Omar Sosa’s career as a pianist, percussionist and composer was already in full gear when he landed in Oakland. After graduating from the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, he became a touring and recording artist with several well-known bands, both in Cuba and Ecuador.  “I’ve always been a person who likes to be on the move,” Sosa said. “I wanted to travel to the United States to record my music with musicians who had a different vision than mine. I am grateful I landed in Oakland. It’s become my second home. “I had the opportunity to play with John Santos, whom I had heard about long before arriving in the Bay Area,” he added. “It was a turning point. He was a substitute percussionist for a band I was playing with. The band director suggested we play as a duo; there wasn’t enough full band repertoire. After a completely improvised song, a beautiful friendship was born.” The Sosa/Santos duo made two albums, N’fumbe and La Mar. They helped kick off Sosa’s international career, a journey driven by his innovative approach to the piano. “I am primarily a percussionist who always liked the piano,” he said. “When I approach a keyboard, I feel like I’m playing 88 tiny drums.” While in Oakland, Sosa started his own label, Otá Records. It’s released 34 albums featuring Sosa playing with a big band, solo and various duos—with Santos, Cuban/world music singer Yilian Cañizares and Senegalese kora master Seckou Keita. When he comes to the Freight this weekend, he’ll play as a trio with Keita and Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. The trio, along with a few special guests, features on SUBA, Sosa’s most recent release. “It was prepared and recorded during the pandemic, something that gave it added value,” Sosa said. “We used the Osnabruck studio [in Germany] because we wanted to have the same sound as the last album we made together, Transparent Water.” “Allah Léno” opens with a laidback kora solo and a mellow bongo rhythm supplied by Ovalles. Keita sings the prayer-like lyric against bass notes from Sosa’s piano. Keita’s overdubbed harmonies fade in the mix as his kora trades licks with Sosa’s piano in an Afro-Latin tempo. Keita’s soft, devotional reprise of the song brings it to a gentle conclusion.  “KoraSon” features Brazilian composer Jaques Morelenbaum laying down a moody background on cello, while Sosa and Keita play interlocking solos, with sparse percussion accents by Ovalles. “2020 Visions” opens with a flurry of percussion and a hook played by Keita’s kora. Its Afro-Cuban rhythm has a hint of R&B, supplied by Sosa’s descending piano line and Keita’s shimmering kora. The percussion supplied by Ovalles adds layers of nuance to the music. Sosa’s collaborated with Ovalles for over two decades. “We have a level of connection where it is not necessary to talk,” Sosa said. “With a fleeting glance, we already know what the path and musical horizon that we want to achieve will be. “I feel that he is one hand of the body, I am the other, but we share the same heart and brain,” he continued. “There is a wonderful chemistry based on mutual admiration, for which we are proud and grateful. We are one, in two different bodies.”Sosa met Keita more recently. “Marque Gilmore, the drummer who played in one of my previous groups, the Afri-Lectic Experience, introduced us,” Sosa said. That band’s album, Eggun, was nominated for a Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy in 2014.  “He sat in with us at a gig, and from the first moment a bewitching magic arose,” Sosa added. “At that concert we didn’t say a word to each other, we just shared our music until we finished the set. At the end, we said: ‘We have to record something together.’ A month later, we were in the studio making Transparent Water. Our union has continued to grow ever since.” At this point, Sosa believes his work with Keita and Ovalles will be ongoing. “There is a mutual admiration that made this project have a long life,” he said. “There is the possibility that we will go back into the studio again, but the way the music industry works today makes it necessary to think carefully about the investment we need to make for a record release. You have to simply create and not stop creating, even though you are not clear about the best place to show your work.  “We always record all our shows, so anything can happen,” Sosa concluded. “In the meantime, we’ll keep the passion and the inspiration alive and stay ready for the next chapter, as it becomes clear to us.” Omar Sosa, Seckou Keita and Gustavo Ovalles will play as the SUBA Trio at 8pm Friday, Jan. 17, and Saturday, Jan. 18, at Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. 510.644.2020. thefreight.org.