Atlantic Jazz Lab Orchestra

Atlantic Jazz Lab Orchestra (AJLO) is a jazz orchestra founded in 2017 under the name Atlantic Jazz Orchestra as part of the Atlantic Jazz Lab and New Music, an organization dedicated to promoting jazz in the Canary Islands.

AJLO is directed by trumpeter Natanael Ramos, one of the most prominent musicians of his generation. In addition to his role as orchestra director, Ramos is also a composer, arranger, and educator and has received multiple awards, including the 1st Prize in Composition for Big Band from the Granada Jazz Association and the SGAE Foundation in 2015.

The Atlantic Jazz Lab Orchestra is made up of some of the country’s most prominent and respected jazz musicians, with a repertoire that spans jazz classics like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Frank Sinatra, as well as new compositions and arrangements by authors such as Kenny Wheeler, Chris Kase, and Miguel Blanco. The orchestra has toured throughout the Canary Islands and other parts of Spain, performing in festivals like the Canary Islands International Music Festival and the Canary Islands International Jazz Festival.

In addition to their work on stage, AJLO is also committed to music education, conducting numerous programs and workshops for young musicians and music students. They have released their first album titled “Garajonay Suite.”

Artistic Lineup

Trumpets: Álvaro Artime, Natanael Ramos, Leo Torres e Idafe Pérez.
Trombones: Pablo Martínez, Cristo Delgado y Pablo González.
Reeds: Fernando Sánchez, Diego Jimenez, Cameron Rivero, Fernando Barrios y Juan Antonio Martín.
Piano: Samuel Labrador.
Double Bass: Bori Albero.
Drums: Andreu Pitarch.

Natanael Ramos

Natanael Ramos is a trumpeter, composer, and director from the Canary Islands, dedicated to promoting and developing jazz in the Canary Islands. As the founder and artistic director of the Atlantic Jazz Lab, Natanael has created a significant space in the music scene, fostering creativity and artistic exchange around jazz. This lab has become a vital center, allowing musicians from diverse backgrounds to connect and experiment through music.

In addition to his work with the Atlantic Jazz Lab, Natanael is a jazz trumpet professor at the Conservatory of Music of the Canary Islands. Through his teaching and masterclasses, he shares his passion for jazz and his vision of music as a tool for cultural and collective expression. His educational work encompasses not only technical training but also the development of creativity and artistic commitment in his students, inspiring a new generation of musicians.

With his personal project, Islander’s Dilemma, Natanael has performed across Spain and Latin America, bringing his music to countries like Colombia and Chile. This project fuses Canarian musical roots with the language of contemporary jazz, offering an original sound that bridges tradition and innovation. He has also collaborated with renowned musicians and international ensembles such as Reinier Baas, Ben van Gelder, Joris Roelofs, JM Jazz World Orchestra, and New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, performing at major European venues like BIMHUIS and the North Sea Jazz Festival.

His work embodies the core values of jazz: freedom, creativity, and improvisation, and reflects his conviction that music has the power to connect people and enrich cultural identity in any setting.

Esther Van Hees

Belgian singer Esther Van Hees (1991) is a prominent voice in the European jazz scene. After moving to the Netherlands in 2009 to study jazz singing, she completed her training with honors at the conservatories of Tilburg and Amsterdam. Since then, she has shared the stage with major figures such as Ben van Gelder, Yuri Honing, and Jef Neve, captivating audiences at renowned festivals and venues across Europe, including the iconic Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Esther leads the indie-jazz duo Blue Sands with bassist Reindert Kragt, with whom she has released an EP and an album, and she is currently working on a new project. In 2024, she will release her second album with her piano, saxophone, and voice trio, where she reinterprets songs from the Dutch popular songbook, bringing fresh perspectives to these nostalgic pieces.

In 2022, she was invited by the Dutch Jazz Archives to perform the repertoire of the legendary composer Ruud Bos, a collaboration with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw that solidified her reputation as a versatile and passionate voice. Additionally, in her native Belgium, Esther is the lead vocalist in the theater production Hier laat ik je los Wim, a tribute to composer Wim de Craene.

Since 2016, her talent has been an integral part of Natanael Ramos’s project Islander’s Dilemma, where she has contributed to the album and toured in Colombia and Chile, as well as performing at the Jazz&Más festival and Mapas in the Canary Islands.