Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours

Papo Vázquez Mighty Pirates Troubadours is the working ensemble led by Puerto Rican trombonist and composer Angel Rafael “Papo” Vázquez, heard in New York City at Dizzy’s Club. Vázquez’s writing draws on jazz alongside Latin and Afro-Caribbean forms, and he is widely associated with the development of bomba jazz.

Angel Rafael "Papo" Vázquez is an American trombonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent who performs and records jazz, Latin and Afro-Caribbean music. He is known as one of the pioneers of the bomba jazz style and is a Grammy Award nominee.

Mighty Pirates Troubadours is the working ensemble led by trombonist-composer Angel Rafael “Papo” Vázquez, a Puerto Rican–descended bandleader associated with the early development of bomba jazz. The group’s sound threads modern jazz writing through Latin and Afro-Caribbean rhythmic practice, with Latin jazz also central to its repertoire.