Jazz @ Koubek Returns With Miami’s Multicultural Sound

Saturday’s lineup of Jazz @ Koubek opens with The Harden Project, led by vocalist Ja’Nia Harden and keyboardist John Harden II, whose groove-based sound blends jazz and soul. (Photo by Leesa Richards)

Miami’s multicultural influences shape this year’s Jazz @ Koubek, a two-night series on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31 at the Koubek Center in Little Havana.

Now in its third edition, the lineup features musicians whose work blends jazz with soul, Latin music, R&B and international influences, including The Harden Project, Han Beyli, Victoria Blue and Eric Chacón.

“What makes Miami unique is that its identity is not built from a single tradition, but from the continuous interaction between Caribbean, Latin American, Haitian, American, European and African-American influences,” says Melissa Messulam, director of Koubek Center.

Saturday evening opens with The Harden Project, led by vocalist Ja’Nia Harden and keyboardist John Harden II, whose groove-based sound blends jazz and soul. The evening also features bassist, singer and composer Han Beyli, whose music incorporates jazz, modern R&B and influences from his Ukrainian and Azerbaijani background.

Sunday’s performances continue the global conversation. Miami vocalist Victoria Blue brings a style shaped by her Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican roots, while Venezuelan instrumentalist Eric Chacón closes the weekend with music influenced by classical training and contemporary jazz.

Miami vocalist Victoria Blue brings a style shaped by her Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican roots to Jazz @ Koubek (Photo by Vanessa Castillo)

The lineup reflects how Miami’s music scene has evolved in recent years. Once known largely as a stop for touring acts, the city has increasingly become home to musicians developing original work shaped by multiple cultures and musical traditions.

“Miami has evolved into a city with a distinctly original cultural voice,” says Messulam. “Jazz @ Koubek was created from a desire to celebrate jazz not only as a musical genre, but as a conversation between cultures, generations, and artistic traditions,” she says.

She points out that many cities have foundational histories rooted deeply in jazz.

“Miami’s contribution comes from its role as an international crossroads where artists from across Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States interact in real time. Jazz @ Koubek was created from a desire to celebrate jazz not only as a musical genre, but as a conversation between cultures, generations, and artistic traditions,” says Messulam.  “We hope that each new edition grows more reflective of Miami itself.”

For Blue, music was ever present growing up in a Cuban and Puerto Rican household in Miami.

“Music was never just entertainment — it was part of daily life, family, celebration, heartbreak, faith, and resilience,” says Blue.

She says Miami exposed her to multiple genres simultaneously.

“I grew up hearing boleros, salsa, jazz, soul, gospel, and Latin pop all in the same week, so naturally my sound became a blend of all of those emotions and influences.”

Blue first gained national attention on “The X Factor USA,” but her artistic identity has continued evolving through projects like her 2025 Spanish-language album, “El Arte de Volar.”

Fluidity defines Han Beyli’s approach to music. Raised in Ukraine with Azerbaijani roots, Beyli developed within Kharkiv’s jazz scene while remaining connected to Eastern musical traditions through his family’s heritage (Photo by Priscila Miranda)

“There are certain emotions that I honestly feel more deeply in Spanish,” she says. “The language carries a different kind of poetry and vulnerability for me. I move between languages and genres very naturally because that’s how I grew up communicating and experiencing music.”

Raised in Ukraine with Azerbaijani roots, Beyli developed within Kharkiv’s jazz scene while remaining connected to Eastern musical traditions through his family’s heritage.

“Ukraine gave me a strong foundation in jazz and musical complexity, while my Azerbaijani background gave me a deep emotional and cultural connection to Eastern music,” says Beyli. “Over time, these influences naturally became one language for me.”

Rather than approaching fusion as a concept, Beyli says he focuses on authenticity.

“I just try to be honest with the sounds that shaped me and let them speak together in a way that feels organic,” he says.

That authenticity is part of what defines this year’s lineup.

“Each artist brings not only exceptional musicianship, but also a unique cultural and artistic perspective that reflects the global nature of contemporary jazz,” says Messulam.

The festival takes place in Little Havana, one of Miami’s most historically immigrant neighborhoods where Latin American and Caribbean influences intersect daily.

“Jazz @ Koubek reflects the Miami we know, a place of constant cultural conversation,” says Messulam. “What might seem like separate traditions elsewhere naturally coexist here.”

Eric Chacón closes the weekend with music informed by classical training, education and contemporary performance (Photo by Guillermo Riera)

That coexistence increasingly shapes Miami’s sound.

“Miami taught me that you don’t have to fit into one box creatively,” says Blue. “Here, cultures naturally coexist — English and Spanish, Caribbean rhythms, jazz, R&B, reggaetón, soul, dance music — it all lives side by side.”

The appeal of hybrid music also reflects broader cultural realities, notes Beyli. “I think many people today live between cultures in some way,” he says. “They may speak different languages, come from immigrant families, move between countries, or simply grow up listening to music from all over the world. Hybrid music reflects the world we live in now,” says Beyli. “Even when the language or style is unfamiliar, the emotion can still be understood.”

For Messulam, jazz remains “the sound of surprise” because of its ability to create spontaneous moments of connection between artists and audiences.

“At Jazz @ Koubek, that surprise comes through improvisation, through artists blending traditions in new ways, and through audiences encountering sounds and musicians they may not have experienced before,” she says.

WHAT:  Jazz @ Koubek

WHERE: Koubek Center,  2705 SW 3rd St., Little Havana, Miami 

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 30, and 6 p.m. Sunday, May 31.  

COST: $15 each night.

INFORMATION: (305) 237- 7750 or koubekcenter.org

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