Este lado del puente
by Lara Greene

 

Sunday, July 8, 2007: CTA Quintet @ Sandoval's

CTA Quintet
Wednesday, July 11
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8:30 & 10:30; $15
6701 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
305-403-7565
This is the quintet version of Tomasito Cruz's Cuban Timba Allstars -- they lean more in the direction of jazz, and put on a great show.
Lineup: Tomasito Cruz (congas), Reinier Guerra (drumset), Orlando Guanche (piano), Edguar Gararriaga (bass), and Felipa Lamoglia (saxophone)

 

 

Thursday, July 5, 2007: Yet another new band . . .

DJ Cabrera's got live entertainment at his salsa party this month!
Rumba Habana Night.
Friday, July 6, 2007
1755 W. 8th Ave.
Hialeah, FL
305-409-4728

 

 

Friday, June 29, 2007: Another big timba weekend

Tiempo Libre
Friday, June 29
Club Aché (inside Hotel Versailles)
3425 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 305-604-8688

If you didn't have enough room to dance at Jazid last weekend, be sure to show up tonight!

 

 

IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival
Friday June 29 through Sunday, July 1
Main venue:
Arts & Mind Center
3138 Commodore Plaza
Coconut Grove
(305) 476-0832

This is an excellent event organized by renowned Afro-Cuban dancer and choreographer Neri Torres. A wide variety of Cuban dances will be taught by excellent instructors, including Neri herself.

 

El Pikete
Fridays and Saturdays
La Makumba
833 SW 29 Ave. (off of Calle 8)
This great newcomer band keeps at it with what is turning out to be a dependable source of live timba on weekends. The Ife-Ile group will be there on Friday night, so that should be good!

 

Coming up next weekend:

En Talla performs at DJ Cabrera's salsa party,
Rumba Habana Night.
Friday, July 6, 2007
1755 W. 8th Ave.
Hialeah, FL
305-409-4728

We don't know a lot about this new band yet, other than that they play timba (covers of songs by Elito Reve, Paulo FG, and Charanga Habanera, among others), and that the group includes musicians who have performed with Dany Lozada, Paulo FG, and Carlos Manuel.

Sunday, June 24, 2007: A Happy Customer

Post-Issac, I'm a few points shy of ecstatic, but much more than content. Issac enthusiasts turned out in droves last night for the concert, filling the James L. Knight Center nearly to capacity. It was clearly an event not to be missed by anyone who's someone in Cuban Miami, and the full gamut of that population was represented, from teenager to octagenerian and from 1959 exiles to marielitos, balseros, and more recent arrivals. The house lights went down around 8:45 (because what Cuban show would ever start on time?!) and deafening cheers greeted Carlucho and Boncó Quiñongo, hosts of the popular America Teve (ch. 41) variety show La Cosa Nostra. In their opening act, the two comedians took note of the variety in the crowd, with a joke for each of the Cuban generations present, and there was a repeated emphasis on this wonderful concert that was for everyone (I'll come back to that theme). Issac's 13-piece band took the stage, and the concert started with a saxophone solo that was based on a familiar song that I haven't been able to place -- anyone else know? The band: 2 trombones, 2 trumpets, 1 saxophone, one guy on timbal/bells/kick, congas, campana, bass, and 2 guys on piano/synth. If I'm not mistaken, the only musician we've seen on a previous Issac tour was the congüero Dennys “Papacho” Savón. The band started the intro of "Necesito una amiga," and Issac made his entrance from a back corner of the stage and was greeted with a standing ovation from the entire house. It was a nice, familiar way to get the show started, and I liked the potpourri with "Que te pasa loco" and "La Formula", until the line "eso no es de ahora, que, ya yo tenía mi tumbao pegao" started . . . my stomach dropped when the horns entered with their line that alternates with the vocals -- the horn line had been simplified rhythmically, stripped of its syncopation! Perhaps this is splitting hairs, because the only difference was in the first two notes -- instead of an eighth followed by a dotted quarter, each note was an even quarter note -- but the good stuff is in the details! This little change made for a huge difference in what is a singable, memorable line. It was a fretful time through the rest of that song . . .would the rest of his hits suffer this same rhythmic emasculation?! There were some shout-outs to other Miami musicians along in there, to Willie Chirino and particularly Manolín (who was absent), and a coro about the farandula saying that Issac and Manolín are the main things going on in Miami currently.

