Late Summer Timba in El Yuma

As the summer winds to a close there are a few upcoming timba events that you should be aware of. La Charanga Habanera will be back at Yoshi's in San Francisco August 20-22. They will be doing the two-shows-a-day thing so you can see the boys six times in a row! And at the other end of the Cuban spectrum and on the opposite coast we have our first confirmed date for El Caballero del Son, Adalberto Álvarez. They will be playing September 16th at S.O.B.s in New York City. I hope we will soon be updating Adalberto's Tours page with many more concert dates in the US. So get out there and enjoy the final days of summer with La Charanga and Adalberto! And stay tuned for tour updates on Klímax in the US as well!

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domingo, 15 agosto 2010, 02:18 pm

Calle Real - Kafri, Tomas & Michel Kafri, Tomas & Michel

Calle Real performed last Thursday night, August 12, 2010 at the Stockholm Kulturfestival on the big stage at Gustav Adolfs Square. They put on a great show and the audience loved every minute of it even insisting on a encore, which isn't always possible witrh the tight schedule of a festival. Bandleader and tresero Patricio Sobrado is still in Chile so it was a little unusual to see them without him. As always Calle Real bridges the gap between Latino and mainstream music and I'm sure they made many new fans that night and probably opened up more hearts to timba as well. Click here to check out the full concert report including 3 videos.

Here is a sample video to get you started: "Me lo gané", the title track from their latest CD.

The player will show in this paragraph

Me lo gané

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sábado, 14 agosto 2010, 11:56 am

Adalberto Álvarez Que Suena el Son Well things took a little longer than planned but the US tour of Adalberto Álvarez y Su Son is now set to begin September 8th . It is good to know that even when the summer comes to an end there is still something wonderful to look forward to. Of course as the dates become available we will update the tour page. In the meantime the new CD is just about ready for release, and although I don't know the exact date, it should be before or at least coincide with the US tour. Word has it the CD is hot! Some of you have probably already heard "El Melon", which is a big hit in Havana along with "Bailando en la Tropical" of course. And for the gente of Oriente there is the song "Santiaguera". So prepárense for El Caballero del Son!

The track list for the new CD is:
1) Santiaguera
2) La Falta de Ortografía
3) Vete
4) El Melon
5) Quien será mi amor
6) La Tropical en la Habana
7) Canción para ti
8) No soy el mismo
9) Dos Mujeres
10) Entre la rumba y el son (with Rumbatá)
11) Bonus track: Concierto del Karl Marx

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viernes, 13 agosto 2010, 03:42 pm

Orquesta Aragón at Berkley

Orquesta Aragón are celebrating their 70th anniversary with a concert at Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley this Friday August 13 at 8pm. The band is currently touring the US and has a number of To Be Determined concerts but this is the last confirmed date as far as I know so don't miss them! No they don't play timba but they swing, or as Gabriel of Yemayá's verse said "they rock".

Gabriel prepares for Van Van in Sydney

And speaking of Gabriel, her interview with Samuel Formell and Yeni Valdés has been published in the Sydney Morning Herald in preparation for the impending Los Van Van concert Sunday August 15 at the Opera House in Sydney.

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viernes, 06 agosto 2010, 08:40 am

I have finally published the band section for Juan Kemell & La Barriada. This is long overdue. I have seen this band live 3 times and every time I am struck by how fun the concerts are! They have a gift of really communicating with the audience, whether or not you understand Spanish.

Under the direction of trumpet player Juan Kemell, La Barriada plays a mix of Cuban music as well as other Caribbean genres, and has a loyal following both in Cuba and throughout Latin America.La Barriada plays regular bi-weekly gigs in Havana, tours the provinces and tours Europe and Latin America regularly. Their last CD/DVD "Havananza" was one of the best albums of 2008. If you are not yet familar with La Barriada check out the new section with video, interviews, concert reports and more.

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lunes, 02 agosto 2010, 06:30 am

Patrick Bonnard is back with a report and photos from the July 13 concert a Le Zénith in Paris with Los Van Van and Oscar D'Leon. Here is an excerpt from his report.

