A little bit electronic, with a touch of world music, and a whole lot of Latin jazz. This is the music of Omar Sosa, a Grammy-nominated Cuban composer and pianist and the subject of a feature-length documentary by Clark screen studies Professor Soren Sorensen. The film is a project 10 years in the making, and over time, Sorensen and Sosa developed a friendship. 

“We have some stuff in common and some stuff absolutely not in common — I grew up in Connecticut, he grew up in Cuba,” says Sorensen. “We have similar taste in music and similar curiosity about the world and about each other.”

In this episode, Sorensen and Sosa explore the difference between a great musician and a great artist, the subtle communication behind improvisatory music, and the spirituality of Sosa’s performances. 

Challenge. Change. is produced by Andrew Hart and Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.