Redemption came with the next song, "Catalina" -- though it was never Issac's hardest-driving tune, this performance was true to all the punchy breaks that I loved hearing during his last US tour in 2002. Issac was really on his game last night -- all the vocals were dead-on, and the soneo was flowing -- and we got to see the latter as he improvised a soneo that doubled as a final sound check so that he could tell the sound engineer to adjust the levels of the congas and vocals. We also got to hear Issac Delgado Jr.'s chops (on piano) during this song, and he played a really tasteful, enjoyable solo. He's a talented performer, incredibly capable for his age, and with time should develop more of the fire and confidence we've seen in his predecessors. Next, Issac Sr. invited the first of what would be many, many special guests to the stage. Sergio George, producer of Delgado's newest album En Primera Plana took a seat at the piano (well, actually, he stood most of the time) and played confidently and competently on one of the songs from the album, including an impressive solo. A series of duets with invited guests followed: a trova-style tune with Amaury Gutierrez, an a capella Benny Moré duet with Luis Bofíl, a bolero with Malena Burke, and another bolero with Malena and Amaury. Here's the first time I return to the idea of a concert for everyone that I mentioned earlier . . .Issac had a lot of different groups of people to please at this Miami concert -- this is by no means meant to detract from the talented performances his various guests delivered, but simply to say that their participation in the show and the repertoire they performed with Issac definitely seemed to run along the lines of his efforts to include a little something for everyone.

Issac got back to pleasing his timbero fans next, with a driving version of "Malecón" from the La Fórmula album. Next up was "El Pregón de Chocolate", from the same album -- this song is a personal favorite, and the new funky introduction really set it ablaze. Alexis Valdez, host of popular America Teve show Seguro que Yes, helped Issac play a joke on the audience next -- the two look a lot alike (and Alexis has apparently been mistaken for Delgado in the past, though it didn't stop him from accepting congratulations for Issac's latest hits), and Alexis managed to fool everyone for the first few bars of the next song until Issac entered the stage behind him! That next song was another one from the new album, though I'm not sure which one. Yet another round of special guests were invited to the stage next: Israel "Cachao" López on bass, Osmani Paredes on piano, and Delgado's NG La Banda-mate Wickly Nogueras on congas. They played "Cemento, Ladrillo y Arena" from the new album, with impressive solos from each of the guests. The timbero constituency got another vote next, with "No me mires a los ojos" -- Issac was on his game in the soneo sense here, as well, with long improvised sections in which he thanked Miami profusely for such a warm and supportive welcome. It's been a while since I've seen a live timba show with everyone on their feet and a sea of hands moving left and right in unison, and I've missed it sorely. The next two songs were from En Primera Plana, I believe, since they were dance tunes that I didn't recognize -- I could be wrong about that, though. The second had a great guaguancó introduction (during which Boncó Quiñongo returned to the stage to dazzle us with his moves) and the song actually started as "Los sitios enteros" before morphing into the full song from the new album. In the spirit of pleasing everyone, once again, the show closed with a shout-out to Celia Cruz and Issac's version of "La vida es un carnaval".

So, now we arrive at the grand question: was it timba? Yes, but not all of it. If you thought you heard timba during Issac's last tour to the US in 2002, you would be mistaken, in my opinion, to say that you didn't hear any timba last night. Was it played exactly the way you heard it on the last tour and tours previous to that? No, not exactly, and I have a few conclusions as to why that was. There has been a lot of speculation lately as to whether a group of musicians that is less than 50% Cuban can perform timba convincingly. Issac addressed the issue of his "mixed" band early on in the show, making a point of saying that he wanted to work with a mixed group. Whatever his reasons might be for doing so, in principle I believe that a group of talented, dedicated musicians can rise to the challenge, given proper time to rehearse and a more profound understanding of the genre -- and these issues have come up time and again in discussions about whether timba could thrive outside of Cuba. Had they had a little more time to play together and iron things out stylistically, the timbal player might have been advised to lean off the kick drum just a little -- a punchy kick drum is essential to the groove in live and recorded Issac, but in the past the rhythms played on the kick were generally more sparse than what I heard last night, and that changed the feel of the music substantially at times. Along the same lines, the bass player was a bit too fancy at times -- true, a freer, more melodic bass is a stylistic hallmark of timba, but it's possible to overdue the ornamental licks and forget that there needs to be some silence and space between notes, as well. The bajista seemed to have a strong enough understanding of timba-style tumbaos, but at times regressed back to his comfort zone and a salsa-style tumbao, thus creating stylistic inconsistency. Also, I liked his style much more when he played electric -- he seemed more comfortable there than on baby bass. In conclusion, and in my opinion, I definitely heard some good Issac-style timba last night. That rhythmically rounded off horn line from the first number didn't have any company for the rest of the concert, and when Papacho started holding up different numbers of fingers to call bloques, I quit worrying. So, my conclusion is that a good chunk of it was timba . . . I wasn't quite as dazzled as after his 2002 tour, but I definitely don't think Issac has left us!

