René Lavoie and Miguel de Armas

These seasoned performers, René Lavoie (flute) and Miguel de Armas (piano) share their love of reimagined standards and lively Latin rhythms.

Thank you Terry Denison for donating the piano tuning!

This is an online performance presented on the GigSpace website https://www.gigspace.ca/rene-lavoie-and-miguel-de-armas

your password and concert link will be included in your ticket confirmation email. Concert length is approximately one hour.

René Lavoie: Originally from Cornwall, Ontario, he graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Music and a Masters from the University of Miami (Florida) in Jazz Studies. He also studied saxophone in New York with Joseph Allard and Eddie Daniels and with the legendary Cuban flute player Richard Eguez. Since the late 1970s he has recorded and performed in numerous jazz concerts across the country for the CBC / Radio-Canada network and continues to work as an independent musician.

He currently plays in several jazz and Latin jazz ensembles including the René Lavoie Trio, the Cosmos saxophone quartet and the Los Gringos Latin jazz ensemble. Recipient of three individual grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. He also worked on the saxophone with Sonny Stitt, Don Menza and Denis Deblasio.

Miguel De Armas: Miguel De Armas is a versatile jazz pianist and composer. He weaves strands of  Cuban and American jazz influences in a compellingly eclectic way. Born in Havana, Cuba, Miguel studied at the Conservatory Amadeo Roldan and graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte with a Bachelor in Cuban Percussion. 

In 1988, he co-founded the acclaimed Cuban band NG La Banda Orchestra with José Luis Cortés and other prestigious Cuban musicians. For over a decade, he toured with this band around the world and performed at world-class Jazz Festivals such as the North Sea, Montreaux, Nice, Nantes, Normandia, Couleur Café, Barranquijazz, Río de Janeiro Film Festival, among others. 

Now Miguel has brought his musical talents to the city Ottawa, Canada which he considers his adopted home. His hope is to introduce Canadians to the works of an original Cuban talent whose performances are nothing short of a master class in original Cuban jazz rhythms.