TIMBA MEGA CONCERT The Armory Arena in New York City - Memorial Day, Saturday May 26 2012 - Ex-Van Van Mayito Rivera, Pedrito Calvo. Lazarito Valdes & Bamboleo, Manolito Simonet & Su Trabuco, Adalberto Álvarez & Su Son, Cesar Pupy Pedroso - Cuban Music C

Discography - The Early 2000s - Lele and El Gallo

In the 12 years since Elio Revé's death, the band, under the leadership of his son Elito, has maintained steady popularity with several periods of brilliance. Perhaps the most exciting is the current band, featuring Aisar Hernández as musical director.

I'm sketchy on some of the changes that occurred in the 2000s. What I do know is that Abdel Rasalps, better known to timba fans as Lele, came to Los Van Van from Revé in January of 2001 and at the same time was replaced by Rosendo Díaz, better known to timba fans as El Gallo, who had previously sung with Manolito y su Trabuco for many years. El Gallo sings 4 tracks on Homenaje 45 años and is rumored to have given up singing in clubs to become a Christian music singer back in Camagüey. Michel Maza sang with Revé for a time around 2004, but apparently never sang on a studio album. Lele sings two tracks on Homenaje, but apparently as a guest artist.

Dagoberto Vásquez, who sang on the 1999 album, is still with the group, and Sinsonte also comes and goes. At some point there was a bassist/arranger named Arnaldo Jiménez of Arnaldo y la Cosmopolita, who also played on Michel Maza's two solo albums for Envidia.

Alexei Sánchez "El Nene" has gone back and forth between Revé and Azúcar Negra a couple times and is currently not in either group, but sang several great tracks on Se sigue comentando. His current replacement is Eric Eduardo who sang to rave reviews in Europe last summer. Another recent singer is Roberto Morales, who sang one song on Se sigue comentando and probably several on Fresquesito before being replaced by Lázaro Maya, one of the founders of Salsa Mayor.

Elito is playing less and less piano, and like Adalberto and Calzado, is moving towards becoming a "roving bandleader" -- on stage, but not playing. The pianist on most of the current material is a guy named Pachi, about whom we know very little. Oderquis, one of Elio Sr.'s 23 siblings, left the group to form his own and has produced 3 albums so far in the 2000s.

Following are some of the albums of the 2000s:

Homenaje 45 años
cuban music, musica cubana
Tumi-121- 2003

Personnel:
vocals: Dagoberto, El Gallo, Lele, Pascual Matos
piano:Elio Revé Jr.
keyboard: Sergio Jardines
bass: Giovani Cofiño (Jiovanni)
tres: Orlando Álvarez
güiro: Raúl Martínez
bongó & percussion (timbales?): Carlos E. Rodríguez
congas: Bernardo López
trombones: Eulises Benavides

  title   composer arranger lead singer
1 Amor en un día intercalado . Giraldo Piloto Juan Ceruto Dagoberto Vázquez
2 Changüí homenaje . Carlos E. Rodríguez Geovany Cofiño El Gallo
3 Así es él . Iram Calvo Geovany Cofiño El Gallo
4 Lo que tú esperabas . Iram Calvo Geovany Cofiño El Gallo
5 Loli o Lola . Juan Almeida Yoel Domínguez Dagoberto
6 Carlito buey . José Valladares Geovany Cofiño El Gallo
7 Entre la espada y la pared . Leonel Limonta Geovany Cofiño El Gallo
8 Charangón pa' rato . Carlos E. Rodríguez Geovany Cofiño Lele
9 Changüí a la loma del chivo . Revé, Jr. Revé, Jr.

Pascual Matos

 

Con la mano en la masa
cuban music, musica cubana
cuban music, musica cubana
live bootleg?

Live versions by the new band of many older Revé songs, plus some from the 2000s.

Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 03:31 AM