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TOURS - GIRAS
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The Latest News from the World of Cuban Music
Thursday, July 3, 2008 Vacation Time - I honestly don't know where Kevin is these days. I have been on vacation in Italy and am off again for the weekend tomorrow. I apologize for the lack of updates. I'll be back on July 7th and will be able to update regularly again. In the meantime I have just updated the Salsa Mayor tour schedule. There are several changes, so take a look at it to be sure you know where to catch them. [Michelle] DJ Melao Updates - Fortunately Melao is still around to do some updates so keep checking Melao's blog regularly. He has a link to new video at YouTube taht I'm sure you'll find interesting as well as a new poll. [Michelle]
Thursday, June 19, 2008 Pupy's New Singer - DJ Melao has the news directly from Pupy himself. Click here for more. [Michelle]
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Timba & Cubaton in Mexico - If you live in the south western US you should know that Los Van Van will be performing at Mama Rumba at Plaza Loreto in Mexico City on June 20 and 21st. Don't miss the chance to take a weekend in Mexico and catch El Tren en vivo. Gente D'Zona will also be in Mexico City performing reggaeton a lo cubano at Mambo Café in front of the Wolrd Trade Center on June 26. Manolín "El Médico de la Salsa" will also perform at Mambo Café on July 3rd. [Michelle]
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Major Update to Tours Section - In just a few days the summer tours start with Pupy y Los Que Son Son playing their first summer gig in Oslo on Friday. Just in the nick of time we now have their full tour schedule. We also have all the dates for Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor, Orquesta Revé, NG La Banda and Manolito y Su Trabuco. So check the Tours Section and plan your summer accordingly. France and Italy seem to be the places to be this summer. [Michelle]
Monday, June 16, 2008 Tom Ehrlich Photos from Cachao Tribute - On April 28 & 29 the John Santo Quintet and Friend held a tribute to Israel "Cachao" López at Yoshi's in San Fransisco. Click here to see Tom's photos from the event. [Michelle]
Sunday, June 15, 2008 En Frequencia Updates - Duniel has posted quite a few updates to En Frequencia including a three CD reviews: 24 Kilates by Los Ángeles de La Habana, Como gato de angora by Michel Maza and Lo que tú querías by Gardi. I recomend listening closely to La Habana se está mudando by Los Ángeles...you'll see why. [Michelle]
Saturday, June 14, 2008 NEWSFLASH - Mystery Solved Concerning Suprema Ley CD - After talking with Maykel Blanco himself we can now resolve the confusion and bring an end to the speculation about the CD Me olvidé quie era. Maykel explained that the CD recently released by Envidia was recorded by Suprema Ley in 1999 but never released to the market. He later recorded Ya llegaron los cubanos with Suprema Ley and that was his first CD release. El veterano, which was first recorded on Me olvidé quien era, was the only song from that CD to be released on Ya llegaron los cubanos. So we can tell the fans that this CD does not include any new recordings but rather contains unreleased material from the Suprema Ley era. It should not be confused with the upcoming CD by Salsa Mayor nor be considered representative of Maykel's current work. Maykel tells us that they are mixing the new Salsa Mayor CD now and it will be on the market soon on the Planet Records label. He assures Salsa Mayor fans that the CD will follow in the vein of Recoge y vete and the Anda pégate demos we've heard so far. I've said it before and I'll say it again with complete confidence. I think the new CD by Salsa Mayor will be among the best releases of 2008, and considering all the releases we have coming up this year, that's saying something! So have patience, the new CD will be here soon or as they say in Anda pégate "no te desesperaras, esperaras tranquilito que la máquina llegara". [Michelle] What's Up with the Recent Maykel Blanco Release!?! - DJ Melao has posted some information about the recent new CD released by Maykel Blanco. It seems that this CD has caused some confusion among fans so let me clarify a few important points. 