jiribilla called one Havana International Jazz Festival appearance among its “best experiences,” writing that he played “without any brake.”
Arthur's Tavern is a basement club in the West Village where jazz, Latin, and blues are played with deep roots and modern energy. The stage is small, the room intimate, and the audience sits close to the musicians, often with a few people standing near the back. Shows start around 5 PM and go late, with some sets extending into the early hours. The club has a history of hosting top-tier performers since 2001, including regular appearances by Yuichi Hirakawa Jazz Group. It's a place where music is the center, and conversation flows naturally between the audience and the performers.