Cimafunk: JAS – Jazz Aspen Snowmass

Cimafunk is an Afro-Cuban Rockstar. His name refers to his heritage as a ‘cimarrón,’ Cubans of African descent who resisted and escaped slavery, as well as to the essence of his music that aims to subvert conventional sounds with rhythmic innovation. By bringing out the best in Cuban rhythms and traditions and infusing sounds and styles from Africa and the U.S., Cimafunk is redefining contemporary Cuban music as well as Afro-Latin identity and the fusion of black cultures. Cimafunk has made a name for himself as one of today’s great showman, performing an electric live show with his 9-person band from Havana. As innovative funk forefather George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic) says: “Cimafunk takes it back there while keeping it in the now. It’s what we do, always reinventing the Funk to keep it fresh.” Cimafunk’s monumental second album El Alimento was released in October 2021, receiving overwhelming praise. Rolling Stone ranked it #3 of the Best Spanish-Language and Bilingual Albums of 2021 and #23 of the 50 Best Albums of 2021. El Alimento was also among NPR’s Best Latin Music of 2021 and #1 of Le Monde’s Latin Music favorites. Singles also made their way through 2021 lists: Rómpelo ft. Lupe Fiasco was among NPR Alt.Latino’s best singles of 2021 and Funk Aspirin ft. George Clinton in Remezcla’s 10 Best Indie Pop, Rock, & Chill Songs of 2021. Cimafunk became a household name in Cuba with his 2018 hit “Me Voy” which led to his designation as “Artist of the Year” by Vistar Magazine and the Lucas Award for Most Popular Video. His debut album “Terapia,” and songs like “Paciente” and “Parar el tiempo” generated a frenzy, creating a movement in Havana and throughout the island, selling out venues with thousands of fans excited to dance to the groove of Afro-Cuban Funk. Named by Billboard as a “Top 10 Latin Artist to watch,” Cimafunk stole the show at the 2019 South by Southwest Music Festival and has toured aggressively in the U.S. and Europe. Just prior to the pandemic, Cimafunk and his band received overwhelming praise for a moving performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. He also engaged to create collaborations across generations with Cuban music Icons such as Chucho Valdés, Juana Bacallao, Los Papines, La Orquesta Aragon, and in building bridges across segments of black music: celebrating New Orleans with Trombone Shorty, Tank & The Bangas and The Soul Rebels, and coming across creative misgeneation with George Clinton, Ceelo Green, Lupe Fiasco, Chocquibtown or Stylo G.