1. First of all note that it is Maykel Blanco y Suprema Ley, even if it may be erroneously listed as Salsa Mayor at some Internet sites. Suprema Ley is a defunct band. It does not exist anymore but was the precursor to Salsa Mayor. Supreme Ley had a more traditional salsa style than Salsa Mayor. When the group was in existence they recorded only one CD together: Ya Llegaron Los Cubanos. I personally liked this CD but it's not the timba we know and love from Salsa Mayor today. However, the Suprema Ley songs El veterano and La discordia de las frutas from Ya Llegaron Los Cubanos are part of the excellent potpourri on the Salsa Mayor Live, Desde La Casa De la Música CD. When you compare you notice that the Salsa Mayor versions are more to a timba fan's taste, i.e. the are timbafied versions of the softer original versions found on the Suprema Ley CD. Pull out your Live, Desde La Casa De La Música CD and check out the Potpurri which features Pavel "La Figura" on El veterano and El Noro on La discordia de las frutas and you'll see what I mean. 2. Me olvidé quien era is a is a collection of previously recorded but unreleased demos. That is to say that to my knowledge (although I am checking to get confirmation), none of the songs are new and they represent earlier projects in the style of Suprema Ley. This is the reason the CD says Suprema Ley. I personally think the songs are danceable, but if you are expecting Salsa Mayor you won't get what you expect. If you buy the CD think of it as a completely different band. 3. Salsa Mayor will be releasing their 2nd studio CD soon, probably titled Anda pégate, but I don't know for sure. I don't know the date yet, but this is the one we have been waiting for with songs such as Anda pégate, Marisela, Adivina papá, Si le gusta repite, La balacera, and Quítate que vengo volao. For reasons unknown to me, Maykel decided not to include Ella dice on the new CD, although it's been very popular as a demo. Keep an eye out for the new Salsa Mayor CD and remember that Suprema Ley and Salsa Mayor are not the same band. Maykel's style and arrangements have keep maturing and I expect this to be reflected in Anda pégate. [Michelle] Danzón está de moda en La Habana - I just felt like mentioning that there seems to be a danzón trend in Havana these days. 1. Soneros All Stars new release La Timba Soy Yo has a very modern danzón called Besos de miel sung by Mandy Cantero and while it's danzón it's also timba, where a danzón normally breaks into a chachacha-like montuno, Besos de miel turns to timba. I'll be posting a review of the CD in the next few days so stay tuned. 2. Suprema Ley Me olvidé quien era also has the danzón Como el aire, which was originally recorded on the Salsa Mayor demo CD known as Si Quieres Quiéreme. In the end when Recoge y vete was released niether Como el aire nor Mi china Gladys was on the "official release". [Update: we now know that these two songs were recorded by Suprema Ley in 1999] 3. Pupy y Los Que Son Son have also recorded a danzón for their upcoming album. This will be a more traditional danzón with no vocals but some lovely solos on piano, flute and violin. [Michelle]
Thursday, June 12, 2008 El Fenómeno Video Up at El Zorro's Site - El Zorro has filmed the first video from his new CD Ay Como Me Sube. Ángel Bonne sings lead on this "funky timba". The video was filmed in April 2008 on location at Playas del Este from what I can see and directed by Arturo Santana. Click here to watch the video. [Michelle]
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 Melao Update - DJ Melao has uploaded video from TV in Miami where Vanessa Formell, when trying to talk about her upcoming recording with Juan Formell, was forced to defend her father and Los Van Van from accusations of communism. [Michelle] Gabriel Updates - I assume you are all as heartbroken as I am that Gabriel has returned to Australia and we have lost our almost-real-time link to what's happening in the capital of timba. By way of compensation she will shortly be uploading interviews and video and probably more pictures as well. Coming soon are interviews with Alexander Abreu of Havana D'Primera and Aisar Hernandez of Orquesta Revé who gave her the latest details about his solo project. Today she has a clip of Havana D'Primera at Yemayá's Verse. [Michelle] Tours Updates - We are still missing quite a lot of tour dates but will hopefully have them up at the end of this week since the tours are beginning this month. Check the Tours section to find your favorites bands. If you know of any concert dates we are missing please send an e-mail. [Michelle]
Friday, May 31, 2008 Doing Your Part To Restore Timba Tours in the United States - Here's the bottom line folks. If Obama wins, there will be timba tours. If McCain wins, there won't. End of story on that one. Now - many people get their political information by searching the web, so we need to ALL chip in and click on a few links every day in order to make sure that the search engines display the truth about John McCain and dispel the ugly lies about Obama. Here's your job: 1) Click