Thursday, June 21, 2007: Big Timba Weekend in Miami

You could actually make it a triple header between these three concerts: start with Issac, get in to Tiempo Libre for $5, and then head over to Little Havana for El Pikete -- they go on pretty late (after 3 last Saturday), so if you have the energy for it, that's a pretty good night!

Issac Delgado
Saturday, June 23
James L. Knight Center
8 p.m.

There has been a lot of speculation (on MiamiTimbaConnection and timbageeks) as to how good this show will be . . . honestly, I'm looking forward to finding out for myself! Issac's live shows have been some of my favorite, and it's hard to imagine that he will be too far off that mark. Melao got to check out a rehearsal, and said it was amazing.

Issac will be on La Cosa Nostra (Miami channel 41) at 11 p.m. tonight, too -- it's a roundtable show that tends to favor raunch over real discussion, but who knows -- El Chevere may give us a few tidbits on how it's been going since he arrived. For that, I'm also looking forward to Melao's interview.

 

 

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, June 23
Jazid
1342 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach
11:30 p.m.

$5 entrance with your Issac Delgado ticket stub -- keep the party going!
The guys will be introducing a new version of Mujer de Fuego (from their first album, Timbiando).

 

 

El Pikete
Fridays and Saturdays
La Makumba
833 SW 29 Ave. (off of Calle 8)
This band was great when I saw them -- mostly covers, but what excellent covers! They have a violinist, so you get to hear a lot of Manolito and Pupy. Definitely an exciting new presence in Miami.

 

Thursday, April 12: Tiempo Libre at Jazid on Saturday

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, April 14
Jazid 11:00 p.m., $10
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305-673-9372

 

Saturday, February 17, 2007: Issac sighting in Miami!!

El Chevere de la salsa himself showed up at the end of the CTA gig in the Rumba Palace tonight, because the guy filling in on piano was none other than Issac junior, his son. I'll have more on Issac Jr. very soon. I was able to talk to Issac briefly, and he said that he is hard at work recording his first single right now, which will be released soon. Once the single is ready, he'll open himself up to the press a little more, including us!

Issac Delgado with two starstruck Miami fans

Friday, February 16, 2007: CTA tonight, Tiempo Libre tomorrow
If you plan your weekend well, you don't have to miss out on any of the good stuff this weekend.

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, February 17
Jazid 11:30 p.m., $10
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305-673-9372

Cuban Timba Allstars
February 16 - 18 (Fri - Sunday)
10 p.m., FREE
Rumba Palace
600 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach

Sandoval's new Rumba Palace got off to a powerful start last night with the Cuban Timba Allstars' performance. The club is in the heart of South Beach (Ocan & 6th), with many features to tout: plenty of tables, big dance floor, and good sound system. Sandoval himself was on hand to greet patrons and take a few solos with the group. The big question on my mind is what it will cost to get in the door once this first gratis weekend is over -- given the location and the price of drinks inside, this could end up being more the sort of place that caters to tourists with dough to blow while shutting out those who know the music. But then, the cover at Sandoval's jazz club has remained pretty reasonable and much more affordable than many of the venues on 8th street. Arturo, you've done great things for timba in Miami so far, and the new club looks like a great step in that direction -- but will be this venue be something the average timbero can afford?

