Tres Aguas – A Retrospective by Elio Villafranca

I’m thrilled to share my journey with Tres Aguas, a deeply personal and ambitious Big Band suite commissioned by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center. More than just a creative milestone, this work is a musical exploration of the historical, cultural, and rhythmic threads that connect the Americas, Spain, and Africa. It serves as an homage to the Big Band traditions of both Cuba and the United States—reimagined through the lens of Afro-Diasporic music, dance, and movement.

Last March at Dizzy’s Club, I had the honor of performing Tres Aguas with my own ensemble. While its premiere with Wynton and JLCO was unforgettable, this rendition was deeply personal and artistically fulfilling.

The Cuban Big Band Legacy

While the Big Band era in the U.S. evokes names like Ellington, Basie, and Goodman, Cuba developed its own parallel tradition. Thanks to the research of musicologist Leonardo Acosta, we now recognize Cuba’s early contributions, beginning with the Jazz Band de Sagua in 1914—just a year after the Original Dixieland Jazz Band formed in New Orleans.

Orquesta Cuba, 1928.By the 1920s, Havana was home to several prominent bands, such as Jaime Prats’ Cuban Jazz Band (1922), Moisés Simons’ All-Star Band (1924), and the Orquesta Cuba (1928). These groups blended American jazz elements with Cuban instrumentation—trumpets, saxophones, violins, güiros, and percussion—creating a distinct hybrid sound. By 1929, Cuban bands began aligning more closely with the American Big Band model, incorporating saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, guitar, bass, and drums, all while retaining a distinct Cuban flavor through rhythmic complexity and percussive layering. This approach of layering is one of the most essential components in Cuban music.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Cuban music—and something I draw on constantly in my own compositions—is how it layers rhythm like a mosaic. You don’t just have a beat; you have a conversation happening between different rhythmic voices. And when it’s done well, it creates a sense of forward motion and tension that is felt intensively. This kind of rhythmic layering isn’t just musical—it’s cultural. We inherited this approach to music from Africa in the many forms of musical traditions brought to Cuba during the cruel Transatlantic slave trade, and it reflects the way African, European, and Indigenous traditions, to a lesser extent, coexisted and evolved in Cuba. These weren’t just musical blends; they were ways of surviving, of expressing identity, and of staying connected to ancestral memory.

Here’s an example of a rhythmic transcription of an Arara pattern from the Jovellanos region of Matanzas, Cuba, that illustrates rhythmic layering.

In this example, the three drum parts—Hun (high-pitched), Huncito (mid-pitched), and Hunguedde (low-pitched)—interact to create a unique rhythmic melody, while the Hunga drums improvise. The Atcheré (shakers) and the Ogan (bell) provide the foundation. Similar concepts were employed by arrangers in the horns section of Cuban Big Bands throughout their history in Cuba, which I’ll later illustrate in this article.

In the 1930s, bands like Lecuona Cuban Boys emerged with a refined, woodwind-heavy style. In contrast, groups like Hermanos Castro Orchestra brought a brassy, energetic flair, influencing ensembles such as the all female ensemble Orquesta Anacaona, Casino de la Playa, and Havana-Riverside.

As Havana became a hub for musical innovation, Cuban bands infused swing, boleros, sones, and guarachas with Afro-Cuban polyrhythms, forging a vibrant dialogue with American jazz. The result was a uniquely Cuban Big Band sound—sophisticated, rhythmic, and globally influential.

Mambo, Bolero, and Innovation

The mambo emerged in the late 1940s, rooted in earlier danzón and son forms. Though its origins are debated, Dámaso Pérez Prado popularized the genre with hits like Mambo No. 5, defining a new orchestral language using layered brass, saxophone riffs, and Afro-Cuban rooted rhythms.

Simultaneously, the Cuban bolero, originally an  intimate vocal-guitar style, was adapted for Big Band, turning it into a danceable, orchestral genre. Figures like Benny Moré and Bebo Valdés brought jazz and classical sophistication to the bolero and mambo alike. Bebo, a key innovator, introduced the rhythm batanga and worked with stars like Nat King Cole, arranging for his Cole Español album.

