The show was nothing short of amazing, and shook me to my core. It seemed like the band wasn’t playing individual songs, but rather a beautiful, hour-long symphony of rhythm and heat with orchestrated pauses to allow everyone a chance to breathe.

Manhattan: Subrosa’s Soft Launch Hits Hard By Larry Blumenfeld November 14, 2014 Click here to view the article! The bad news: If you’ve never caught the Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez leading his quartet at the midtown Manhattan restaurant Guantanamera, where he held court for nearly a decade, you never will. “At first we played traditional Cuban songs, […]

This week is a bonanza for Pan-American music (even beyond Rubén Blades at Jazz at Lincoln Center). The Blue Note Entertainment Group has just announced the opening of its fourth venue in Manhattan, named “Subrosa,” which it informs us will be an intimate club specializing in Latin and World Jazz. The new space’s high standards are being established from the get-go with a continuing residency by the irresistible Cuban percussionist and bandleader Pedrito Martinez.

“We are opening Subrosa to provide a new creative hub for eclectic music, with an emphasis on Latin and world music disciplines,” Steven Bensusan, president of the Blue Note Entertainment Group said in a statement. “This space will ultimately serve as a destination for listeners to discover new globally influenced music in an accessible setting.”

“Our focus will be on eclectic, creative music,” says Jordy Freed, Blue Note’s director of marketing and publicity, who adds that the Blue Note team will be working with agents and managers to program discovery-worthy local artists and special shows by established names.