About

“Clave... To us the word goes beyond explanations and definitions. It means life, salsa, the food of our leisure time, the motion of intense rhythm, the emotion of 20,000 people simultaneously grooving to the natural sounds of life. It’s being played in beat, on key, on clave... It means to be on top of things, to be playing it right... Clave is history, it’s culture. African drums from far off places like Nigeria, Dahomey, and Ghana married the Spanish guitar to bring us clave. The seeds were planted in the Caribbean and now their grandchild is Salsa...” CLAVE MAGAZINE DIÁSPORA UNITED IN THE LATIN BEAT

DIÁSPORA is a UK-based Latin band bringing you a one-way ticket to the music of the Americas. The 11-piece lineup (2 vocalists, 3 percussionists, 4 brass, piano and bass) lends itself to an expansive BIG BAND sound without losing the dynamism and spark of a small group, and it combines sensuous vocals, sophisticated horn lines and explosive percussion solos... With their vision to unite the rhythms of the Americas, their music is uplifting, inspiring and unifying, celebrating the diversity of cultures that arose out of the African Slave Trade, whilst focusing on the Cuban, Brazilian and globalized SALSA sounds which have become significant musical languages and forms of solidarity and cultural exchange among communities throughout the world.

DIÁSPORA is not your regular salsa band... it’s a LATIN band, in the wider sense; freely mixing salsa with jazz, funk and contemporary popular music styles to create an explosive mix of sounds... it’s a BIG BAND by its very nature - equipped with all of the credentials to make for an exhilarating live outfit - engaging vocalists, a burning hot rhythm section and a big fat brass section... With their critically acclaimed fusion of rhythms, DIÁSPORA is one of the most exciting new projects to emerge on the UK Latin scene today.

The vibe...

“DIÁSPORA... The word has a universal meaning in many languages - it is all about dispersed peoples coming together, and the amazing musical fusions that this has created. Our sound has the spirit of salsa, but the swing of samba, and we combine these rhythms with jazz, funk and infusions of contemporary popular music styles from around the world - it is a real melting pot...” 
Rory Duffy (saxophonist and director)

The band...

DIÁSPORA has performed all over the UK, touring concert venues, events both private and corporate, festivals, showcases and weddings. Previous clients include Band on the Wall, Cultural Collage World Music Festival, KLM Airways, KRO Ltd, Manchester Food & Drink Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, Manchester Salon, Matt & Phred’s Jazz Club, Prestwich Festival, Royal Northern College of Music, Salsa de Cuba, Salsa Direct and WPA Health Insurance. 

The members...

DIÁSPORA brings together a collective of musicians from all over the UK - including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Lancashire. Its members are all experienced musicians who have played with some of the UK’s top bands within the jazz and world music circuit. Many of them are distinguished music graduates from UK music colleges and universities and from institutions around the world. DIÁSPORA also brings in a variety of guest artists, further expanding their wide range of material.

The lineup...

DIÁSPORA brings the 11-piece band as standard, however it also breaks down into a range of smaller lineups anything down to 5 members.