A great example of rhythmic sophistication in the Mambo and this layered rhythmic brilliance sounds is best explained in this video of Beny Moré and his Banda Gigante in action:

 

After this brief overview of Cuba’s rich Big Band tradition, I’m eager to delve into my Tres Aguas Suite and share some of the fundamental techniques I employed in its orchestration.

Tres Aguas: Reimagining the Big Band

When Wynton approached me to compose a piece for the JLCO, I saw an opportunity to create something truly innovative—a suite that would blend jazz, Afro-Diasporic traditions, and classical music.

Writing for Big Band is, in my opinion, one of the most demanding forms in jazz—not just because of its complexity, but because it’s difficult to find a truly original voice within it. That challenge pushed me to look beyond conventional methods. Instead of starting my composition process at the piano, I immersed myself in traditional dances and rhythms, allowing the movement to guide the music. Observing dance traditions and the rhythms they generate on the floor inspired me to shape Tres Aguas from the ground up—rhythm first, then harmony and form.

Growing up in Cuba, I was heavily trained in classical music. To be more precise, I was trained by Russian teachers or Cubans who graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. As a result, my compositional process is always influenced by classical music compositional techniques and harmonies, while drawing the rhythmic parts of my music from my rooted Afro-Cuban music. Jazz is the place where I put everything together—the swing feel and the freedom of invention. Each movement reimagines the Big Band not just as a swing machine, but as a vessel for cross-cultural storytelling.

Tres Aguas is structured as a four-movement suite, each exploring a unique cultural dialogue through rhythm, dance, and instrumentation.

• “The Fight” is inspired by Jack Johnson’s 1915 boxing match in Havana. It features tap (New Orleans) and zapateo (Afro-Peruvian) dance, highlighting tensions and triumphs during the Jim Crow era. The instrumentation includes washboard, banjo, and cajón.
• “Palos for Agua” pays tribute to flamenco, with references to Manuel de Falla’s Danza del Fuego. Featuring flamenco guitar, cante jondo, and dancers, the piece cycles through Solea, Rumba Flamenca, and Bulerías.
• “Two in One” blends bebop horn lines with Afro-Cuban Santería drumming. Featuring three batá drummers and a dancer interpreting Yemayá, it represents a ritualistic union of jazz harmony and Yoruba spirituality.
• “Conga y Comparsa” evokes the Santiago de Cuba carnival. Dancers wearing chancletas (wooden sandals) create percussive textures that blend seamlessly with the orchestration. The movement highlights Cuban street traditions and communal celebration. The “Baile de la Chancleta,” or “Dance of the Sandal,” is a footwork form of dance that originated in the Eastern part of Cuba during the colonial period.

Polyphony Meets Polyrhythm

What makes Cuban Big Band music so thrilling is this fusion of polyphony (multiple melodic lines) with polyrhythm (multiple rhythmic patterns happening simultaneously). The voices don’t blend into mush—they stay distinct, but they interlock. In Tres Aguas, I used extensively this approach of layering. For example, in the movement “Two in One”, I have the batá drums performing an Oru del Igbodu—a sequence of rhythms honoring the Orishas—while the Big Band is playing a bebop-inspired line. The tension and release between those two rhythmic worlds creates something new. It’s not chaos—it’s controlled collision.

Listen to a traditional batá rhythm for Ogun in this example, which beautifully showcases the rhythmic layering I mentioned earlier.

 

In Yoruba music, particularly in sacred batá drumming, the rhythmic melodies of the chants and the distinct roles of each drum interlock seamlessly. Each drum contributes its own unique rhythmic identity, yet they all collaborate harmoniously to produce a rich, complex polyrhythmic texture.