Monday, February 12, 2007: Tiempo Libre @ Jazid, CTA @ new Sandoval Club
Once again, the feast or famine cycle of timba in Miami brings us another perfect storm of a weekend. On Saturday night, you have a choice between three worthy timba acts. CTA will start the weekend off early at the Thursday opening of Sandoval's new dance club, Rumba Palace:

Cuban Timba Allstars
February 15 - 18 (Thurs - Sunday)
10 p.m., FREE
Rumba Palace
600 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach

 

 

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, February 17
Jazid 11:30 p.m., $10
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305-673-9372

 

 

Manolín
Saturday, February 17
11 p.m.
Havana 1900
3850 SW 8th St
305-444-4077

 

 

Friday, February 2, 2007: Manolín @ Habana 1900, new Sandoval club SOON
Both timba shows this past week were fantastic! Tiempo Libre got the crowd moving at Café Mystique, renewing my conviction that the venue could very well be the best place yet for timba in Miami -- a loyal clientele that dances, plenty of room to do so, decent sound system, and perhaps most importantly, the right price: free parking, and very reasonable for admission and drinks. CTA were brilliant as usual at Sandoval's on Tuesday. It was my first time to see them with singer Juan Carlos Alvarez (cousin of Carlos Manuel), and he and Yordamis make a great combination.

This weekend:
Manolín with DJ Melao
Saturday, February 3
11 p.m.
Havana 1900
3850 SW 8th St
305-444-4077

 

And, coming soon: The Rumba Palace, Arturo Sandoval's new club on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. This club is located right in the middle of the busiest part of South Beach, and from what I understand, the plan is to have live music at least four nights a week. The club will be more focused on dance music than Arturo's first club, and it sounds like local timba bands will do the majority of the playing. The Cuban Timba All-Stars will be the first act, and opening night is tentatively set for Wednesday, February 7, but check back in case the date changes.

Friday, January 26, 2007: Upcoming shows
Well, the promise surrounding Club Iré came and went before I could say much about it -- Tiempo Libre, Manolín, and Dany Lozada all played there last month, but apparently management has decided to stick with DJ's for the time being . . .but on the more hopeful side of things, Café Mystique, a longtime mecca for casineros in Miami, is starting to book talent that matches the preferences of its patrons. Dany Lozada brought the house down in November, and next up:

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, January 27
midnight, $15
Café Mystique
7250 NW 11th St.
305-262-9500

Also, the Cuban Timba All-Stars will do another Tuesday Latino-meets-jazz night at Sandoval's, though the Rumba Palace, Sandoval's new dance club on Ocean Drive, should be opening any day now .

Cuban Timba All-Stars
Tuesday, January 20
8:30 & 10:30, $15
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
6701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach (in the Deauville)
305-403-7565

 

Friday, December 22, 2006: New venue for timba in Miami: Iré Nightclub

The music on the website doesn't make it obvious, but this club has a big dance floor and a good sound system (a rarity in Miami), and most importantly, management that is into contracting timba.

Iré Nightclub
833 SW 8th Street
305-643-3870
www.irenightclub.com

Tonight, December 22 (grand opening):
Manolín @ Iré Nightclub
10 p.m., no cover
2 for 1 mojitos and cuba libres

Saturday, December 30:
Tiempo Libre @ Iré Nightclub
shows at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Sunday, December 31:
Celebrate New Year's with Amaury Gutierrez and Tiempo Libre
Iré Nightclub, 10 p.m.

And, celebrate Christmas Eve with Elain!
Sunday, December 24
Cafe Nostalgia, 9 p.m.
34 Street between Collins and the Ocean, Miami Beach
Call 305-351-8838 for info.

 

Friday, December 8, 2006: 2nd Grammy nomination for Tiempo Libre!!!

They have done it again! Today Tiempo Libre received their 2nd Grammy nomination in the Best Latin/Tropical category for their third album, Lo que esperabas. All the more reason to make it to their show this Saturday at Jazid (see below) -- come deliver your congratulations in person!

 

 

Wednesday, November 30, 2006: Issac in Miami? Quien sabe . . .
But while we wait for proof, there are a lot of sure things going on in Miami right now:

Tiempo Libre with DJ Melao
Saturday, December 9
Jazid 11:30 p.m., $10
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305-673-9372

The men of TL have been hard at work for the last several months, and the band has really gelled with new drummer Hilario Bell -- this will be a great night, so be sure to make it out to support live timba in Miami! The atmosphere at Jazid is great for seeing this band, and DJ Melao will keep the good music coming during intermission.