on this
link and then click on every link on that page. This is not one of my crazy ideas. It's a proven technique championed by some of the smartest political minds in the country. Do it now! [Kevin Moore] Havana
Buzz New Blog - Jen Paz, the film-maker who brought us the Charanga Habanera documentary Popular, now has a blog on timba.com: Havana Buzz. Check it regularly! [Kevin Moore] Melao on a Roll - Melao has added a significant amount of great video from Pupy's new tour, including interviews with Pupy and his new singer Lily, concert clips, and the latest chisme on personnel changes and the new CD. [Kevin Moore]
Friday, May 30, 2008
Jannier Back with Pupy y Los Que Son Son - Our woman in Havana, Gabriel, has confirmed that Jannier is indeed back with Pupy for the summer tour after his stint with Havana D'Primera. The singer line-up for the summer tour is Mandy, Lily and Jannier. I have still not heard who the new trumpet player is. The band leaves in just over 2 weeks to begin their tour, but don't worry everything is under control, or as Pupy might tell the fans tranquilo que yo controlo . Click here to see the current list of concert dates, and check back because we will be adding more very soon.[Michelle]
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Dj Melao's Report from Pupy in Canada - As we wait for the dust to settle and for the replacements for Chocolate and Pepito to be selected, DJ Melao has posted a report from the Canadian tour with quite a few videos. He has interviews, rehearsal, concert footage and some "on the bus" clips as well. He has also updated his media player with audio clips from Arrasando by Los Van Van as well as two songs from Pupy y Los Que Son Son's new CD, No soy yo and Nadie puede contra eso. Check out the clips because the release of Pupy's CD has now been postponed by about two months, but Melao promises it will be "one of the most explosive releases of the year". War of Words? - In the past some of the best timba grew out of rivalries between competing groups. Who can forget the "Charanguerras" when La Forever and La Habanera were constantly dissing one another in their lyrics or the controversía between Michel Maza and Revé about the Uyuyuy coro? It's been quite a while since we had a lyrics war between any timba groups, but in 2008 things seem to be heating up a little. I guess you can't call it a war yet, but the word on the street is that Pupy's new song No soy yo is a reference to Maykel Blanco and all the comparisons people are making between his style of piano playing and the sonido of Salsa Mayor and Pupy y Los Que Son Son. But Pupy isn't the only one who is involved. Check out the lyrics to Azúcar Negra's excellent new single La identidad and see if it seems to be a bit of friendly advice...to...well you decide what you think it's all about. You can find it in their media player at MySpace. Time will tell if this will lead to any musical responses from Maykel. Or perhaps he will take the high road and simply continue barriendo caminos and respond by packing the concert venues on the upcoming European Tour. Either way I expect both Pupy's new CD and the new Salsa Mayor CD to be at the top of the 2008 releases. [Michelle]
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Canada Celebrates Pupy Pedroso Week - Pupy y Los Que Son Son kick off their tour of Canada with a concert tonight at Vieux Clocher in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Pupy y Los Que Son Son are a must-see group for any Cuban music fan. It is also one of those rare opportunities for timba fans in the US to actually enjoy the music of one of Cuba's legendary music figures live! To top it all off, the new CD by Pupy y Los Que Son Son will be released in conjunction with this tour, so don't miss your chance to get an autographed copy! Timba.com's DJ Melao will catch up with Los Que Son Son on the 23rd in Montreal and will follow the band for the remainder of their trip, providing the best timba tracks before and after the shows. In Toronto he will be working together with DJ Billy Bryans, who has declared it Pupy Pedroso Week in Canada. Yemaya's Verse Reports on Pupy - You can prepare for the concerts by reading Gabriel's report from Pupy's "Monster Jam" on the eve of the band's departure for Canada. The concert included performances by such guest artists as Alexander Abreu, Ángel Bonne and Tirso Duarte, who got into a major "controversía" with Mandy Cantero that just wouldn't come to an end.
Meanwhile in Another Part of North America...
