The Andrés Vial Percussion Ensemble brings together Montréal and Toronto-based musicians with roots from Argentina/Chile, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Canada and USA to explore the profound connection between jazz, Latin and African music. The lineup includes Andrés Vial on piano, Mamadou Koita (balafon, tama talking drum), Michael Davidson (vibraphone, marimba), Elli Miller Maboungou (ngoma drums), Tommy Crane (drums) and Ira Coleman (double bass). Vial and several members of the ensemble collaborated with legendary drummer, vibraphonist and composer Joe Chambers on his 2023 Blue Note album Dance Kobina, which was named after Vial’s composition. The ensemble’s debut album Spirit Takes Form was released in 2024 on Elastic Recordings.

Andrés Vial (pronounced Vee-al) is a pianist, multi-instrumentalist and composer from Montréal. He has performed with Joe Chambers, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Louis Hayes, Peter Bernstein, and many others. Active as a leader and sideman, he has played at hundreds of venues and over 50 festivals around the world. He has recorded nine albums as a leader, including the Juno-nominated trio albums Gang of Three and When Is Ancient?. In 2018, he released Sphereology Volume One, a critically acclaimed Thelonious Monk tribute album featuring Peter Bernstein, Dezron Douglas, Rodney Green, Martin Heslop and André White. His 2019 trio album Gang of Three, featuring Dezron Douglas and Eric McPherson, made Top Ten lists at Cadence Magazine and Jazz Weekly and was chosen as a Downbeat Editor’s pick.