 

Cuban Timba All-Stars
Tuesday, December 12
8:30 & 10:30 p.m., $15
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
6701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
305-403-7565

Dany Lozada
Saturdays
Habana 1900, 11:30 p.m.
3850 SW 8th St
(305) 444-4077

He brought down the house at (traditionally timba-unfriendly) Cafe Mystique a few weeks ago, and his new band is sounding great!

 

Thursday, October 6, 2006: Tiempo Libre on Sunday
Tiempo Libre will perform this Sunday as part of the inaugural weekend for Miami's brand new Carnival Performing Arts Center. They'll play as part of a free all-day event called Target Global Beat, which features performances by a variety of world music groups. You'll need a wristband to get into the performances, and these can be picked up on Sunday at the Carnival Center -- look for the "GlobalBeat" tent, which will be located at NE 14th Street and Bayshore Drive (here's a map).

Tiempo Libre goes on at:

12:30 p.m.
Ziff Ballet Opera House Terrace

3 p.m.
Knight Concert Hall

 

Saturday, September 30, 2006: Yahoo news group for timba in Miami
DJ Melao started a yahoo group about timba in Miami so that the few and the proud can get more organized and support the music they love. Check it out for up-to-the-minute information about concerts, parties, and more:

Subscribe to MiamiTimbaConnection
Powered by launch.groups.yahoo.com

 

Thursday, September 28, 2006: Lots of timba in Miami coming up . . . there's even a schedule conflict this weekend! To the people in charge of scheduling: how did this happen?! We're so timba-starved most of the time, and now you make use choose??

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, September 30
Jazid 11:30 p.m.
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305-673-9372
$10

 

Cuban Timba All-Stars
Saturday, September 30
Hialeah Classic Club
3838 W. 16th Avenue
Doors open at 9:00
Show time 11:00
$20
786-382-3035

 

Timba Party in Miami
"Casineros Together"
Friday, October 6
Salsa Fusion Dance School
1755 W. 8th Avenue
Hialeah, FL
305-305-8963/305-409-4728

DJ Cabrera's project to get a regular timba party going in Miami got off to a good start last month on September 1, with a good turnout and awesome music. The plan is to have the party on the first Friday of every month. Upcoming dates: November 3rd and December 1st.

 

Elain continues with his regular Friday night performances at Cafe Nostalgia.

 

 

 

 

 

Also coming up on October 8: Tiempo Libre at Miami's new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts.

 

Tuesday, August 1, 2006: Elain in concert

In addition to his regular Friday night timba performances at Cafe Nostalgia, Elain will play a special concert en la intimidad with various invited artists -- this Sunday, August 6 at 10:30 p.m. at Cafe Nostalgia.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, July 24, 2006: Tiempo Libre in Miami this Saturday . . . After a successful string of concerts on the West Coast, the guys will play in Miami again before heading to New York and Chicago:

Saturday, July 29
Jazid 11 p.m.
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305.673.9372
$10

Also, Miami's DJ Melao will be making a guest DJ appearance this Saturday at San Francisco's el Tropi-cal, the best timba party on the West Coast.

Thursday, July 13, 2006: Several things to report . . . It has gotten a bit more interesting around here lately, though I've been out of town and unable to partake. Upcoming timba activity in Miami:

Friday, July 14
Timba party with DJ Melao, 9 p.m.
In conjunction with Neri Torres & IFE-ILE's Afro-Cuban Dance Festival
Art & Mind Center, Patio
3138 Commodore Plaza, Coconut Grove

 

 

Tiempo Libre is having a busy and successful summer. I had the luck to see them in Brooklyn in June, where they headlined and brought the house down. They're just back from successful performances in Greece and at the Latinoamericando festival in Italy, and they'll be on the West Coast this weekend:

 

July 15-16
California WorldFest
Grass Valley, CA

July 17
Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Santa Cruz, CA

July 18
Triple Door
Seattle, WA

July 19
Yoshi's
Oakland, CA

Tomasito Cruz's Cuban Timba All-Stars are quickly picking up speed and coming together. I had the chance to see them last week at Sandoval's Club, and they've got a very good thing going with Yordamis Megret, ex-cantante of Bamboleo. They'll be at Sandoval's again this Tuesday.

