El Congo Allen

El Congo Allen (c) Ramiro de Santiago Marquez

Daniel Allen Oberto (born in Holguin, Cuba, in 1979) alias El Congo Allen started playing the trumpet when he was nine. His style combines classical jazz, the art of improvisation and experiments with Afro-Cuban and electronic sounds. He studied at the Holguin conservatory and in Havana and has shared the stage with such artists as Lauryn Hill, UB40, Sargento Garcia, Max Herre, Jean Paul, Marilyn Manson and Eric Clapton. As a member of various bands he has played at festivals throughout Europe such as Rock am Ring in Germany, Sunsplash, Jazz à Juan in France and the Sudoeste Festival in Portugal with such acts as Patrice, Shashamani, Kabu Kabu and Aloe Blacc. His collaboration with the Jimi Tenor Band began in 2006. They have toured throughout Europe, and in 2008 released the album 4th Dimension, which was followed in 2009 by Inspiration Information 4 with Jimi Tenor and Tony Allen. In 2010 El Congo Allen recorded the album 1884 in Berlin. Since 2011 he and Regis Molina have been the duo Machete Horns.