Oscar D'Leon & Los Van Van photos © Patrick Bonnard used by permission

Le Zénith i s one of the main indoor locations for rock and pop gigs in Paris. As we all know, Elito Revé's participation for that long-awaited night was unfortunately cancelled. Expectations were still high and the fans had travelled to Paris from all across the country to be at these shows. Los Van Van opened at 20 p.m with "Arrasando". Show highlights included a thrilling performance of "Muevete" with participation of Juan Formell. Lele was loose and in infectious good spirits all night long, sh ining on "Me Mantengo". Yeni sang "Tu a Lo Tuyo , Yo a Lo Mio". Mayito certainly would have enjo yed to si ng more than a single "Si No Te Quieres Tú" but they wrapped up with the perfect show closer "Esto Te Pone La Cabeza Mala". Click here to read the full report and see the photos he sent us.

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martes, 27 julio 2010, 03:58 pm

Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor start their summer European tour on this Friday July 30th in Rimini, Italy. We have published all the tour dates so check for a concert near you . The band will spend most of the tour in Italy but you can catch them at New Morning in Paris and the Antilliaanse Festival in Belgium.

They are performing many of the songs off their new hit album, "Soy lo que te hala". If you haven't bought it yet, you should. In the meantime I have posted a review in the Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor discography section. Here is a little quotation.

Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor are back with another hot timba album. Maykel is a prolific composer and the band has been churning out one CD every other year to their fans' delight. Maykel consistently composes solid, catchy lyrics and combines them with irresistible dancefloor-ready arrangements that make Maykel’s songs favorites among DJs and dancers. Click here to read the full review .

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miércoles, 21 julio 2010, 05:41 am

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Elito y Su Charangón have two more concerts on their US tour before heading back to Cuba: Miami and Tampa. Don't miss your last chance to catch them live in the US! But the Charangón is not stopping long to rest, in September they have two very special concerts in Lima, Peru together with Los Van Van ! Then on October 1st they play in Toronto and in mid-October they begin the long-awaited European tour . Check here for the current list of 2010 concert dates for the Charangón and send me an e-mail if you know of any dates that are missing!

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sábado, 17 julio 2010, 07:41 am

Aisar Hernández celebrates his birthday today!

Congratulations Aisar from everyone at Timba.com!

Tonight is a unique opportunity for Cuban music fans to see what is in my opinion the most hardcore of all the bands today: Elito Revé y Su Charangón and to celebrate the birthday of one of the most talented young musicians in Cuba today: Aisar Hernández, bassist and musical director of the Charangón. His brilliant arrangements and amazing bass style are a huge asset to the band. Like Elio Revé Matos, Elito Revé has a rare talent for finding the best and the brightest musicians and forming them into the monsters of Cuban music.

So here is my recommendation to the people of New York and anyone who lives close enough. Take a plane, a train, an automobile or even a bike to SOBs tonight. The concert will blow your mind and afterwards you can buy Aisar a drink and wish him well on his birthday...and no, I don't know how old he is. Oh, and someone send me a better picture of Aisar for his page at Timba.com please.

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lunes, 12 julio 2010, 05:47 am

While Elito Revé y Su Charangón are blowing minds in the US, the European Tour Season is also underway. Pepitín sent us a message yesterday saying that the Trabuco was back in Europe. Check here for Manolito's complete list of tour dates. And Giraldo Piloto & Klímax are already touring, but you still have time to catch them at Festival Bayamo in Seyne-sur-Mer on July 18 and Latinoamericando in Milan on July 19th.

Patrick Bonnard saw them in Cannes on July 2nd and has shared some of his outstanding photos with us. He promises a full report later but in brief he said:
I send you photos of Klimax 1st european show in Cannes at "Palais du Festival", you know where the movie stars...:) It's been 13 years since they had a concert here in France. The show was explosive, one of the best of this year. i'll try to send you later a little report...photos from Paris concert to follow. Elpidio Chapottin and German Velazco are joining the whole tour. Maraca was in the audience in Paris as they rehearse here for their Monterey All Stars project (Rotterdam 11th of July concert). Try to catch Klimax if you can, they sound wonderful.

Take Patrick's advice and don't miss this chance to see Klímax. Click here to see the Cannes photogallery.