More about Moncada, Conan, Casino, Life, The Universe, and Everything

ENGLISH: In Havana, Grupo Moncada (their leader, Jorgé Gómez, was in the first few minutes of the Conan O'Brien special about Cuba), frequently gives concerts at the Jardines del 1830, which has become known as a destination for Casino dancers in that city.
An interesting piece of the story is that Conan's encounter with Moncada also drew the attention of Rolling Stone, not normally known for showing a deep interest in our part of the musical spectrum. You can check out the Rolling Stone item here. I doubt that this wlll turn all of its readers into Casineros overnight, but there is no doubt that it does help the cause...
Finally, to add a Cuban perspective, you can read a communique from the Press Office of the National Center For Popular Music in Cuba here.

ESPAÑOL: En La Habana, Grupo Moncada (su líder, Jorge Gómez, aparece en los primeros minutos del episodio especial de Conan O'Brien sobre Cuba), da conciertos con frecuencia en los Jardines del 1830, un lugar que se ha conocido como un destino para los bailarines de Casino en esa ciudad.
Una parte interesante del cuento es que el encuentro de Conan con Moncada también señaló a la atención de la revista Rolling Stone, normalmente no conocida por mostrar un interés profundo en nuestra parte del espectro musical. Puede ver el item de Rolling Stone (en inglés) aquí. Dudo que este articulo transforme a todos sus lectores en casineros de repente, pero no hay duda que es ayuda a la causa ...
Por último, para añadir una perspectiva cubana, puede leer un comunicado de la Oficina de Prensa del Centro Nacional de Música Popular en Cuba aquí.

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Wednesday, 11 March 2015, 07:15 AM

SO, if I were in New York, I would be spending the next three nights at 92Y in New York. The poster above shows the tip of the iceberg - Eddie Palmieri takes the first night with the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet; the second night is themed New Cuban New York with Yosvany Terry, Gregory Tardy, Manuel Valera, Pedrito Martínez, Hans Glawischnig and Obed Calvaire; the third night, Bolero Meets Jazz, features an all-star 11-piece ensemble (including Xiomara Laugart on vocals and Phil Woods on alto sax) and a pre-concert talk with Brian Lynch, the Artistic Director of the Festival. Unless there's a power outage, the storm of the decade or an asteroid strike, this should be epic. For complete details and tickets, visit the 92Y event page here.

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015, 03:33 PM

I. Global Cuba Fest Continues

Yissy García swings into Miami with her new project Bandancha for part 2 of Global Cuba Fest. She'll be at The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse (404 NW 26th St., Miami on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Yissy is part of a new wave of Jazz/Fusion groups in Cuba, and this is a don't- miss if you're able to attend. For more information, visit the Fundarte event page.

II. Jorge Luis Pacheco and Aldo López-Gavilán at the Kennedy Center

For those of us who missed Part I of Global Cuba Fest, we can watch two of the pianists playing at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage the next day thanks to their video archive. To watch the 2-hour concert of Jorge Luis Pacheco and Aldo López-Gavilán, click here.

III. New Omar Sosa Album

Omar Sosa has released an interesting new album, ilé, that was recently featured on NPR's First Listen. You can read Bill Tilford's review here, and Omar's team has also published a very nice EPK preview, which you can view below....

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Friday, 06 March 2015, 12:46 PM

ENGLISH: Global Cuba Fest begins in Miami Saturday, March 7 with a don't-miss lineup featuring a marathon of some of Cuba's superb young pianists (Harold López-Nussa, Aldo López-Gavilán and Jorge Luis Pacheco) followed by Volcán with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Horacio El Negro Hernández, Giovanni Hidalgo and Armando Gola. A Latin Fusion group from Switzerland, Lariba, closes the show. It continues on Saturday 13-14 with Yissy García and Bandancha, an exciting new project in the current music scene in Cuba. Bill Tilford interviewed Yissy, who is in DC March 7, via telephone earlier this week, and you can listen to that (in Spanish) by clicking here. Yissy's YouTube channel is here and worth visiting.
Fundarte's page is here.

ESPAÑOL: Global Cuba Fest comienza en Miami el sábado 7 de marzo con una "no se lo pierda" colección de artistas ofreciendo un maratón de algunos de los pianistas jóvenes magníficos de Cuba (Harold López-Nussa, Aldo López-Gavilán y Jorge Luis Pacheco), seguido de Volcán con Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Horacio El Negro Hernández, Giovanni Hidalgo y Armando Gola. Un grupo de fusión latina desde Suiza, Lariba, cierra el espectáculo. Global Cuba Fest continúa 13-14 de marzo con Yissy García y Bandancha, una nuevo proyecto emocionante en la escena musical actual en Cuba. Bill Tilford entrevistó a Yissy, que está en DC el 07 de marzo, a través del teléfono a principios de esta semana, y para escuchar la entrevista, haga clic aquí. El canal de Yissy en YouTube está aquí y vale la pena visitar.
La página de Fundarte está aquí.

L: Jorge Gómez, R: Bill Tilford, La Habana, Cuba, May 2014

ENGLISH: If you happened to watch the Conan O'Brien episode about his trip to Cuba, you would have seen him handling a guitar in the presence of a bandleader during the first few minutes. That bandleader was Jorge Gómez of Grupo Moncada, who is also a man who helped Bill Tilford get around during Cubadisco 2014. You can see a photo gallery and learn a little more about the group here.
ESPAÑOL: Si le pasó a ver el episodio de Conan O'Brien sobre su viaje a Cuba, habría visto a Conan manejando una guitarra en la presencia de un líder de una banda durante los primeros minutos. Ese líder de la banda es Jorge Gómez del Grupo Moncada, que también es un hombre que ayudó a Bill Tilford a ir a muchos lugares durante Cubadisco 2014. Puede ver una galería de fotos y aprender un poco más sobre el grupo aquí.