The Sin Sueño project brings together the musicians of Sexteto Tabalá, an iconic ensemble from San Basilio de Palenque, and cultural producer and artist Tamayo. Located on Colombia's Caribbean coast, Palenque is historically recognized as the first free town in the Americas, founded in the 17th century by Maroon communities who resisted the colonial system. Its cultural traditions—language, music, oral tradition—are now recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The project proposes an artistic encounter between this ancestral musical tradition and contemporary creation. It unfolds around several axes: • release of the EP “Sin Sueño” in October 2026 • European tour of the Tamayo & Tabalá project in the fall of 2026 • documentary project supported by UNESCO. Sexteto Tabalá is a group of musicians specializing in Afro-Colombian music, a genre that emerged in the 1930s in the sugar cane refineries of Colombia's Caribbean coast. The group is based in San Basilio de Palenque (just 1.5 hours from Cartagena), a village far from the colonies where African slaves took refuge to live in freedom. Palenque has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Sexteto Tabalá, formerly Sexteto Habanero, is inspired by the Cuban sound imported by Cubans who came to work in the sugar cane refineries. Tabalá seeks to preserve the original format of the sound while mixing it with the rhythms of Palenque music. It uses traditional instruments such as the marímbula, clave, guacharaca, maracas, conga, and bongo to create a truly distinctive sound. Sexteto Tabalá is a global exception as it is the only son group to play without guitar, tres, or bass, relying instead on the marímbula to develop a unique identity. Tabalá is considered the cultural heart of Palenque, and its members are regarded as guardians of Afro-Latin musical history. They have the swing of a salsa band, the groove of African music, and the poetry of sound, all at once. Jean Paul Tamayo is a French-Colombian singer born in Paris and originally from Cali, Colombia. He began singing in salsa bands in Paris in 2002 while pursuing his studies in political science. He was soon invited to participate in festivals in Europe and accompany famous salseros such as Tito Allen and Herman Olivera. His solo career began in 2011 when he recorded and produced his own songs while traveling around the world. He was invited to play in Puerto Rico at Viera Discos during the opening of the famous Día Nacional de la Salsa festival in 2016. That same year, Tamayo joined the New York salsa circuit, sharing the stage with iconic musicians such as Bobby Allende and Johnny Dandy Rodriguez. He released his first album, “Sigue Caminando,” in 2017, followed by “Sin Limite” in 2020, a salsa-jazz fusion album with the Paris Latin Orchestra and Uprising Music, Eddie Palmieri's label. In January 2023, Tamayo performed for the first time in Cuba as a guest at the Jazz Plaza Festival accompanied by the Anacaona orchestra, creating a powerful show that was a great success. He also toured Colombia to promote the album Sin Limite, in collaboration with RFI Talent, and performed in several cities, including his hometown of Cali, with some of the best musicians from the salsa capital. The meeting between Tabalá and Tamayo took place on a magical afternoon, during a spontaneous jam session at the home of the late maestro Rafael Cassiani. The knowing glances, smiles, admiration, songs, and percussion created a captivating and exceptional atmosphere. The friends and family present that day can attest to the richness of this unique exchange. From this jam session was born the desire to create an original album, Sin sueño, a unique blend of palenquero and salsa music. The album was recorded in Turbaco, Cartagena, and Paris, mixed and mastered in Medellin at Merlin Producciones, four-time winner of the Latin Grammy, and will be released in 2026, accompanied by a concert tour. The album also gave rise to a project to make a documentary film, with the support of UNESCO, about the village of Palenque, the concept of cultural creolization, and music as an act of identity resistance.