Henry Linarez & Leonardo Cardozo. Venezuelan Music in Little Havana.

The cuatro is, of course, the most popular instrument in Venezuela. It provides the rhythmic and harmonic base for most of the Venezuelan folk music and its sound is considered to be as light and airy as the instrument itself. But every cuatro loves company and few musical encounters are richer or more Venezuelan than the wonderful combination of cuatro and mandolin.

A key melodic instrument in Venezuelan music, the mandolin rules in both East and Western folklore, embellishing polos, fulias, waltzes, malagueñas, merengues caraqueños, bambucos, contradanzas and joropos with its fantastic sound. Guayaba y Chocolate is thus proud to present two virtuoso players: Henry Linarez, at the cuatro and Leo Cardozo at the mandolin. Playing together at the Sessions Duet, Henry and Leo have been promoting Venezuelan, Latin American and contemporary folk music on prestigious local and international venues, both through musical concerts and in conferences and talks.

At Guayaba y Chocolate, they will explore sweet melodies from the Andes, playful merengues caraqueños, expressive polos margariteños and more, inviting their audience to discover the Venezuelan musical geography one piece at a time.