Born in Cuba in 1977, Irving Acao belongs to that rare lineage of tenor saxophonists who can carry the full force of Afro-Cuban rhythm without ever reducing jazz to ornament or display. His sound is built on movement: the conversational lift of Cuban popular music, the discipline of classical training, the deep grain of the tenor, and a curiosity that reaches from Latin jazz to Brazilian music, fusion, African traditions and contemporary improvisation.

Music came early. Acao entered Havana’s Luis Casas Romero classical music school at seven, first studying piano before taking up the saxophone at ten. The instrument quickly became his natural language. Drawn to John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and McCoy Tyner, he developed a vocabulary in which technical command is inseparable from listening, melodic patience and rhythmic precision. By nineteen, he had been chosen by Chucho Valdés to play tenor saxophone with Irakere, the landmark Cuban ensemble whose fearless blend of jazz, rock, funk, classical writing and traditional Cuban rhythms changed the global perception of Latin jazz.

That early appointment placed Acao in an extraordinary international orbit. He worked with Orlando “Maraca” Valle before joining Irakere and later shared stages with artists including Michel Camilo, Danilo Pérez, McCoy Tyner, Roy Hargrove, Arturo Sandoval, Tito Puente, Dave Liebman, Stéphane Belmondo, Changuito, Ivan Lins, Ray Lema and Giovanni Hidalgo. His contribution to Chucho Valdés’ New Conceptions, released by Blue Note, was part of the album’s Grammy-winning 2004 recognition for Best Latin Jazz Album. These encounters did more than build an impressive résumé: they sharpened Acao’s ability to move between traditions while retaining a voice of his own.

After settling in Paris, he emerged as a sought-after performer, composer and arranger, equally at ease in intimate acoustic formats, expansive Latin-jazz ensembles and collaborative projects. In 2008, he formed the Irving Acao Quartet with pianist Leonardo Montana, bassist Felipe Cabrera and drummer Lukmil Pérez. Their album Azabache presented a refined and adventurous Latin jazz, balancing intricate rhythmic architecture with space for lyricism. The project’s palette, energetic compositions, Brazilian-inflected writing, thoughtful ballads and an homage to Coltrane, captures Acao’s central gift: making sophisticated music feel immediate and alive.

He is also a key voice in El Comité, the Cuban all-star collective whose modern “cubanismo” folds contemporary jazz sophistication into the shared memory of Havana’s musical traditions. His composition “Nada Más,” described as a deft, melancholy ballad, reveals another side of his musicianship: restraint, tenderness and a willingness to let the melody breathe before the solo arrives.

On stage, Irving Acao brings authority without rigidity. His saxophone can cut through a dense percussion-led arrangement, shadow a singer with elegance or open a wide, searching improvisation. It is music shaped by Havana and grounded in dance, nourished by jazz, and driven by an enduring appetite for exchange.

Irving Acao’s project is available from trio to quintet.

Line-up can be adapted to the artistic direction, venue capacity and event format.