Jack Duncan & Conga Cartel present “A Night in Havana”

Conga Cartel leader Jack Duncan‘s journey through the world of percussion and Afro-Cuban music is truly remarkable. It all started when he picked up the Conga drums at the age of 14, and from that point on, his passion for the instrument only grew. His dedication to understanding the history and cultural significance of the Conga drums led him on a global quest for knowledge. It’s impressive how he sought out opportunities to study with master drummers such as Dou Dou N’Diaye Rose and Petit Toure in West Africa, where he delved into the nuanced traditions of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Gambia. This immersive experience provided him with firsthand insights into the cultural significance and historical context of the percussion instruments he dedicated himself to mastering. The meticulous nature of his research extended to his studies in Cuba, with renowned entities like The Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. His work with legendary Cuban percussionists, including Changuito, Anga, Julio Davalos, and Regino Jimenez, exemplifies his commitment to understanding the nuances of Afro-Cuban music at its source. Jack’s dynamic and sophisticated percussion playing has earned him a National and international reputation. He has been sought out by many top artists in North America (Chicago, Donna Summers, Ricardo Lemvo & the Makina Loca) to contribute his unique skills and experience for both stage performances and studio recordings. Jack was a featured performer at the Havana Jazz Plaza Festival with the late Pucho Lopez and has performed with world renowned musicians including Chucho Valdes, Arturo Sandoval and J.J Johnson. He is also a founding member of Hugh Fraser’s Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation (VEJI) and performs with John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra, Orquesta Goma Dura, Drum & Light Orchestra and Zapato Negro. Jack has appeared on over 60 CDs, receiving a Juno Award for his work on Alpha ‘YAYA’ Diallo’s album “The Messenger”. Jack’s impact extends beyond performances; his role as an expert scene advisor for television productions influencing visual storytelling through his expert understanding of music and culture. The fact that he contributed to the soundtrack of the Grammy and Oscar-winning animated movie Ratatouille is a testament to the breadth of his influence. With appearances on over 60 CDs, including a Juno Award-winning album, Jack Duncan has left an indelible mark on the world of music. His journey is a testament to the power of passion, curiosity, and the pursuit of excellence.

Susana Williams (vocals) is a producer, composer, singer, musician and performer. She is based out of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia where she lives with her darling wife, three Boston Terriers and fluffy ginger cat.

Her musical career began in Caracas, Venezuela at the age of 13 when a professional band began rehearsing in her apartment building’s basement. The group of musicians let her sing one day for a laugh – only to hire her on the spot.

From there she began singing everything from folk music to rock while writing her own music and learning to play drums, congas and guitar.

By the time she was 15, Susana had won best singer at The Festival of New Music in Caracas, earned a scholarship at the Roland Learning Centre of Music and was playing four nights a week at local nightclubs.

By 22 she was one of the hottest acts in the Caracas nightlife, where people lined up around the block to watch her perform her unique mix of Latin, Anglo pop and rock.

In the meantime she did back up vocals for famous Latin singers like Venezuelan artists Frank Quintero and Kiara and collaborated with Pedro Castillo when she was signed by Airo Music.

In 1998 Susana left Venezuela and immigrated to Canada. She has since produced and released “Latin Roots” (2004), and “Dejame Contarte” (EP, July 2020). Her solo album “We’re a Memory” was released June 2021. Her Live at “Hipposonic” album was released in 2023. Her newest album “To Be Honest” was released January 2024. 

She started writing music as a child. She wrote a song to her grandmother at the age of 6. Her first “serious” composition was at the age of 13. She wrote this song using a small Yamaha keyboard in her bedroom back home. “Perdona” was the first song that she ever wrote that made it to her first solo album.

As a vocalist and percussionist, Susana’s Vancouver credits include several Vancouver International Jazz Festivals, the Victoria Jazz Festival, and the 2010 Winter Olympics.

She has shared the stage with internationally award-winning artists Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Johnny Rivera, Adonis Puente and Alex Cuba.

She was the singer of Goma Dura and Rumba Calzada. The two most relevant Latin bands in the West Coast.

She can be regularly seen performing around Vancouver with her solo show, Latin Jazz Ensemble and rock band.

Susana started her producing career in 2004 when she co-produced and released her first solo album Latin Roots. Since COVID she dove into producing and engineering her own music. She also started to produce other artists. She produced Mariel Yglesia’s first EP released November 2021.

