Are we having fun yet?  Yes we are...

Despite dire warnings from a very small handful of self-appointed members of the Purity Of Our Party Patrol that the presence of a non-native taco here, an alcapurria there and the inclusion of some non-Cuban musicians in the entertainment roster would inflict irreparable emotional trauma on attendees, a very large crowd had a very good time at Festival Cubano last night in Chicago.  We'll bring you a full report in a couple of days, but if you are in or near Chicago, get there today, the last day of the Festival. Timbalive, Cachao Mambo All Stars, hey, if you aren't already hooked yet, go to thecubanfestival.com for the rest of the lineup, where and when its at etc. and that should finish the job.  

(What are those weird blotches in the center by Alfredo's head?  We don't know either, but we decided to leave them in because they remind us of our favorite science fiction movies, and we're curious to see whether anyone accuses him of being from the 8th dimension now.  We'll have crisp, blemish-free pictures of him and the band for you in a couple of days...)

One of the highlights was when Alfredo de la Fe, wired for sound, took his violin out into the crowd to solo.The crowd went crazy, and it got more fired up after that as the evening progressed. By the time Jerry Rivera was on, it was like a Rock concert, but in a good way. 

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The 4th annual Festival Cubano, a 3-day celebration of Cuban music, will take place on August 2-4 in Riis Park in Chicago. The band roster this year has a really nice mix of local and out of town acts - some of Saturday's highlights include Xiomara Laugart and Alfredo de la Fe (the closing act that night is Salsero Jerry Rivera ). Sunday packs a wallop with Charangueo, Mambo Fino, Hector Silveira y su Orquesta, and Sureya followed by the Cachao Mambo All Stars.  Timbalive, which was nominated for a Cubadisco award in 2012, a rare honor for a dance band in the United States, closes the festival. For tickets and the complete schedule for this don't-miss event visit thecubanfestival.com

In Los Angeles, on Saturday August 3 at Vitello's, the AC Jazz Project is having a pre-release party featuring material from its new CD Conga Buena, which is due for release in September.  This band is led by trumpeter Josiel Pérez, who played with Maraca's band and Klimax in Cuba, and it brings together a formidable team of musicians (some of them cut their teeth in NG la Banda, Grupo Afrocuba and Opus 13, and percussion monster Luis Conte is the featured conguero). This writer has heard the tracks from the new recording, a potent mix of Jazz and Música Popular Bailable, and it is going to turn some heads when it comes out. For more information, see vitellosjazz.com

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The latest from Ivan Llanes' group in New York...

Also, another New Cuban Express album, Expectativas, is due for release on September 3rd. This writer has heard the tracks, and this is even deeper than the first New Cuban Express recording, the self-titled, GRAMMY-nominated album by Manuel Valera's group. If you are into Latin Jazz (or any kind of Jazz, really), this will be an essential acquisition for you when it comes out. In the meantime, those of you on the East Coast can see most of the group (Joel Frahm is subbing for Yosvany Terry, but do NOT let that stop you for a second) performing at the following locations over the course of the weekend:

July 26-27:  Bohemian Caverns in Washington, DC
July 28: An Die Musik in Baltimore, MD
July 29: Hartford Jazz Society in Hartford, CT

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In 2007, Cinquillo (Colibri's main label for modern music) released a truly remarkable debut recording by young Cuban composer and pianist Dayramir González titled  Dayramir & Habana enTRANCe. It justifiably won three Cubadisco awards that year for Best Debut Album, Best Jazz Album and Best Engineered Recording. In an alternate timeline, he would have cranked out a series of recordings that would have put him front and center of those of us who follow Jazz and Fusion, but he chose instead to continue his studies including most recently at Berklee, where he was the first Cuban national to receive a full scholarship. 

Dayramir will be in California until August, and those of you in or near Los Angeles can check him out on Sunday, July 21 at the Catalina Bar and Grill:

Click here for his full bio, which is already impressive.  Here's a promotional video to give you a taste of what they are about:

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