On Tuesday, August 6 at 7:30pm, Cuban percussionist/composer Enildo Rasua will be performing at the Jazz Standard in a quartet with Troy Roberts on saxophone, Ben Winkleman on piano and Ricky Rodriguez on bass.   Enildo is the creator of the "Third Hand" technique which uses three drumsticks to play both drum kit and other percussion instruments at the same time.  Enildo's career covers a lot of ground both as a performer and an instructor, and this should be worth checking out. 

On Wednesday, August 7 at 9:30 pm, 11:00 pm and 1:00 am, composer/pianist Osmany Paredes, another artist in the new wave of Cuban Jazz musicians shaking things up in New York, will be performing at the Zinc Bar with his quartet. Osmany's early career included time with Charanga America, Enrique Jorrin and Bobby Carcasses. He later founded the group Menduvia and now leads the Osmany Paredes Quartet.  He has also performed in several prominent groups, and this performance is also worth checking out. 

It is also worth keeping an eye on the calendars of both of these clubs because they have become two of the most important venues for this music in New York. 

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Are we having fun yet?  Yes we are...

Despite dire warnings from a very small handful of self-appointed members of the Purity Of Our Party Patrol that the presence of a non-native taco here, an alcapurria there and the inclusion of some non-Cuban musicians in the entertainment roster would inflict irreparable emotional trauma on attendees, a very large crowd had a very good time at Festival Cubano last night in Chicago.  We'll bring you a full report in a couple of days, but if you are in or near Chicago, get there today, the last day of the Festival. Timbalive, Cachao Mambo All Stars, hey, if you aren't already hooked yet, go to thecubanfestival.com for the rest of the lineup, where and when its at etc. and that should finish the job.  

(What are those weird blotches in the center by Alfredo's head?  We don't know either, but we decided to leave them in because they remind us of our favorite science fiction movies, and we're curious to see whether anyone accuses him of being from the 8th dimension now.  We'll have crisp, blemish-free pictures of him and the band for you in a couple of days...)

One of the highlights was when Alfredo de la Fe, wired for sound, took his violin out into the crowd to solo.The crowd went crazy, and it got more fired up after that as the evening progressed. By the time Jerry Rivera was on, it was like a Rock concert, but in a good way. 

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Beyond Salsa Percussion is featured in the September issue of Modern Drummer magazine, probably the most high profile exposure we've got since the series was launched. This is Calixto's second feature in the magazine, the last one being in 1994 as part of a "The Drummers of Cuba" series along with Enrique Pla and Changuito.

In other Calixto news, the maestro has actually moved himself and his talented family to Denver, CO. He'll also be featured on an ongoing basis as an "artist in residence" in conjunction Cal State LA's prestigious Latin Music graduate program. And he'll be playing three gigs in Northern California as part of Edgardo Gambón's "A Tribute to the Timbales" concert series. The first will be on Aug. 10th at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest..

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                                     photos by Tom Ehrlich-Yoshi's SF-2010

The master turns 71 today and is still cranking out the hits. No other figure (except Pupy) has managed to stay so consistently on the cutting edge with generation after generation of young audiences. For a trip down memory lane, check out our History of Van Van and our comprehensive Los Van Van Discography.

From the 2013 DVD "Van Van 40" by director Ian Padrón

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