Arsht Plus: Rhythm & Roots

Mr. Pauer is a DJ, producer and two-time Latin Grammy® nominee whose music explores rhythm and percussion traditions across the Afro-Latin diaspora. He was nominated in 2025 for Best Latin Electronic Performance for “Rulay En Dubai,” following a 2011 nomination for Best Alternative Album for Soundtrack. Driven by a lifelong passion for percussion and global groove, Mr. Pauer blends Afro House, Latin House, Caribbean rhythms and global beats into forward-thinking electronic music. On stage, he delivers a hybrid DJ and live percussion performance where live drums, electronic production and cultural influences come together in a rhythm-driven experience designed to connect audiences through the universal language of percussion.

Latin Grammy winner Julio Montalvo is a Cuban trombonist, composer, arranger, orchestra director and record producer whose work bridges Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban music and contemporary Cuban sounds. His project Julio Montalvo & El Huracán de Miami blends Cuban timba, Afro-Cuban rhythms and current musical influences into a vibrant New Latin Jazz sound. He also leads the 23-piece Julio Montalvo Orchestra, whose repertoire spans original Latin jazz arrangements, Afro-Cuban classics and tributes to mambo, rock and disco. Throughout his career, Montalvo has performed at major jazz festivals around the world and shared the stage with artists including Oscar D’León, Claudio Roditi, Aymée Nuviola, José Alberto “El Canario,” Los Van Van and Alain Pérez. He also contributed as a co-arranger and multi-instrumentalist to David Bisbal’s Grammy-winning Una Noche en el Teatro Real. In 2021, he founded Julio Montalvo & El Huracán de Miami and recorded the group’s debut album, Llegó el Huracán, in 2023.

Cuban singer-songwriter Leslie Cartaya blends traditional Cuban music with jazz, funk, Afro-Latin and Latin American rhythms. Her debut solo album, No Pares, featured 19 tracks, 18 written and composed by Leslie, and earned her a 2013 Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. She is also a member of PALO!, whose music combines Cuban traditions with Afro-Cuban and Afro-American influences. The group’s album PALO! Live earned Latin Grammy and Grammy nominations as well as a Suncoast Emmy connection through the documentary Miami Boheme. In 2015, Leslie released her second solo album, Llévame Contigo, expanding her sound with vallenato, bachata and reggae. She later joined Telemundo’s Don Francisco Te Invita as musical director of Sexta Clave, an all-female band performing original music she wrote for the show. Leslie continues to write, compose, perform and produce through her record company No Pares Records.

Cuban-born flutist, vocalist, composer and educator Magela Herrera grew up between the Afro-Cuban traditions of her family and classical training at the Conservatory of Music in Havana. Her musical background also includes Latin jazz, Nordic jazz and improvisation, which she further developed while earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Jazz/Improvised Music from the Norwegian Academy of Music. From 2004 to 2011, Herrera performed with Cuban fusion band Mezcla and received recognition from Jazz Corner for her flute work on I’ll See You in Cuba. She has shared the stage with artists including Chucho Valdés, Alfredo Rodríguez, Stephen Marley, Richard Bona and Tony Succar and has performed at festivals and venues throughout Europe, Canada and the United States. Now based in Miami, Herrera continues to develop her own projects while collaborating with artists across genres and contributing to the city’s evolving cultural landscape.

MiriamMar is a Cuban-born singer and songwriter who blends R&B, Latin Pop, Jazz and Cuban soul into an intimate and soulful sound. Based in Miami, she has performed at Nathy Peluso’s Tiny Desk and at the Reserve Padel Miami Grand Prix, where she sang the U.S. National Anthem. She participated in the first Montreux Jazz Festival Miami through Jammcard in 2024 and performed at Cimafest in 2026 as part of the Funky Cuban Jam. Throughout her career, MiriamMar has worked as a background vocalist for artists including María Becerra, Cimafunk, Renesito Avich and Nathy Peluso. Most recently, she joined Ricardo Montaner’s El Último Regreso Tour as a background vocalist. A winner of the 2023 InterContinental Music Awards, she continues to develop new music, including her upcoming EP DIAGO, while building a career rooted in soul, emotion, authenticity and her Cuban heritage.

OKAN is an award-winning Afro-Cuban duo led by composers and multi-instrumentalists Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne. Taking their name from the word for “heart” in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, OKAN fuses Cuban roots with indie jazz, folk and global rhythms while exploring themes of immigration, resistance and joy in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish. The duo has appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and toured with Grammy winners Rodrigo y Gabriela. Their album Okantomi received the 2024 JUNO Award and was included in NPR Alt.Latino, Le Monde and CBC Music’s Best of 2023 lists. Rodriguez and Savigne are also Grammy nominees for their work with Jane Bunnett and Maqueque and have collaborated with artists including Bomba Estéreo, Lido Pimienta and Bianca Gismonti. Through powerful vocals, musicianship and lyrical storytelling, OKAN brings a fresh perspective to Latin and world jazz fusion.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Pedrito Calvo Jr. began studying music in 1993 at the Guillermo Tomás Elementary School of Music, first focusing on guitar and later on voice. He began his professional singing career at age 17, performing with groups including LM Sobredosis, La Farándula, Charanga Forever and his father Pedro Calvo’s orchestra, Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia. Over the years, Pedrito has built extensive stage experience through concerts, musicals and international performances. He has shared the stage with celebrated Cuban artists including Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Pío Leyva, Los Van Van and Barbarito Torres. In 2009, he founded his own orchestra in Italy and launched his first international tour at Cubamemucho in Germany. Since 2022, Pedrito has been based in Miami, where he continues developing a musical project that explores new music, genres and rhythms while building on his Cuban roots.

Founded in Miami in 2012, SONLOKOS blends son and traditional Cuban rhythms with hip-hop, electronic music, rap, Afro-Cuban music and timba. The result is a fresh, energetic sound built for the dance floor while remaining rooted in Cuban musical traditions. The group is led by Raymer Olalde on timbales and vocals and features musicians with extensive experience performing alongside artists such as Celia Cruz, Cachao, Luis Enrique, Arturo Sandoval, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan and Descemer Bueno. SonLokos’ debut album, Locos Por El Son, combines classic and original songs with the goal of preserving son and other traditional Cuban rhythms while introducing them to new generations through contemporary sounds. The album earned a 2015 Latin Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Tropical Album and helped establish SonLokos as a distinctive voice within Miami’s diverse Cuban music scene.

Cuban drummer, composer and bandleader Yissy García blends jazz, electronic music, funk, R&B and Afro-Cuban rhythms into a bold contemporary sound. A leading figure in female percussion, she has shared the stage with artists including Dave Matthews, Esperanza Spalding, Allison Russell, Concha Buika and Joshua Bell. Her work with Jane Bunnett’s Maqueque earned a 2015 JUNO Award and a 2017 Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album. Since 2012, García has led Yissy & Bandancha, a quintet fusing Afro-Cuban jazz, funk and electronic music. The group performed at NPR’s Tiny Desk in 2018 and has appeared on prominent stages including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Music Center and SXSW. Now based in Miami, García also creates opportunities for musical exchange through jam sessions and collaborative projects. In 2024, she served as musical director of Getting Funky in Havana and presented Women on The Drums at the Miami Beach Bandshell, highlighting women percussionists in a historically male-dominated field.

GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-nominated PALO! has earned more than 100 million views and streams worldwide. Founded in Miami’s Little Havana in 2003, the band has become a global ambassador for its signature Afro-Cuban Funky Jazzy Salsa, performing for audiences across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.