Keith Daniels Llantén is a Chilean-Guyanese composer, arranger, saxophonist and flutist based in Brooklyn, New York. He specializes in the fusion of Latin American folk with jazz, classical and rock music, writing for jazz big bands and combos, symphony orchestras, chamber music ensembles, singers and vocal groups. His music has been played and/or commissioned by musicians and ensembles such as the GRAMMY Award nominated One O’Clock Lab Band featuring Melissa Aldana, the Carroll Jazz Orchestra, Kristiana Roemer, Edgardo Benedetti, Hardy Llorca, Alameda Memoria, Sexto Piso, La Chile Big Band and Ipshita Roy.

As a performer, he has worked with The Villalobos Brothers and the Chilean National Symphony Orchestra, among many others. Some of the albums featuring Keith’s work as a saxophonist and/or writer include “Desde el Sexto Piso” (2014) and “Con Tus Manos Con Mis Manos” (2017) with the band Sexto Piso, and the film “Eloísa Díaz: Ciencia Urgente” (2022) by Alameda Memoria.

He leads the Keith Daniels Quartet (KDQ), an all-Latin American, New York-based ensemble performing original compositions rooted in popular rhythms such as cueca, chacarera, landó, bolero, and samba. By blending folk music from Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Cuba with jazz improvisation and rock, the band offers a fresh perspective to the Latin music scene: one that embraces heritage while charting new paths forward. The KDQ will release its debut album in 2025, featuring Marco Grispo (Argentina) on guitar, Eduardo Belo (Brazil) on bass, and Juan Carlos Polo (Peru) on drums. It was funded through a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, recorded and mixed by David Stoller at The Samurai Hotel Recording Studio, and mastered by Mike Marciano of Systems Two.

Photo by Simón Orozco.

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