This isn’t just rhythm stacked on rhythm—it’s a conversation between patterns, where each voice holds its place in the larger groove. That concept of layered rhythm deeply influenced my writing. The most prominent example of my polyphony-meets-polyrhythm approach can be found in the final section of “Palos Por Agua – Part II.” My objective was to establish a climax that would propel the transition from Rumba Flamenca to Bulerías. To achieve this, I meticulously assigned specific rhythmic and melodic lines to each section that were distinct in nature yet harmoniously complemented each other. First, let me illustrate a basic Bata rhythmic pattern in the Yoruban religion of Santeria. The layering technique is very ubiquitous among the different forms of Afro-Cuban drumming traditions. Each drum’s melodic pattern is interacting with each other in order to create one melody.

In the score excerpt provided below, you’ll observe how I employed a similar approach:

Here’s an illustration of this section’s rhythmic scheme, which will help you see better some of the layering technique I employed.

 

Here is another example, but on this case is an excerpt of TRES AGUAS II – Two in One – Part II Score (page 27)

Lastly, here’s an illustration of the rhythmic scheme employed in this section, which will help you better understand some of the layering techniques I used.

The Afro-Diasporic Thread

At the heart of Tres Aguas is the African Diaspora—its rhythms, migrations, and cultural resilience. Just as Cuban Big Bands once fused these traditions into something new, Tres Aguas honors the past while reshaping the Big Band as a modern vessel for storytelling and connection.

In composing this suite, I sought to create a dialogue between cultures, not just across geographies, but across time. This music is a reflection of who we are—an echo of memory, movement, and identity—and a step forward in the ongoing journey of Afro-Diasporic expression in jazz.

Explore the music

Lecuona Cuban Boys:

Hermanos Castro Orchestra

Orquesta Casino de La Playa

Orquesta Riverside

Beny Moré Orchestra

Tres Aguas – The Fight

Tres Aguas – Palos Por Agua

Tres Aguas – Two in One

 

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About the Author:

Born in the Pinar del Río province of Cuba, Steinway Artist, Grammy Nominated, and 2014 Jalc Millennium Swing Award! recipient pianist and composer Elio Villafranca was classically trained in percussion and composition at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba.

Since his arrival in the U.S. in mid 1995, Elio Villafranca is at the forefront of the latest generation of remarkable pianists, composers and bandleaders. His concert Letters to Mother Africa was selected by NYC Jazz Record as Best Concerts in 2016. In 2015, Mr. Villafranca was among the 5 pianists hand picked by Chick Corea to perform at the first Chick Corea Jazz Festival, curated by Chick him self at JALC. Elio Villafranca’s new album Caribbean Tinge (Motema), received a 2014 Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Nomination by the German Records Critics Award, as well has been selected by JazzTimes and DownBeat magazines for a feature on their very competitive section Editor’s Pick. He also received a 2010 Grammy Nomination in the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year category. In 2008 The Jazz Corner nominated Elio Villafranca as pianist of the year. That year, Mr. Villafranca was also honored by BMI with the BMI Jazz Guaranty Award and received the first NFA/Heineken Green Ribbon Master Artist Music Grant for the creation of his Concerto for Mariachi, for Afro-Cuban Percussion and Symphony Orchestra. Finally, his first album, Incantations/ Encantaciones, featuring Pat Martino, Terell Stafford, and Dafnis Prieto was ranked amongst the 50 best jazz albums of the year by JazzTimes magazine in 2003.

Over the years Elio Villafranca has recorded and performed nationally and internationally as a leader, featuring jazz master artists such as Pat Martino, Terell Stafford, Billy Hart, Paquito D’Rivera, Eric Alexander, and Lewis Nash, David Murray, and Wynton Marsalis among other. As a sideman Elio Villafranca has collaborated with leading jazz and Latin jazz artists including: Chick Corea, Jon Faddis, Billy Harper, Sonny Fortune, Giovanni Hidalgo, Miguel Zenón, and Johnny Pacheco among others.

This year, 2017 Elio Villafranca received The Sunshine Award, founded in 1989 to recognize excellence in the performing arts, education, science and sports of the various Caribbean countries, South America, Centro America, and Africa. He is based in New York City and he is a faculty member of Temple University, Philadelphia, The Juilliard School of Music, New York University, and Manhattan School of Music in NYC.

Artist photo and cover photo by Adriana Mateo.