Ever since Ry Cooder teamed up with a bunch of ageing Latino musicians to produce Buena Vista Social Club, Cuban music has been all the rage.

Yet the album, and the subsequent solo releases from the likes of Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzalez, portrayed a style of Cuban music that reached its heyday 60 years ago.

Far more representative of modern Cuba is composer and pianist Omar Sosa, who has in the past fused his music with hip-hop, funk and acid jazz.

On tour with only a female vocalist and a percussionist, Sosa is currently exploring a more subtle fusion, consisting primarily of Cuban jazz but incorporating a range of influences from Ecuador to Brazil.

The fact that the singer actually sang less than half the time allowed for plenty of space for the free improvisation on the piano.

Accompanied only by percussion, Sosa played long, meandering solos reminiscent of Keith Jarrett.

Sosa, who originally trained as a percussionist, also plays percussion on stage - sometimes while playing piano with the other hand.

At one point, he abandoned the keyboard altogether, using drumsticks to beat rhythms directly on to the piano strings like some Afro-Cuban John Cage composition.

The only criticism that could be made is there were perhaps times when the texture sounded too thin and the addition of another instrument - especially a double bass - would have been welcome.

What is beyond doubt is that Omar Sosa is a brilliantly talented pianist with a hugely refreshing breadth of musical vision.

Review by Marcus O'Dair, features@theargus.co.uk