-
Salsa
on the River-May 25, 2008 will feature live salsa as well as
3 DJs, one of whom is timbera DJ Reyna.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $25.00 347-239-1485
www.LaFarraNY.com Pier 40 Houston & West Side Highway entrance 8:30pm.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Fresquecito Wins at Cubadisco 2008 - Elito Revé y su Charangón have won the Cubadisco award for Best Popular Dance Album 2008. Immediately on its release Fresquecito was hailed far and wide as one of the great Revé albums and as proof that the band under the leadership of Elito can maintain a leading position as one of Cuba's elite popular dance bands. The competition was tough this year as they faced La Charanga Habanera - El mundo se acabo Mañengo, Mamborama - Directamente al mambo, Taínos de Mayarí - Me mantengo and Suena Cubana - Mil razones. Congratulations to all the nominees and a special congratulations to Elito, musical director Aisar Hernandez, and all of the chamacos del charangón.[Michelle] Keep checking Yemayá's Verse - Gabriel continues her highly informative and entertaining daily posts from the heart the farandula habanera. She was on hand last night to see Elito Revé y Su Charangón on at La Tropical where the audience could celebrate the Cubadisco prize with the band. She says the Charangón will be performing with Manolito y Su Trabuco at Casa de la Música Galiano on Saturday.
Friday, May 16, 2008 Maraca & the New Collective US Tour - Maraca will be on tour in Europe this summer with Otra Visión and in September he will go to the US for a tour with The New Collective. Click here for all of Maraca's tour dates. Havana D'Primera European Tour - I have added a page for Havana D'Primera who will be doing their first European tour this summer. I expect we will be adding more dates soon. [Michelle]
Thursday, May 15, 2008 Updates from Melao - Kevin has disappeared into gearland again but Melao has been busy posting some interesting updates.
The birth of casino - Popular legend says that casino dancing was born in the 1950s and got it's name from Casino Deportivo, but Melao has found some vintage film of a couple dancing in 1938. Could this prove that casino has been around much longer than tradition claims? Or are they just dancing a very fast son? You decide! Carlos Camilo Video - Melao also has video of Carlos Camilo singing Bola de Nieve's Vete de mí. Miami Libre - And Melao has the latest on the upcoming event Miami Libre from July 25 - August 17, that will feature Tiempo Libre, cabaret and more.
Monday, May 12, 2008 Taking
No Prisoners! Chalo y su Aché in SF - Wow - I can't believe it's been almost 8 years since San Francisco stopped having 100+ timba shows a year, and I can't believe how good the real stuff sounds live. Chalo is pure timba dura - no reguetón, no salsa romántica, no chachachá, no Latin jazz, no "salsita", no R&B torch songs ... just throbbing, pounding, heart-stopping timba. After god knows how many nights in a row of sitting in front of my computer reverse engineering the "timba gears" of Revé, Issac, et al, it was a revelation to sit by the side of the stage and watch it happen in front of my eyes as Chalo threw out hand signal after hand signal, driving his world class rhythm section like a Lamborghini. Bassist Sawa Pérez and drummer Geners López were the real deal - they made me feel like I was back at La Tropical or La Cecilia. More like this please! There were also guest performances from Bay Area soneros Fito Reinoso and Erik Barbería and Walt Digz played several perfectly paced DJ sets full of interesting new tracks that I didn't even know existed, including Riki Ricón's new band, Ritmo Moderno from Camagüey. Speaking of the real thing ... Our plucky Australian reporter - lucky Tasmanian devil that she is - is once again in Havana - at least her 9th or 10th trip since the last time I went! She's already seen Salsa Mayor twice, Pupy twice, Manolito, Havana d'Primera and quite a bit more. Pull up a chair, get a cup of coffee, click here, and drown yourself in jealousy. New Releases from Michel, Mandy and Los Ángeles ... And Melao says the latter have added a timba.com reference to one of their songs! (Of course he didn't say what they said!). I've got mine on order. Melao also has extensive reports on LVV and Pupy. Michelle on the European Dance Scene ... and she's working on a top-secret but extremely exciting new series ... stay tuned.
