An evening dedicated to Havana at the Athens Concert Hall

Following last year's successful all-day event, Great Night of Jazz, this year an evening will be dedicated to Latin-jazz. "A Night in Havana" is a tribute to Cuban music and begins at 8 pm on 17 April at the "Megaron" Athens Concert Hall with concerts by artists in the field, film showings, photo exhibits, dancing and various events which will finish up in the early morning hours on Sunday.

It promises to be an all-night party of Cuban jazz with some of the greatest Greek and foreign performers who invite the public to experience the intense rhythms of Latin-jazz that will dominate the halls and foyer of the Megaron Athens Concert Hall until the small hours of the following day.

The programme begins at 8 pm with a tour of Latin jazz with Dimitris Kalatzis and the Camerata Orchestra of the Friends of Music, directed by Miltos Logiades. They will relate the story of Latin music starting from its African and Spanish roots and arriving at its most contemporary, modern-day expression.

At 9:30 pm, two Latin-jazz piano legends will be appearing for the first time in Athens, Greece: five-time Grammy Award winner Chucho Valdez and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The Dimitris Sevdalis Quarter will follow at 11 pm with Cuban bolero with a jazz attitude, accompanied by the exceptional Cuban singer Mildrays Duquesne. They will be playing in a space specially adapted to resemble a piano bar.

The highlight of the evening will be the appearance of award-winning trumpet player Arturo Sandoval. Along with saxophonist, trumpet player, compose and producer Chico Freeman (11:30 pm) and the Guataca band, they will introduce us to the world of Latin-jazz, a world that was born in Cuba but was nurtured on the streets of New York.

At the end of the evening, the Banquet Hall will be transformed into a salsa dance hall (1:30 am), where a band will play dance music for those who want to make believe they are in Cuba. The concerts will be accompanied by parallel events, such as films on the Cuban music culture, photography exhibitions and other events that will ttake us back in time.

For these nighttime events, the Megaron Athens Concert Hall spaces are specially arranged with tables and those who would like to enjoy the music with a drink will be able to do so.

Don't miss "A Night in Havana" at the "Megaron" Athens Concert Hall on 17 April.