LEO SIDRAN & FRIENDS

Leo Sidran - guitar, vocals
Dan Pratt - sax
Paul Sany - piano
Max Darmon - bass
Romain Bouiges - drums
Paul Sany - piano

The multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Leo Sidran played for the first time at Café Central in 1998, at only 21 years old, accompanying his father Ben Sidran on drums. From that first year, the Central stage became a kind of second home for both father and son. They returned every year for their annual residency, first playing seven nights in a row and, over time, extending their stay to fourteen nights a year. This tradition was immortalized in the album Ben Sidran Cien Noches at the Café Central (2007), recorded live during the group’s 100th concert at the venue.

In 2018 — twenty years after having first played at the Central as a drummer — Leo started another tradition: bringing his original music, guitar and voice to the stage. He presented his album Cool School [The Music of Michael Franks] for the first time, and since then he has returned every year, often to present new material (the most recent, What’s Trending from 2023, his eighth solo album). After seeing him live at Café Central, journalist Fernando Neira described him as a “discreet genius of pop jazz.”

After so many years of returning to the same stage, Sidran’s community of musicians and friends in Madrid has flourished, and each concert becomes an opportunity to invite guests, giving rise to improvised or unexpected musical encounters.

These friendships have also led to collaborations. Sidran co-produced the Oscar-winning song Al otro lado del río with Jorge Drexler (whom he met at Café Central!), and his most recent project, Leo & Leo, is a duo with Leonor Watling — with whom he first sang precisely on that stage. Winner of the 2026 Academy of Music Award for Best Jazz Album.

And so, with that spirit of community and search for the unexpected, Sidran returns to Café Central one last time, in a new format forged from friendships born in that sacred space: a tribute to so much life lived there, and an affirmation that even in farewell there is room for discovery. Accompanied by some of his favorite musicians and singers from Madrid, he will offer a series of unique concerts at the Central.

“Nothing superficial in this singer who combines like no one else carefreeness of character and refinement of manners.” - Telerama, Paris