Jelly Roll Morton told us that if you don’t have a Spanish tinge in your music you don’t have jazz. He was referring to the seductive syncopation of the habanera (an Africanised, Cuban version of the European contredanse) that he heard in New Orleans. Well, there’s a chance to test the Latin American connection in jazz and, vice-versa, the jazz credentials of Latin music this month at the LatinoLife In The Park festival in Ealing, West London. Aside from the jazz connections that may be found in salsa and the like, this year’s event features two musicians who are associated as much with jazz as with Latin music. They are Hernán Jacinto (hear him on Spotify) and Rafu Warner (also on Spotify).
Latin Grammy winner Jacinto is one of Argentina’s most respected jazz pianists, known for blending technical precision with a deep sensitivity to melody. Performing in a trio format, he will revisit material from his album Gardel, reworking essential tango repertoire through a contemporary jazz lens. Rafu Warner, meanwhile, is a Puerto Rican salsa singer and one of the few remaining performers from the golden era of the music. In the 1970s he was a member of Bobby Valentín’s orchestra and big on the New York salsa scene, a scene that gave employment to leading American jazzmen such as Randy Brecker – hear his spectacular trumpet solo on Markolino Dimond and Frankie Dante’s 1975 Los Rumberos.
On a topical note, the organisers point out that Rafu Warner’s story was an inspiration for the latest album from the celebrated Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton artist Bad Bunny, who has recently made the news for popularising Spanish-language music in anglophone territories. London Mayor Sadik Khan thinks Bad Bunny’s sold-out shows at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June herald “a fantastic summer of Latin American music and culture”.
Hernán and Warner appear on the main stage, which also hosts mariachi band Compania Folklorica de Bernal, Carlos Paul’s Tribute to Latin Rock, Portuguese-Angolan rapper Broken Pen and Chilean folklore Grupo Luma. Three additional stages showcase other dimensions of Latin music: Club Viva Arena has reggaeton, baile funk, afro house and dembow DJs, Tardeo Tropical Stage presents sounds of the Latin Caribbean with salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, bomba and plena, while Joga Bonito showcases Brazilian culture through samba, pagode, forró, baile funk, capoeira, freestyle football, dance performances and live drumming.
The 2026 LatinoLife In The Park takes place Sunday 19 July at Walpole Park, Ealing W5 5EQ from 12pm-10pm and can be most easily reached by tube to Ealing Broadway or South Ealing. Advance tickets are at latinolifeinthepark.com/tickets. LatinoLife is the Arts Council’s first and only Latina-run National Portfolio Organisation (NPO), recognised for delivering artistic excellence.
