Another Cubadisco has come and gone and the big winners in the categories of greatest interest to Timba fans were Juan Formell & Los Van Van and  Alexander Abreu & Havana D'Primera. The list of nominees was impressive. In addition to Van Van and Havana D'Primera were La Charanga Habanera for "No mires la carátula", Arnaldo y su Talismán for "Mango" and Sixto Llorentes' debut solo album "Lo que sucede conviene"  Son del Indio. Still, I knew Van Van would win. The smooth production of "Arrasando" was bound to catch the judges' ears.  Indeed "Arrasando"  also won for Best Recording.

The Traditional Music category was won by Pancho Amat y su Cabildo del Son for "Yo traigo un son", also a double-winner taking the Anthology category.

Closest to my own heart is the winner of the Ópera Prima category (first work). Havana D'Primera's "Haciendo Historia" was my personal favorite from 2009 so I am happy that the judges saw fit to award Los Primeros with the Best First Work award. The band has taken Havana and now the world by storm with their combination of poetic lyrics and serious timba. And on stage there is no harder working singer than Alexander Abreu who gives everything at each performance as if it were his last.

In honor of their award, Patrick Bonnard has shared a few of his pictures from the "Haciendo Historia" tour 2009/2010. Click here or on the picture below to see more.  The complete gallery is at Patrick's website .

Alexander Abreu & Havana D'Primera - winners Ópera Prima Cubadisco 2010
Photo ©Patrick Bonnard used by permission

Congratulations to all the Cubadisco winners and hasta la próxima .

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There is said to be a time for all things under Heaven and in Miami it is "A Time for Love". Artemiseño Arturo Sandoval was a founding member of Irakere, the group that originally brought us the concept of the bomba gear. After moving to the US he has played mainly classical music and jazz where he has excelled and been awarded 4 Grammys and 6 Billboard awards.

Arguably the best trumpet player in the world, he may primarily be known to laymen for his ability to hit impossibly high notes, but this is just the icing on the cake. Sandoval coaxes the richest tones from both his trumpet and flugelhorn. His playing covers a full emotional range from delicate and sensitive to frenzied passion.

The new album "A Time for Love" was released on May 11th and can be ordered from Amazon. I have only heard one song so far but the album is described as follows: "The album features classical compositions for orchestra and jazz trio by Grammy-winning arranger Jorge Calandrelli along with a sprinkling of American jazz standards by composers including Gershwin and Chaplin.  Also featured on the album are Chris Botti, Monica Mancini, Shelly Berg, and Kenny Barron. "

Here is a sample you can listen to and enjoy yourselves: Paven pour une infante defunte . It features guest artist trumpeter Chris Botti.

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Leyder Chapman's Dos 4 y Los Míos is primarily a reguetón group but it's a reguetón group with live timba musicians, and several of the very best live timba musicians in the Bay Area, including Colin Douglas on drums and Jason Möen on piano. DJ Walt Digz is also in the band, so  if you're looking for an excuse to warm up to reguetón before it takes its rightful place beside Disco in the music history books, this is the gig.

Dos 4 y Los Míos - Yoshi's - San Francisco - Tuesday, May 18

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Click here to visit the photo gallery  -  Oprima aquí para ver las fotos

On February 26, 1993, after spending at least six years as musical director of Maravilla de Florida, pianist Manolito Simonet departed along with most of the group's members, added a horn section, synthesizer and kick drum, and started playing timba under the name Manolito y su Trabuco.

El Trabuco is one of the largest timba bands - a "super-charangón" if you will - with violin, cello, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, flute, and synthesizer in addition to the standard piano, bass, drums, congas and güiro.

Manolito is one of Cuba's most meticulous and prolific arrangers, making excellent use of the vast timbral resources at his disposal and frequently finding time to produce side projects such as his recent Tributo a Lilí Martínez. As of 2009, the group has released 8 studio albums, toured the world countless times, and risen to the top tier of the Havana club scene.

El Trabuco other main composer is singer Ricardo Amaray whose R&B influences are perfectly balanced by Simonet's encylopedic mastery of all the traditional forms of Cuban music.

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