2027 PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL

JAZZ FESTIVAL PERFORMING ARTISTS

DR. GIANNI BIANCHINI

"Bianchini has a deft touch and a joyful delivery that can be downright alluring" - Huffington Post 

Dr. Gianni Bianchini is among the leading pianist, vocalist and organist in today’s jazz scene. He has played, recorded or studied with many of jazz’s prominent artist such as; Jason Marsalis, Arturo Sandoval, Joshua Redman, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Scofield, Stefon Harris, Kenny Werner, Jean Michel-Pilc, Gil Goldstein, Ron McClure, Oscar Stagnaro, Carlos Averhoff, Justin Faulkner, Ralph Lalama, Duffy Jackson, Warren Wolf, Chico Pinheiro, Ira Sullivan, Steve Bailey, Frank Vignola, Jimmy Bruno, Bruce Foreman, Ron Jackson, Kevin Marcus (Black Violin) and countless others across from around the world.

An accomplished educator, Dr. Bianchini has held faculty positions at New York University and the University of Texas, and served for a decade as Director of Piano at Berklee College of Music’s Global Partner, La Universidad San Francisco de Quito. He is currently the director of Jazz Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Dr. Bianchini holds a Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) from Berklee College of Music, a Master’s degree from New York University, and a Doctorate in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of Texas.

CALIXTO OVIEDO & THE CUBAN JAZZ TRAIN

Calixto Oviedo is a Latin Grammy nominated artist (La Rumba del Siglo, 2000) who has had the opportunity to play with numerous internationally known artists such as Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdés, Danilo Pérez, David Sanchez, Luis Conte, Ray Barreto, Giovanni Hidalgo, Alfredo Rodriguez, Dave Valentin, Juan Pablo Torres, Orlando "Maraca" Valle and Tony Martínez as well as the celebrated Cuban percussionists Tata Güines, José Luis "Changuito" Quintana, and Miguel "Angá" Diaz in a very successful career that spans over 38 years.

Calixto was born on October 14, 1955 in the Havana barrio of La Vibora and his earlier musical recollection was at the age of two or three, waiting in front of the television, toy violin in hand, waiting to play along with the performances of his favorite band, La Orquesta Aragón. It was at the advanced age of four, however, that it became clear to this young prodigy that his true calling was to play the drums so, he discarded his toy violin in favor of a plastic bucket, several empty cans, and an old frying pan, all of which he played with drumsticks fashioned from coat hangers.

At the ripe age of eight, he entered the primary music school of Caturla in Havana, and appeared with several famous Cuban musicians, among them the piano master Rubén Gonzalez. After graduating from the National High School of the Arts, he plays with many different bands, such as the Radio & Television Orchestra, Grupo Achére. Later, he joined the band of the Cuban bolero singer Pacho Alonso. In the early 80’s, he became the very first drummer in the band of Arturo Sandoval, after he left Irakere.

In 1983, with his old school mate, Adalberto Alvarez, he founded the Adalberto y Su Son orchestra, where he played timbales and stayed there until the beginning of 1990, when he joined the music group Pachito Alonso y Sus Kini Kini, where he stayed for a year until 1991, where he would start playing the drums and timbales in N.G. La Banda, considered by many to be the creators of the a new Cuban sound, the “Timba”, the best and most exciting Cuban dance group of the 1990s. That band was formed in 1988 by flute player José Luis Cortés and included many brilliant musicians who had formerly played with Irakere and Los Van Van.

The group was best known for placing emphasis on tight rhythms and their aggressive brass section, nicknamed the Terror Brass, with Calixto’s drums and timbales at the forefront. He was their drummer during the period that produced many of their greatest recordings; Santa Palabra, Échale Limón, and El Trágico. In the mid-90's, he relocated to Sweden, during which time he made an excellent Timba record, La Recompensa, with his son Yulién and other key members of Charanga Habanera while also being the drummer of the Afro-Cuban All Stars band.

Calixto moved from Stockholm to Lakewood, Colorado, in July of 2013, and since then, has been performing and teaching clinics at major United States Universities such as the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), California State University at Los Angeles (CSULA), and Berklee College of Music.

Through the years, he has been privileged to play in many of the most illustrious festivals around the world such as: La Feria de Cali (Colombia); Montreaux Jazz Festival (Canada); Paleo Rock Festival (Switzerland); Carnaval in Panamá (Panama); Nice jazz Festival (France); A Sulle Festival (Italy); Roskilde Festival (Denmark); Festival de Salsa de Madrid (Spain); North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands); Antillansefeesten (Belgium); Gottingen Jazz Festival (Germany); Festival de Salsa en Barcelona (Spain); Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy); Couleur Café (Belgium); Festival di San Remo (Italy); Riga Ritmi Festival (Latvia); Copenhagen Jazz Festival (Denmark); Nordischerklang (Germany); Red Sea Jazz Festiva (Israel); Imatra Big Band Festival (Finland); Umeå Jazz Festival (Sweden); Oslo World Music (Norway); Salsa Festival de Madrid (Spain); Feria del Pacífico (Peru); Frutas Tropicales (Finland); Molde Jazz Festival (Norway); Udine jazz (Italy); Montreal Jazz Festival (Canada); Portland Jazz Festival (USA) and The Sun Festival (Singapore).

YVETTE NORWOOD-TIGER 

“Transplanted Detroit jazz vocalist Yvette Norwood-Tiger transcends jazz standards and does that and more with her quintet...at the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center.” – Palm Beach Post

Award-winning jazz vocalist, recording and international touring artist, songwriter, the Recording Academy voting member, and founder/director of the Palm Beach International Jazz Festival (www.pbijf.org), Yvette Norwood-Tiger, is a Detroit, Michigan native who hails from a family of musicians. Yvette performs with vocally clean and pure interpretations, while emphasizing intonation and storytelling. Her vocal styling and texture are often compared to that of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.  In addition to jazz standards, her repertoire includes the Great American Songbook, standards, bebop, and Latin jazz.  She also performs jazz songs in other languages.

In addition to her original jazz compositions, her recordings feature music from great composers such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and others. 

Yvette resides in south Florida where she performs extensively, including performances at the Raymond F. Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, the Arts Garage in Delray Beach, and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Yvette performs in Europe, South Africa, South America, the UK, the Caribbean, as well as various venues in the US including Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Michigan. 

Yvette's mission in music is to uplift, inspire, and entertain her audience through song, lyrics, and storytelling of her personal journey. 

www.yvettenorwoodtiger.com

Palm Beach International Jazz Festival 2027

The Future Looks Bright in Jazz Awardee - TBA

TICKETS: Tickets will be available in October 2026

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