Elio Villafranca


Elio Villafranca is a Cuban jazz pianist and composer. He was born in the Cuban province of Pinar del Río, and studied in the faculty of music of the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. He worked on Things I Wanted to do by Chembo Corniel, which was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 2010 Grammy Awards; his album Cinque was nominated in 2020. In 2014 he received the first JALC Millennium Swing Award. He teaches at the Manhattan School of Music, at Temple University, and at the Juilliard School of Music, where he specializes in jazz ensemble.
He has received awards including the 2017 Sunshine Award, the 2018 Downbeat Critic's Poll "Rising Stars Keyboard" and the 2019 Downbeat Critic's Poll "Rising Stars Pianist". In 2021 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition.

Discography

As Leader