Unity is a musical project and collaborative ideal conceived in the summer of 2006 by Cuban-American drummer Amaury Acosta and Cuban pianist Axel Tosca Laugart. Their musical influences run the gamut and include the likes of J Dilla, Tower of Power, Chucho Valdez, McCoy Tyner, Robert Glasper, Bon Iver, Arnold Schoenberg, Allan Holdsworth, Jimi Hendrix, Derek Trucks, Tyler the Creator, Irakere, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Brian Blade, Jay-Z, Buena Vista Social Club, Busta Rhymes, Freddie Hubbard and many more. Unity’s strong heritage and eclectic modernism come together to form a refreshing and unstoppable sound.

Their debut album Peace, Love &Music was released in April of 2013 “as Unity’s manifesto, mission statement and first step to reaching all those who dream of being enlightened, refreshed and inspired by music again. In their mission of fusing Afro-Cuban culture with modern jazz, soul, hip-hop and gospel they’ve sacrificed neither virtuosity nor groove”.

For their residency at the legendary Zinc bar, located in historic Greenwhich Village, New York City, the group will be performing songs from their album along with new, unreleased compositions The groups lineup will include guitarist Michael Valeanu, pianist Axel Tosca Laugart, bassist Alex Da Silva, saxophonist Max Cudworth, and musical director Amaury Acosta on drums.

Zinc Bar - 82 w 3rd st (Bet. Thompson and Sullivan Sts)

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Robert Armas & Los Conquistadores de la Salsa, Peru's pioneering Timba band, are finishing up their month long tour of Europe. They have played in Spain, France, Italy and Germany and this weekend August 9th they  will be coming to my hometown Stockholm, Sweden, for the first time! During their tour this award-winning band has played important festivals such as Festival Cubain Bayamo in Seyne-Sur-Mer, France. They have delighted audiences with their energetic show and popular timba hits as well as performing estrenos from their upcoming fifth album, "Yo traigo mi tumbao". Last night I was able to reach Robert Armas by phone and ask him a few questions about the band, Lima audiences versus European audiences and what we should expect from them in concert. You can listen to the interview below (in Spanish).

Check out their updated section at Timba.com and one of their newest hits at Soundcloud: "A quien no le gusta Cuba".

The concert will take place this Saturday and is the penultimate concert of the tour which ends in Barcelona on Sunday. The evening will also feature Peruvian cuisine, four DJs and a performance and animation by Fredy Clan before Los Conquistadores take the stage. Check out Fredy's fantastic blending of dance and music in the video below. Stay tuned for a concert report.

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Today's incarnation of Conjunto Chappottín is probably as close as we'll ever get to experiencing what the legendary Arsenio Rodríguez Conjunto sounded like live. When Arsenio left for New York in the early 1950s, his trumpeter, Félix Chappottín, took over as leader and the band has been inherited by Félix's grandson, Angél Jesús Chappottín, and Miguel Cuní, Jr., the son of the group's original star singer. As they explain in this excellent mini-documentary they've really taken to heart the idea of recreating the sound and flavor of a real conjunto.

They'll be at Kuumbwa Jazz Center Thursday - one admission covers the whole night and the dance floor will be open. They'll also play twice on Saturday at the San José Jazz Festival. Tomorrow I'll have much more on the rest of the fest - the best lineup I've ever seen for a Latin festival, included three separate appearances by The Pedrito Martínez Group, Calixto Oviedo, Viento de Agua, Jimmy Bosch, Jerry González and Fort Apache, a tribute to Armando Peraza by Pancho Sánchez and John Santos, Bootsy Collins, David Sanborn, Donald Harrison, Snarky Puppy and virtually every top Bay Area group. SJ Jazz starts Friday evening and runs all weekend.

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ENGLISH:  This week, we have published three new photo galleries from La Habana:
ESPAÑOL:  Esta semana, publicamos  tres nuevas galerías de fotos de La Habana:
Michel Herrera  César López & Habana Ensemble    Julio Valdés Fuentes & Pentajazz

ENGLISH: Also, there are several new reviews of recordings made in Cuba in our Reviews section. 
ESPAÑOL: Además, hay varias nuevas reseñas de grabaciones hechas en Cuba en nuestra sección de Reseñas

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