Manuel Valera: Jazz Musician in New York

About Manuel Valera

Manuel Valera is a Cuban pianist and composer based in New York City, heard in settings that range from small-group jazz to Afro-Cuban projects. In NYC he appears at venues including The Django, Smalls Jazz Club, and Bar Bayeux, where he has worked alongside artists such as Duduka Da Fonseca, Vinicius Gomes, and Eduardo Belo. His bands, including the Manuel Valera Quartet and New Cuban Express, center his writing and treat rhythm as a structural device rather than a backdrop. The playing favors architecture and conversational interplay over display.