Cuban Drummer Yissy Garcia's Genre-Bending Music

Yissy Garcia and her band Bandancha make hyphenated music that tests the limits of hyphens. It’s jazz-rock-hip-hop-fusion, with a hint of smooth jazz. She crowdfunded her new album — no small task in Cuba, with its intermittent internet connections — to avoid letting the Cuban government own the work. But what a shame that you won’t find the album on iTunes or Amazon music, though it is on Spotify. Despite the challenges, Garcia is part of an international jazz scene. She even collaborated with Joshua Bell and Dave Matthews one evening in New York. We’re just glad she’s coming to Cafe Stritch in San Jose and Ashkenaz in Berkeley. Details here.