"Melón" is a very common nickname in Cuba, but
like "Mayito" or "Sombrilla", it has become synonymous with
one legendary figure in Timba, Iván González Lewis. He played
on the Timba scene in Havana for only a few years and only with one groupo,
that of Issac Delgado, but he revolutionized the art of the piano tumbao in
the process.
He currently lives in Caceres, Spain, where he has recorded a
Latin Jazz album with brother Ricardo's group, The Lewis Trio, who have recently
opened a new website at www.lewistrio.com.
Melón's Timba playing can be heard on three Issac Delgado
albums: El Año Que Viene, Otra Idea, and an album which many consider
to be on the short list for the best Timba album ever recorded, "Exclusivo
Para Cuba".
The same recording was released in the US as "Rarites"
on the RMM Forbidden Cuba series.
