“This band of young, killer female musicians… all play and sing like seasoned veterans.” – DownBeat Magazine

Internationally-acclaimed, five-time Juno Award winner and flautist Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. With Maqueque, they’ve won a Juno Award for their first album, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque; were nominated for a Grammy Award for their second release, Oddara; and were nominated for a Juno Award for their latest release, On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme. Most recently, they were voted as one the top ten jazz groups by the prestigious DownBeat magazine’s Critics Poll.

What started out as a project to record and mentor young brilliant Cuban female musicians has become one of the top groups on the North American jazz scene. Since 2015, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque have played in major jazz festivals like Newport and Monterey, and have been featured on NPR’s program Jazz Night in America. Bunnett’s exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music, and her ability to embrace and showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been ground-breaking. The Victoria Jazz Society welcomes the return of the new queens of Afro-Cuban jazz, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, to Victoria for another evening of fantastic musicianship like no other!

Maqueque are: Joanna Tendai Majoko vocals, Mary Paz congas/vocals, Dánae Olano piano, Tailin Marrero bass, Yissy García drums.