Monday, May 5, 2008 Chalo y
Su Aché Friday Night in SF Friday, May 9 @ Jelly's in San Francisco - L.A.'s premier timba band, Chalo y su Ache, featuring Gonzalo Chomat and DJ Walt Digz for a show Friday night at San Francisco's Jelly's Cafe. Wednesday,
April 30, 2008 The misadventures of Gabriel - Gab seems to be posting regularly now. She ran into problems trying to get to a Pupy y los que son son concert. The lessons we can learn from her: always buy a phone card the day you arrive and leave your friends to their own devices. DJ Melao Updates - Speaking of Pupy y los que son son, Melao will soon be in Canada DJing at the los que son son concerts. Check his blog for his summer DJing plans as well as some of his own exclusive video of Los Van Van from Cubamemucho in Munich. Carlos Manuel at S.O.B.s - Carlos Manuel will play Friday May 2nd at S.O.B.s, shows at 8pm and 10pm. [Michelle] Saturday,
April 26, 2008 Gabriel in Havana - Kevin is out of town for a few days so I am hijacking his blog to remind everyone that Gabriel Wilder arrives in Havana today for another multiweek visit. Each year I look forward to her trip with an equal mix of excitement and envy. She will be posting as often as she can from the heart of la farandula habanera at her blog Yemaya's Verse. She will be there throughout Cubadisco as will timba photographer Cristian Muñoz. I am looking forward to her candid reports and Cristian's great pictures. Klímax 13 years and a new CD - Giraldo Piloto and his band have celebrated their April anniversary, demonstrating yet again why April is International Timba Month. Their new CD has been recorded and will be released by Bis Music in May. For more information, see me. [Michelle] Thursday,
April 17, 2008 QBA
Friday Night in SF Tomorrow Night at Café Cócomo - The Bay Area's leading timba band, QBA, will team up with hiphop timberos Bayonics and DJ Walt Digz for a show Friday night at San Francisco's Café Cócomo. Click here for a flyer with more info. Tom Ehrlich's QBA Photos -- Here's a new gallery of Tom Ehrlich photos from a great QBA concert I attended at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz last week. Also, don't forget the ongoing exhibit featuring photos, by Tom, Peter Maiden, Walter Wagner, and Andy Nozaka at the Martin Luther King Library in downtown San Jose. I'll be there next Tuesday night at 7:00 to hear guest lecturer John Santos. Salsa Mayor to Europe -- See Michelle. MIchel Calvo in Miami -- See Melao. And last but not least ... Please check Michelle and Melao every day because I've had to cut back on posting while I research Volume II of my online book series. Don't worry - I'll be back soon with more timba madness than you'll be able to bear - I'm doing an exhaustive survey of every timba album since 1990. Major revelation so far: there were quite a few really good ones! Saturday,
April 5, 2008 Dandy Rodríguez at Yoshi's this
Weekend New Tom Ehrlich Photos - Click here for a gallery from Friday's Latin Giants of Jazz show at Yoshi's. You can catch them tonight and tomorrow night. Don't miss this chance to catch several true legends of Latin music. The gallery is only half finished and will be expanding over the next few days, so keep checking back. April is International Timba Month! -- see Michelle. Tonight! El Pikete Featuring Manolín and Mr. Haka at Rice & Beans in Miami -- A live DVD will be filmed. Melao and DJ Willy will be playing tunes between sets. Click here for more details. Tonight! Tough Choice on the West Coast -- I was at Yoshi's the Latin Giants of Jazz last night so tonight I'll be on hand to hear QBA play original timba in Santa Cruz at Moe's Alley. The Latin Giants continue at Yoshi's tonight and tomorrow night. Last night's show was incredible -- it's old school classic New York mambo a lo Tito Puente and Tito Rodríguez with a world class 13-piece horn section featuring Jimmy Bosch, Pete Miranda and the best of NY's young turks. In the rhythm section, Sonny Bravo was brilliant and Dandy Rodríguez is simply without peer. Photos from Tom Ehrlich coming soon. Tuesday,
