Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing Havana D'Primera in Stockholm. I haven't seen them live since 2010, so the anticipation was tremendous. Havana D'Primera is a band that appeals to dancers and musicians alike, and both groups were well represented at the concert, which was arranged by Club Mambo and El Barrio. A full report is coming but in the meantime, I want to urge you to find a concert near you. In 2013 Havana D'Primera has toured every continent with the exception of Africa and Antarctica. There is a reason for this exceptional popularity: their remarkable combination of first-class musicianship and heart.

There are seven dates remaining in the European Tour. Tonight they perform in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Click here for Havana D'Primera's full concert schedule to date. They return to Cuba November 12th and head to Venezuela November 13th where they will give three concerts before returning to Havana. If you are attending Baila en Cuba 2013, you will see Alexander and the guys on November 27th as part of the prodigious concert line-up.

Stockholm Timberos representing @ Havana D'Primera

Members of Calle Real, La Liga Habanera, Orquesta Pomo and La Jugada were there, as well as musicians from several other Stockholm timba groups.

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On the heels of his arará-jazz project, Yovany Terry has turned his attention to the Parrandas tradition of Remedios region of Cuba. He describes it as follows: "Parrandas is a remarkable, locale-specific cultural tradition that has survived the passage of time and the vast gulf of racial and social differences. “Las Noches de Parrandas” represents the marriage of two very different cultures that united to create a unique, important and enduring tradition. In the Parrandas, Spaniards and Africans gathered together to contribute their cultural and artistic energies and create an extraordinary synthesis transcending differences of race, social status, economics, religion and language." Click here for Tom Ehrlich's gallery.

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José Mangual, Jr. - Yoshi's SF - photo by Tom Ehrlich

Tom Ehrlich files this photo-report from the recent SF appearance of the Arsenio Rodríguez Project. Stay tuned for news on a related tour featuring big band arrangements of Arsenio classics. Next up from Tom is coverage of Yosvany Terry y los Parranderos.

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Planet Records has just uploaded "Dale lo que lleva" to YouTube. It is the official video of the new single by Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor featuring world renowned Cuban dancer Maykel Fonts on vocals! The song in a nutshell is about the two Maykels, both of whom learned their art more or less on the street, rather than through the Cuban schools of the arts, and both of whom have gone on to international fame. It is a fun, dancable song even if neither of the Maykels is really a lead vocalist. The video is great fun with some footage of Maykel F trying to teach Maykel B som dance moves.

Currently Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor are in Peru for two weeks where they will have their official CD release for "A toda máquina" on October 30th at Drama. On November 3rd the band will do their first ever 2 hour concert in Peru at Guajiros Room in Tiro Libre. Click here for the full list of concet dates in Lima.

Dale lo que lleva

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