CRUZAO in it's full 5-man configuration, has been called "Canada's premiere latin-jazz ensemble" by the Toronto Star, has won a National Jazz Award, the Montreal Jazz Fest's "Grand Prix du Jazz Award", a CBC Galaxie Rising Star award & have been nominated 4 times at the Toronto Independent Music Awards.

The CRUZAO LATIN-JAZZ TRIO is a compact, stripped down version of that award-winning ensemble at 3-man large. Sporting a modified repertoire written specifically for this smaller permutation the trio features the talents of acclaimed Mexican bass master PACO LUVIANO and Cuban JOAQUIN NUNEZ on drums (2 of the most in demand Latin-jazz musicians in the country), under the leadership of iconic Trinidadian trumpet player BROWNMAN ALI heralded as "Canada's preeminent jazz trumpet player" by New York City's Village Voice magazine, just returning to Canada after a year of touring with hip-hop queen Missy Elliot.

Brownman Ali - trumpet (Trinidad)

Paco Luviano - bass (Mexico)

Joaquin Nunez - drums (Cuba)

www.Cruzao.Brownman.com