April 1, 2008 Amazing Ongoing Photo Exhibit in San Jose -- Tom Ehrlich, Peter Maiden, Walter Wagner, and Andy Nozaka have collaborated on a photo show at the Martin Luther King Library in downtown San Jose. It's open every day, and there's a guest lecturer every Tuesday night at 7:00. Among others, John Santos is on the upcoming calendar. Sue Taylor was at the opening and will be submitting a photo report soon. Braily's CD Release Party -- Click here for info and upcoming television appearances. Sonny Bravo & Dandy Rodríguez in Oakland! -- From Thursday through Sunday, the Latin Giants of Jazz will be at Yoshi's in Oakland. This is members of Tito Puente's band and features at least two must-see giants of Latin music: pianist Sonny Bravo, and John "Dandy" Rodríguez, one of the great bongoseros of all-time, with a youtube cult following that rivals that of Obama Girl. The show is billed as "jazz" but there will be plenty of salsa as phenomenal singer Frankie Vásquez will also be on hand. QBA in Santa Cruz -- California's leading timba band, Jesús Díaz and QBA, will be at Moe's Alley on Saturday night. Volume II -- Sorry I've been absent lately - I'm deeply embroiled in researching Volume II. Ned Sublette Lecture -- Next Tuesday in SF at Bird & Beckett Books and Records at 653 Chenery St. More info coming soon. Friday,
March 21, 2008 Time Flies -- Having finally finished the world's first (I think) online audio book about music, I've been deeply embroiled in researching and writing Volume II and I'll tell you -- it's extremely exciting to hear the early history of timba after spending a year listening to almost nothing but the 2 decades leading up to it. While I get the first chapters ready, I'll be reposting just the audio parts of The Roots of Timba in the form of playlists, so you can "fast-forward" through the 20 years leading up to the timba era. To read along with the chapters covered by the audio collage, start here. Roots
of Timba Flashback - 1969 to 1973 Today's collage takes us from 1969 to 1973. Clicking the link beneath the picture should open Windows Media Player or iTunes or whatever you have and play a rapid-fire series of clips from the best parts of the best songs of the years in question. Let me know if it works on your system. Havana Update from Yemayá's Verse -- Back online after awhile with the latest chisme from Duñesky Barreto, who played congas for years with Bamboleo before moving over to Pupy y Los Que Son Son. Changes to Pupy's Canada Tour -- Bamboleo is also going to the saner region of North America. See Michelle. Carlos Manuel -- El malo cantidad is back and Melao has the latest. Also, Vanessa Formell and Cubamemucho. Friday,
March 14, 2008 Cuba in Mexico -- Now that it's so difficult for Americans to travel to Cuba, there's a new study program that meets in Mexico where students can study with the Cuban masters. This June 16th, in Morelia, Michoacan, you can study with: Roberto
Vizcaíno, congas and timbales For more info click here. Monday,
March 10, 2008 Carlos
del Pino Tom Ehrlich Interviews the legendary bassist -- Carlos del Pino was a founding member of Opus 13 and played with them until 1990. He's been in the US for 8 years and New York City for 5. Sunday,
March 9, 2008 Meanwhile ... Back in the Present -- The old familiar game of "musical chairs" has been raging in Havana with major personnel changes in many of the major bands, including, among others, Revé y su Charangón, Charanga Habanera, Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Manolito y su Trabuco, and Salsa Mayor. Michelle gives us a complete rundown on the current state of affairs, plus news on CDs, concerts, and special projects, in her lengthy post: "Ch ch ch changes". Saturday,
March 8, 2008 Fin
de Cuento! The Roots of Timba concludes with LVV's "perfect album" -- In terms of balance, flow, unique personality, uniformly high quality, and raw creativity, it's hard to imagine a more perfect album than Crónicas, the final chapter in The Roots of Timba. I'll have some interesting audio suprises in store over the next few days while I begin work on Volume II which will explain the inner working of timba rhythm sections before we pick up our history where we left off. Friday,
March 7, 2008 El Pikete este viernes en Rice & Beans - En frecuencia tiene todos los detalles. Thursday,
March 6, 2008 Roots
of Timba: 2 Chapters to Go 1989: Aliamén Celebrates their 25th Anniversary ... with references to everything from Manolito to Chaka Khan ... click here. Pupy in Canada - Coming soon ... Melao has the scoop. Speaking of Aliamén - Here's a nice interview with Tony Alba, the founding timbalero of Aliamén who moved to LA in about 1970. Tuesday,
March 4, 2008 Welcoming a new Photographer - Eli Silva - Timba fans already know Eli as "El Ciclón", a well-known Miami trumpeter. He also does photography and will be working with Melao to document the local scene. Click here for his section. Monday,
