Latin CZazz (formerly Los Rumberos) is the collective name of the bands "from duo to salsa orchestra" of composer and multi-instrumentalist Petr Smetáček. He founded the first of them in 2004 as his author's "workshop" with the provisional name "Miniband of Petr Smetáček". Due to the genre's inclination towards latin-jazz and salsa, it was soon renamed to the more appropriate "Los Rumberos". The frequently changed cast consisted of around ten musicians, and from 2010 onwards new, chamber versions began to emerge, which significantly increased the number of concert opportunities. After twenty years of abundant performances, the form and genre focus have stabilized in a form that required another renaming to the current "Latin CZazz".
The core of all bands is the multi-instrumental duo of Petr Smetáček (piano, vocal and percussion) with Jan Burian (guitar, vocal and percussion), who are most often joined in a trio by Carlo Zegarra Abanto (percussion and Andean flutes). The basis of the orchestral version is made up of eight musicians (piano+vocal, guitar+vocal, bass, drums, percussion and three trombones).
Thanks to the high variability of both the cast and the wide repertoire, Latin CZazz has become a flexible project suitable for various types of events, be it festivals, club concerts, salsa dance evenings or even company parties. Over the years of their existence, the bands have already performed hundreds of different performances, both in the Czech Republic and abroad (while their most distant places of activity so far have been France and Turkey).
Among the successes achieved are, for example, the first Czech salsa CD ("Afro Cuban Suite", 2010), the release of the second ("Los Rumberos Trio", 2012) was later undertaken by the prestigious Czech Radio publishing house, Radioservis. It is also worth mentioning the considerably successful performing as an opening band for perhaps the most famous Cuban orchestra Buena Vista Social Club in the Prague Congress Center (2014). In addition, the bandleader, Petr Smetáček, created a publication dedicated to the genre in which the bands operate ("Afro-Cuban Music or the Many Flavors of Salsa", Muzikus 2014). He is also dedicated to the promotion of salsa in the form of lectures, educational concerts or the creation of salsa compositions for youths (see: eNoty.eu).
Among the successes achieved are, for example, the first Czech salsa CD ("Afro Cuban Suite", 2010), the release of the second ("Los Rumberos Trio", 2012) was later undertaken by the prestigious Czech Radio publishing house, Radioservis. It is also worth mentioning the considerably successful performing as an opening band for perhaps the most famous Cuban orchestra Buena Vista Social Club in the Prague Congress Center (2014). In addition, the bandleader, Petr Smetáček, created a publication dedicated to the genre in which the bands operate ("Afro-Cuban Music or the Many Flavors of Salsa", Muzikus 2014). He is also dedicated to the promotion of salsa in the form of lectures, educational concerts or the creation of salsa compositions for youths (see: eNoty.eu).