July 18
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8:30 and 10:30
6701 Collins Avenue (inside Hotel Deauville)
Miami Beach
305.865.5775
$15/show

 

Elain now has a weekly timba show on
Fridays at Cafe Nostalgia in Miami Beach:
34 Street between Collins Ave. and the ocean
Miami Beach
305-531-8838

 

 

Thursday, June 1, 2006: Two awesome timba shows this week:

Saturday, June 3
**Performing tracks from their new album:
Tiempo Libre
Jazid 11 p.m.
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305.673.9372
$10

Tuesday, June 6
Cuban Timba Allstars
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
6701 Collins Avenue (inside Hotel Deauville)
Miami Beach
305.865.5775
$10/show

 

Monday, May 15, 2006: Tiempo Libre at Sandoval's this Saturday!
Be there to hear the first public performance of material from their new album, Lo que esperabas, which comes out tomorrow on the Shanachie label.

Saturday, May 20
CD Release Party
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
6701 Collins Avenue (inside Hotel Deauville)
Miami Beach
305.865.5775

Tuesday, May 23
Latino Meets Jazz Series
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
6701 Collins Avenue (inside Hotel Deauville)
Miami Beach
305.865.5775

NEW Miami DJ's section: Look no further when planning your next party or craving some decent music in this weird city -- we've added a new section with information on timba DJ's in Miami.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006:

Upcoming Tiempo Libre performances IN MIAMI!!
If you have ever lamented the lack of timba in Miami, then I have a homework assignment for you: get to these shows!! Not only will you get to hear material from Tiempo Libre's new album, but you will be supporting timba in two venues that haven't contracted it before -- if the turnout at these shows is good, these places are likely to hire other timba acts in the future. Consider it an act of public service, if that's what will motivate you. Just be there!

 

Saturday, April 29
Jazid 11 p.m.
1342 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach
305.673.9372

Saturday, May 20
CD Release Party
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
6701 Collins Avenue (inside Hotel Deauville)
Miami Beach
305.865.5775

Tuesday, May 23
Latino Meets Jazz Series
Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club
Shows at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
6701 Collins Avenue (inside Hotel Deauville)
Miami Beach
305.865.5775

 

Thursday, March 9, 2006:

Some exciting new developments to report:

Elain: concert and new photos: Elain had a great time singing in California with the Cuban Timba Allstars, and has sent us photos from the tour.

He will perform this Sunday at Café Nostalgia
34 Street between Collins Ave. and the Ocean
Miami Beach -- 305-531-8838

 

Tiempo Libre: NEW ALBUM and new tour dates -
The new album will be called "Lo que esperabas", and will be released on May 26 by Shanachie. I was present for some of the recording of the album, which includes awesome new timba tracks as well as a balada sung by none other than Pututi II! Also, they have lots of concert dates set for the spring.

Danny Lozada: regular shows every Saturday:

Club Aché
Hotel Versailles
3425 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 444-0240 or 305-604-8688

 

Manolín: regular shows every Friday:

Club Aché
Hotel Versailles
3425 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
(305) 444-0240 or 305-604-8688

 

Thursday, December 8, 2005:

TIEMPO LIBRE RECEIVES
GRAMMY NOMINATION
FOR "ARROZ CON MANGO"
In Field 12 (Latin), Category 62: Best Salsa/Merengue Album

Congratulations to the excellent musicians and management of this very hard-working band!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005:

Elain is starting a regular gig:
todos los viernes/every Friday
8:00 pm @ Café Nostalgia
34 Street between Collins Ave. and the Ocean
Miami Beach
305-531-8838

Thursday, November 10, 2005: Yes, there is some timba in Miami! Despite the persistence of reggaetón and maquinitas, someone wasn't completely off base when he said he already had friends here. A good number of timba's best and brightest settled in Miami after leaving Cuba, and can be found playing timba de la buena, although you might have to sit through a couple of boleros and chachas that they play to satisfy old-school taste. The purpose of this new section is to give timba bands in Miami a place on the map.

Check out the various bands that can be heard regularly in Miami.

Upcoming special performances!

Tiempo Libre
Saturday, November 12
Radisson Hotel -- 11 p.m.
1601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
**This is part of the Salsa Rueda Congress taking place in Miami this weekend, but you do not need to be a congress participant to attend the concert.

Also, check out Tiempo Libre's section for a new interview with Jorge Gomez, the band's musical director and pianist.

Elain
Sunday, November 13
Café Nostalgia -- 8:30 p.m.
34 Street between Collins Ave. and the Ocean
Miami Beach
305-531-8838