She started writing music for film and tv when she produced a short documentary called “Muy Queer” back in 2003. She is a film and TV composer for Melodie, Australia. She’s had music placed in over half a dozen TV shows in 2023.

In collaboration with cinematographer Peter Lee, she produced and directed the short film “Dreaming” 2020.

She is also the Musical Director of “Raices y Alas Flamenco” the avant-garde experimental flamenco dance company based in Vancouver, BC.

Louis Mastroianni (piano) received a scholarship at the Banff School for the Arts where he studied with Don Thompson, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler and John Abercombie.

He continued education in Latin Jazz and Cuban music in Cuba studying with Emilio Morales from the group NG LaBanda, percussionist Anga Diaz from the group Irakere and tres player Papi from Orquesta Reve. Lou now performs and arranges music for Westcoast nominees World Music groups such as Shanta Reve. Lou now performs and arranges music for Westcoast nominees World Music groups for Shangó Ashé, The Hard Rubber Orchestra and Rumba Calzada. Lou has performed and recorded with Grammy award winner Poncho Sanchez, Los Munequitos de Cuba, Grupo Jazz Tumbao and Juno nominee Karin Plato.

John Korsrud (trumpet) is a composer, producer and trumpet player based in Vancouver, Canada. He is the leader and principal composer of the 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra, a jazz/ new music ensemble he formed in 1990. HRO has toured across Canada several times, to Europe, and released five CDs, most recently the JUNO-nominated Iguana (2022), and Kenny Wheeler’s Suite for Hard Rubber Orchestra (2018), Wheeler’s last large work before his passing, commissioned by the Hard Rubber Orchestra in 2013.

As a composer, John has received commissions from prestigious organizations including The American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York, The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, The CBC Radio Orchestra, the Albany Symphony New Music Festival, Vancouver New Music, Turning Point Ensemble, The Standing Wave Ensemble, and several Dutch ensembles such as LOOS, Combustion Chamber, and De Ereprijs. His score for the documentary “Heroines” (2002) earned him Leo and Golden Sheaf Awards and a Gemini Nomination, while his score for “Prisoners of Age” (2005) received a Leo Award.

John has produced many large multi-media extravaganzas including The Ice Age: The World’s First New Music Ice Show for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In 2005 CBC Television produced a 60-minute, commercial-free, nationally-televised “Cantata for the King” for their program “Opening Night”.

John graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1990, was a frequent participant at The Banff Centre between 1984 and 1994, and studied composition with Louis Andriessen at the Royal Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands from 1995 to 1997. He is the recipient of the 2001 Canada Council Joseph S. Stauffer Prize, 2003 Civitella Ranieri Fellowship, the 2012 City of Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Award for Music, and the 2015 Canada Council Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award.

As a trumpet player, John’s wide range of experiences include everything from performing with international improvisors such as George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, Han Bennink, Barry Guy and Kenny Wheeler to punk legends DOA to with The Vancouver Symphony. John has performed in the jazz festivals of Berlin, Havana, Chicago, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Montreal. John teaches at The School of Music at Vancouver Community College and Capilano University.

Allan Johnston (upright bass) has played with most of Vancouver’s finest Latin and jazz groups. He has played or recorded with Orquesta La Clave, Grammy winner Lalo Rodriguez (with La Clave), NY Salsa legend and Fania All-Star Larry Harlow (with Seattle’s Nueva Era), Ernán López-Nussa, winner of the 2002 Cubadisco Award (Cuba’s Grammy) for Latin Jazz (with Orquesta Goma Dura), Rumba Calzada, Alma Libre, Shangó Ashé, and many others. He has travelled extensively throughout the Latin world developing his style, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and New York.

He has also performed with the Vancouver Symphony and Opera Orchestras, the Arts Club Theatre, CBC Radio, the Vancouver Men’s Chorus and the City Soul Gospel Choir.

Phil Belanger (drums) is known on the Vancouver scene as a drummer/percussionist of great musicianship and vast experience. Born in Vancouver, Phil got his Bachelor’s of Music degree at UBC, and plays or has played with a wide range of groups. He handles popular and classical music with equal facility and his innumerable credits include symphonic, jazz, latin, and Jewish ensemble work.
Phil is a graduate of the UBC Music School.