DÁNAE OLANO

“Young pianist Dánae Olano composed three of the numbers and collaborates closely with Bunnett in the composing and arranging. She is a Havana Conservatory graduate, equally as comfortable with Chopin as with Chucho Valdes. Her bewitching playing permeates the whole album, with the aid of a wonderful polyrhythm section...” — London Jazz News 

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Dánae Olano was born and raised in the musical melting pot of Havana, Cuba. She began classical musical studies at age 7 at the Alejandro García Caturla Music School, continuing at the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory of Music. She graduated from the University of Arts (ISA) in Havana as an accompanying and solo pianist, obtaining the Piano Cum Laude distinction.

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Her professional career began to blossom while studying in university. There, she made incursions into theatre music, being part of recognized companies like El Ingenio and Teatro de la Luna. During that time, she was also a co-founder of the band Alami, immersing herself and fellow Cuban-Canadian singer Dayme Arocena into jazz music. She was also a founding member of Banda XX, conducted by drummer Yissy García.

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Currently, Dánae is best known in North America as a founding member of the all-female band Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, which since its formation in 2013 has earned a Juno Award and been nominated on one other occasion, as well as earning a Grammy nomination. She is the band’s pianist and also sings, composes, and arranges for this renowned ensemble. She has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious jazz clubs, including Birdland, The Blue Note and Bimhuis as well as at top festivals such as the Monterrey, Newport and Saratoga Jazz Festivals in addition to Jazz al Parque in Bogota, Colombia. In 2018 she shared stage with pianists Jason Moran, James Francis, Booker T. Jones and Jane Bunnett as part of NPR’s “A Jazz Piano Christmas”, which was hosted by Felix Contreras at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

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In March 2024, Olano released her debut album, Children's Corner, which is a scintillating combination of original music, along with a powerful version of "Un Poco Loco"  by Bud Powell.