Joe McCarthy Afro Bop Alliance Sextet

Joe McCarthy - Leader/Drums

Alex Norris - Trumpet

Alejandro Aviles - Tenor Saxophone

Juanga Lakunza - Trombone

Zaccai Curtis - Piano

Luques Curtis - Bass

The Afro Bop Alliance is the intimate counterpart to the Latin Grammy Award-winning New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band — bringing the same world-class musicianship and genre-defying sound to a small group setting. Inspired by the trailblazing bebop innovation of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the ensemble draws from the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band's acclaimed catalog while embracing the spontaneity, interplay, and immediacy that define the small group tradition.

Founded and led by drummer Joe McCarthy, the Afro Bop Alliance delivers a musical experience rooted in bebop and enriched by African, Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian, and global musical cultures. The result is something at once deeply personal and universally resonant — music that connects with audiences of all backgrounds and makes every performance an invitation into the living, breathing world of Afro-Latin jazz.

McCarthy's connection to the Latin Grammy world is no accident. The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band — the ensemble from which this group springs — has earned international recognition as one of the most exciting and culturally significant large jazz ensembles working today. In the intimate setting of The Side Door, that same spirit takes on a new dimension: closer, more conversational, and utterly alive.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT. Tickets are reserved seating. Guests dining at the Old Lyme Inn prior to the show receive 10% off their dinner bill.