Sarahbanda: Merry Xmas Cuban Style
Sarah Willis, the first woman ever to join the brass section of the Berlin Philharmonic, returns to her fruitful dialogue with Cuban music in a new Christmas album that builds naturally on the spirit of Mozart y Mambo. What might have been a novelty project instead emerges as a confident and joyful cross-cultural statement, where Bach and Tchaikovsky share space with salsa, mambo, bolero, and son.
Leading her distinctive Sarahbanda—an agile ensemble combining winds, strings, and Afro-Cuban percussion—Willis continues to expand the expressive reach of the French horn beyond its traditional symphonic home. The instrument blends seamlessly into Caribbean rhythms, sounding not like a guest but a fully integrated voice within the ensemble.
The album’s centerpiece is a Cuban reimagining of The Nutcracker. Echoing, without imitating, Duke Ellington’s famous 1960 version, the Trepak becomes an exuberant conga while the Waltz of the Flowers takes on the gentle sway of a guajira. Throughout, Willis engages in lively exchanges with saxophonist Yuniet Lombida and trumpeter Harold Madrigal Frías, highlighting the project’s collective energy.
Elsewhere, familiar Christmas tunes receive rhythmic makeovers: a salsa-driven “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” featuring guest vocalist Carlos Calunga, a mambo-flavored “Jingle Bells,” and a luminous “Silent Night,” arranged by Jorge Aragón, where Willis’s horn sings with warmth and restraint. The reflective “Criolla Navidad,” unearthed from a 1971 La Sonora Ponceña LP, and an elegant cha-cha-cha “White Christmas” add variety and depth.
The album closes with a spontaneous-sounding “Feliz Navidad,” sung collectively by the musicians, capturing the convivial spirit of the Berlin recording sessions. As Willis writes in the liner notes, “I hope it brings as much happiness into your home as it brought me while we were creating it.”
Vibrant, generous, and full of life, this release confirms Willis as a persuasive cultural bridge-builder. For Miami listeners in particular, it offers a Caribbean-inflected alternative to the standard holiday soundtrack—one that feels both authentic and irresistibly alive.