March 3, 2008 Crisis in Cuba Thanks to Martin Karakas for translating this Pedro de la Hoz interview with Elito Revé (español también). In a much more subtle way, it re-sounds the alarm set off by Formell (español) that the Cuban music scene is going through a major crisis. Reading between the lines, the political and economic situation in the 90s resulted in the Cuban government creating an ideal environment for music to thrive. Now, tragically, the government seems to be going out of its way to interfere with musicians and their ability to create new music and make a living. The result is that talented musicians are leaving the island in droves and those who stay have fewer and fewer places to play. Here's the money quote from the Elito interview:
Tracks & Singers of New LVV album - plus all the dance news that's fit to print -- plus amazing video of Pupy, Lazarito and Manolito, side by side on three pianos. Melao has been busy! The
End of an Era 1989: Ritmo Oriental -- I've run out of superlatives -- Will someone please send me a care package of adjectives? I've used, re-used, over-used and abused all the ones I know: epic, astounding, brilliant, incredible, dumbfounding, breathtaking, exhilarating ... Just as the hour arrives to write the epilog for one of the greatest bands of all time, my well has run dry, so I'll just have to give you this list of audio links and let you pen your own lofty prose: Yo
bailo de todo Monday,
March 3, 2008 'Clon knows fotos -- Melao on the great trumpeter El Ciclón. Cerrando el Ciclo
Timba.com Comes Full Circle -- Way back in 2001, timba.com set out on the mission of documenting the history and discography of its chosen genre with a lengthy section on the group often known as "the first timba band": NG La Banda. To set the stage we began with a review of No te compliques, the last album El Tosco made before retiring the band name "Grupo Nueva Generación". More recently we began the "Roots of Timba" project, beginning with Arsenio Rodríguez in 1940, continuing to the songo era of the 70s and most recently chronicling the "countdown" of the electic 80s. With today's excerpt, we finally return to where we began 7 years ago. As I started to review this album, I suddenly realized that I'd already written the review in 2001, so all I had to do was add the streaming audio. No te compliques was not the most earth-shaking album ever made. No one saw fit to reissue it on CD and in fact, we've never even found a photo of the vinyl LP. The only known evidence of its existence is the EGREM cassette shown above. The first NG La Banda album? -- Not really. The artist is listed as "Grupo Nueva Generación", and there are none of the rhythm section innovations that we normally associate with timba. Even after all of this "roots of timba" research, I would still argue that the first "timba album" was NG's En la calle, recorded in December of 1989 and released in early 1990. That said, No te compliques was Tosco's first recording with Tony Calá, Issac and Piloto, and contains, in one of its coros, the first use of the phrase "NG La Banda". (The track has never been released, so if you like it, write EGREM). Beginnings and Endings -- If No te compliques wasn't quite the beginning of the timba era, the departure of Tony Calá marked the end of the second great style period of Ritmo Oriental while the departures of Tosco, El Greco, Averhoff and Velazco marked the end of the second great incarnation of Irakere. Both bands have continued to this day but it was in 1988 that they relinquished their roles as leading-edge innovators. Now what? -- Our timba countdown still has 5 albums to go before we arrive at ... (drum roll, please) ... En la calle. That will mark the end of Volume I: The Roots of Timba. Volume II, (or so the best-laid plan goes), will introduce the building blocks of Cuban rhythms and Volume III will explain how they were reassembled in the 90s -- answering, once and for all, the age-old question "What is Timba?". Then we'll to return to our chronology and battle our way back to the present in Volume IV. By the time we get there we just may find that the next great Cuban genre has already risen up from the ashes of reguetón, the struggling Havana scene of the late 00s, and the continually heartbreaking disaster that we call Miami, FL. Sunday,
March 2, 2008 The
Roots of Timba - Rumbavana 1988 - Another Lost Masterwork -- Joseíto González, who died way too young in 1995, was one of the great Cuban pianists and arrangers, following in the footsteps of the great Lilí Martínez. After this great album (never reissued on CD), he spent the last years of his career with Orquesta Riverside. Click here. Lázaro Maya with Charanga Habanera -- Melao has the latest on the ex-Salsa Mayor singer's new gig. Tanya with Charanga Habanera -- Mr. Bryans has the video. I remain entirely unconvinced on both, but I've never seen Tanya live and haven't seen CH since 2001 (thanks, George). Saturday,
