In 2019, Cuban trumpeter, composer, and arranger Roberto García founded The Latin Way, a project dedicated to bringing Afro-Cuban traditions into dialogue with jazz and classical music. The mission of The Latin Way is to highlight the next generation of musicians who carry forward the spirit of the Buena Vista Social Club, presenting Cuban music not as nostalgia but as a living, evolving art form.
Garcia recently released two albums: De Norte a Sur (Colibrí Records, produced by Roberto Fonseca) and Latin Way (Cugate Clásicos Latinos, produced by García and musicologist Adaivis Marrón). These recordings feature García’s original compositions alongside fresh versions of Cuban classics and international jazz repertoire. The ensemble has quickly become a platform for creative collaboration between Cuban tradition and contemporary global music.
Before founding The Latin Way, García was a regular member of pianist Roberto Fonseca’s ensemble, touring internationally in Germany, Sweden, and France. He also served as musical director of La Academia under Ruy López-Nussa. His versatility as trumpet and flugelhorn player brought him into collaborations with Alexis Bosch (winning first prize at the Master Jam competition in Ukraine, 2013), Alexander Abreu’s Habana de Primera, and the iconic Buena Vista Social Club Orchestra and Omara Portuondo’s group, with whom he shared a Latin Grammy Award.
Earlier in his career, García was part of the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra (1997–98) and gained recognition as a core member of Afrocuba. With the group, he toured across Europe and Latin America, performed six times at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, collaborated with Silvio Rodríguez, and became the group’s musical director in 1990, recording the albums Acontecer and Rey Arcoiris.
A graduate with honors from Havana’s National School of Arts, García represents a rare blend of classical training and Cuban popular tradition – a foundation that continues to define Latin Way’s mission: to carry Cuban music into the future.