"Cortadito" (much like the espresso, light milk beverage) is a succinct yet powerful album by The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective. The rhythmic palette on the album goes from salsa and boleros to Puerto Rican bomba and Cuban songo. An award-winning album, "Cortadito" was selected by the prestigious Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular in Puerto Rico as being one of the top 20 albums of 2025 and financial support by the city of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events grant.
Trumpet - Victor Garcia
Tenor Sax - Brian Stark
Trombone - Ben Carrasquillo
Barril - Jose Natal
Congas & Barril - Javier Quintana
Timbales - Michael Rodriguez
Bongo & Bell - Victor Gonzalez
Bass - Andrey Concalvez
Guitar - Jose Guzman
Album artwork - Alejandro Rodriguez
Audio Engineer - Andy Shoemaker
Recorded in Rax Trax Studios on June 14th, 2024, and February 23rd, 2025
Dimension: 5 x 5"
Materials: CD
Jose Guzman of The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
(Rogers Park)
José Guzmán Borrero, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, is a multi-genre guitarist who has performed with jazz ensembles, chamber groups, and rock bands. As a jazz guitarist, he has recorded on albums by Dimijtre Vasiljevic (released on Rope a Dope Records), KASA String Quartet, and Mr. Chair's Better Days. He leads the Latin jazz group, The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, which has released several albums on Spotify. Guzmán has performed as an artist in residence at the Caroga Lake Music Festival as both a classical and jazz guitarist. He has received grants from the city of Chicago's Department of Culture and Special Events, Urbana Arts, and the Mykytyn Composition Award for his composition "Isochronal: A Suite for Big Band."