March 1, 2008
Keep the photos and track lists coming folks! Here are just a few of the vinyl albums we're desperately seeking: Opus 13: Reclamo tu cuerpo; NG La Banda: En la calle otra vez; Maravillas de Florida: El agua coge su nivel; Orquesta 440: Ven sígueme. We could also use some better photos of today's feature album ... The
Roots of Timba - 1988: Fin de semana Musical Chairs -- We just finished talking about Héctor Valentín's great singing on Revé's 1988 album - now he's with Adalberto! Meanwhile, his compay Alfonsito had departed for Dan Den and Tony Calá was about to join up with El Tosco. Friday,
February 29, 2008 Almost
30 Years with Adalberto Alvarez Actually he'd been writing and arranging well before that, but 1979 marked AA's debut as a bandleader with Son 14. Thanks to Ali Alvarez and Adalberto himself for helping us fill in the missing information on our AA - Son14 Discography page. You can now find the composer, singer, and arranger for almost every song since 1979! And please don't forget to check out our other discographies in progess and help us complete them with information and digital photos! Mayito on Fire! -- Michelle files this rave review from the Los Van Van Stockholm concert. I watched some of the video she plans to post and I've never seen Mayito dance like that! If you're in Europe, don't even think of missing this tour! Tired
of Waiting for the New Pupy Album? Here's an AUDIO CLIP -- Actually, that's the first track from Los Van Van's 1988 album, El negro no tiene na', but listen to it again. It's amazing how many great songs Pupy wrote and arranged on albums that most timba fans have never heard! Thursday,
February 28, 2008 1986-1987-1988:
The Trilogy8 1988: Revé's Juan Carlos Alfonso Era -- Today we cover Revé's final LP before Alfonso left to form Dan Den. Taken as a trilogy it's an astounding body of work. You can find many of the tracks on compilation CDs, but there's no excuse for this not being a lovingly-packaged box set, with the contents of De nuevo thrown in as bonus tracks. Please write EGREM and ask them to do justice this wonderful part of Cuban music history! The Alaskan Timba Dance Cruise -- Last chance to temblequearse on the North Pole before it melts! And with a very impressive dance faculty - check it out. Wednesday,
February 27, 2008 Google
Maps Does Havana! If only the cabbies had this -- As you look forward to 2009 you can start learning where all the good clubs are. Tuesday,
February 26, 2008 Debut of a new Charanguero? -- That's the rumor - see Melao for details. The
Roots of Timba: 19888 1988! -- This is the kind of lost gem that makes this "roots of timba" project so rewarding. We introduced Orquesta 440 way back in 1983 (seems like years ago), but the 1988 version this group was something else entirely. We've found all sorts of precedents for the technical aspects of timba but la 440's contribution to timba was more in the flavor department. See if you agree. More Van Van News from Michelle? -- stay tuned. Bamboleo in Canada? -- That's how I read this cryptic Mr. Bryans entry. Also, a new album from a famous ex-Bambolera. Haila Haila Haila - Yemayá's Verse has more on the release of Haila's Tal como soy, and still more (with video), and even a bit more. My Arsenio Box Came! -- Wow ... two long booklets, the whole Ayala database in chronological order, and quite a few drop-dead masterpieces that not even Orlando had ever heard. USA -- Europe. Monday,
February 25, 2008 It was 15 years ago today ... that Manolito Simonet left Los Maravillas de Florida to form Manolito y su Trabuco. Michelle has more. The
Roots of Timba: 1987 "What's The Difference Between Salsa and Timba (and Songo)?" -- We attempt to answer the age-old question as our chapter on Los Van Van's Al son del Caribe moves on to the biggest hit of 1987 - La titimanía. Juan Ceruto recorded a timba version on Gracias Formell in 1997 and Issac gave it the salsa treatment in on 2005's Prohibido. All three versions are great and the comparison is very interesting. |
Mystery
Solved! -- Thanks to Yemayá's
Verse and Barry Cox from New York for sending us photos and info on that great
mystery Maravilla album with Manolito Simonet that we were 
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