Hot Tropical Nights. TREE - O

• August 22, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.
• Brotfabrik Berlin, Caligariplatz 1

Tree-O

• Regis Molina – sax
• Checho Gomez – bass
• Javier Reyes – drums

The opening concert kicks off a musical journey into the jazz scenes of Havana and Rio de Janeiro from the 1940s to the 1960s. Tree-O explores the musical dialogue between Cuba and the U.S., blending works from the early days of Latin jazz with their own compositions and distinctive artistic style.

In 1947, the Cuban conga virtuoso Chano Pozo arrived in New York. There, Mario Bauzá introduced him to Dizzy Gillespie. This encounter gave rise to works such as “Manteca” and a new musical language that fused bebop with Afro-Cuban rhythms—Afro-Cuban jazz was born. Years earlier, Jelly Roll Morton had described the Afro-Caribbean rhythm as the indispensable “Spanish Tinge” of jazz.

However, the concert series not only recounts music history but also sheds light on its political and social context. The “Hot Tropical Nights” took place against the backdrop of the Cold War. While Havana was initially under the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship and came under Soviet influence after the 1959 revolution, Rio de Janeiro experienced a cultural renaissance, economic boom, and the development of a democratic civil society under President Juscelino Kubitschek. At the same time, poverty and social inequality remained pervasive. Growing criticism of these conditions was denounced by conservative forces as a communist threat and culminated in the U.S.-backed military coup in Brazil in 1964.

Hot Tropical Nights invites you to rediscover this explosive era through its music. Berlin-based jazz musicians explore the works of this period and bring them into the present with their own compositions and unique sounds.

About Tree-O:

Regis Molina (Cuba) – The Havana-born saxophonist and composer lives in Berlin and has previously collaborated with Chucho Valdés, Tony Allen, and the Afrocuban All Stars.

Checho Gómez (Colombia) – The Colombian bassist has been part of Berlin’s Latin and jazz scene for many years and participates in numerous international projects.

Javier Reyes (Colombia) – The Colombian drummer teaches at the Jazz-Institut Berlin and is known for his Latin American rhythms and modern jazz.

Supported by the Jazz 2026 project grant from the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.