Nazir Ebo and Daniel Villarreal Close Out Philly Music Fest with Jazz Sets at Solar Myth

“This is music made in Philly for Philly,” declared drummer Daniel Villarreal, opening the final night of 2025’s Philadelphia Music Fest at Solar Myth. And really, there was no better way to close out a week dedicated to the city’s music scene than with a celebration of jazz.

Villarreal, originally from Panama and based in Chicago (though now working more often in the Philadelphia scene), is a drummer and DJ who spans Latin rhythms, funk, jazz improvisation and beyond.

His trio, featuring Victor Vieira-Branco on vibraphone and John Moran on upright bass, played a set that blended elements of soul and jazz, with Villarreal’s Latin roots audibly flowing through the songs. Villarreal’s debut album, Panamá 77, captures much of that same spirit – rooted in his Panamanian heritage but shaped by years spent in Chicago’s genre-blurring scene. The group’s playing was electric, with each player seemingly feeding off the others’ phrasing and rhythmic tension.

Closing out the night, drummer Nazir Ebo led a quintet that pushed things further into experimental territory. Joined by Simon Martinez and Tim Watson on guitars, Tone Whitfield on bass, and Sanche Oisín Ramírez on synth and piano, Ebo’s set was expansive and unpredictable.

The band seemed to outdo themselves with each song. At one point, after a particularly intense build-up, someone in the crowd standing next to me exclaimed, “Another one? After that?” half in awe and half in excitement that the band still had more to give. Ebo is a home-grown Philadelphia talent: he grew up playing drums from age nine and is active in the local community.

Throughout its weeklong celebration, Philly Music Fest took audiences from venue to venue, and Solar Myth felt like a fitting finale. The space doubles as a café by day, and a bar by night, with live music held in their intimate back room. In contrast to some of the heavier, rocking nights in the week, these jazz sets felt like an electrifying send-off.