“Of all our young pianists, he is the greatest talent”: that is how Cuban jazz veteran Chucho Valdés describes his compatriot Ramón Valle, referring not so much to Valle’s stupendous virtuosity, but to his talent to tell stories through music without resorting to the usual Cuba clichés. Valles’s roots are clearly audible, but they do not take center stage in his music. “I don’t want to fall into the Latin Jazz category that makes one immediately think of hot congas”, he affirms. Congas, bongos, and maracas are not part of the arsenal in his music; influenced, instead, by the “jazz trinity” Jarrett-Hancock-Corea as well as by Cuban and classical music, he cultivates the genre of piano trio, the supreme discipline of modern jazz. His trio partners are the Cuban bassist Omar Rodriguez Calvo (likewise a member of the lineup in the Tingvall Trio and in Triosence), and Dutch drummer Jamie Peet (who also plays in Jasper van’t Hof’s B.E. Trio). Valle describes their collaboration: “Playing together in my trio is like a conversation. We exchange in dialogue over a theme, and each one of us has something to contribute from his point of view. This leads to surprises, but in the end, we all come together and reach an agreement.” Ramón Valle is returning this year after having given his Ruhr Piano Festival début performance in 2012.