Untitled Document
The Latest News from the World of Cuban Music
Las últimas noticias sobre la música cubana
by Kevin Moore - contact
La última
in full page form -- La
última archives
More
news from Michelle -- More
news from Melao
Thursday, July 3, 2008
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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
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Pupy's New Singer
- DJ Melao has the news directly from Pupy himself. Click
here for more. [Michelle]
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
2) Do it every day - bookmark the page.
3) Do it from every computer you have access to.
4) Get your friends to do the same.
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
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Photo ©Cristian
Muñoz
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
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DJ Melao with César Pedroso
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
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Photo ©Cristian
Muñoz
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...
-
If you can't make it to Canada, there are some other
options for you this week assuming New York isn't out of reach. Albita
will be performing at S.O.Bs on Thursday the 22nd.
Also on Thursday, DJ Andreas will be at Lafayette Grill
and there will be a 1:1 ratio of Timba and PR salsa!
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.
[Michelle]
Monday, May 19, 2008
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Ganador Cubadisco 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
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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
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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
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Taking
No Prisoners!
=click
here for Tom Ehrlich's Photo Gallery=
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
==click
here for today's audio collage==
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
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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
Alejandro Carvajal, batá
Feliciano Arango, bass
For more
info click
here.
Monday,
March 10, 2008
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Carlos
del Pino
==click
here for the audio interview==
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
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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
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Fin
de Cuento!
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
El
Pikete este viernes en Rice & Beans - En
frecuencia tiene todos los detalles.
Thursday,
March 6, 2008
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Roots
of Timba: 2 Chapters to Go
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
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
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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:
"We
have many followers, but we lack dance venues. The Salón Rosado is
no longer what it used to be and years back the Mi salsa program was dropped
from television. And although it seems impossible, today there are hardly
any specialized spots on the radio for dance music.
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
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
Mi socio Manolo
Ahora sí
Matrimonio Feliz
Y se baila así
Nena,
así no se vale
El
agua no me llevó
Baile
del azúcar --
[excerpt
2]
La
Ritmo suena a Areíto
La Ritmo
te está llamando
Qué
rico bailo yo
La chica
mamey
Al
que le tocó le tocó
El
son de Claro
Con
el chenche buchenche
Maritza
Bailadores
Barrios
de los rumberos
Cuida'o
con la percusión
Azúcar
a granel -- [excerpt
2]
Baila
si vas a bailar
[sources]
Monday,
March 3, 2008
permalink
'Clon
knows fotos --
Melao
on the great trumpeter El Ciclón.
Cerrando
el Ciclo

==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
The
Roots of Timba - Rumbavana
x x
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
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 raving
about a few weeks ago. We've updated the Maravillas
de Florida discography page accordingly.
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
x x
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
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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?
x x
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
1986-1987-1988:
The Trilogy8
x
x
==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
Google
Maps Does Havana!
==click here==
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
permalink
Debut
of a new Charanguero? -- That's the rumor - see Melao
for details.
The
Roots of Timba: 19888

==click
here for today's excerpt==
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
permalink
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
x x
==click
here for today's excerpt==
"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.
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