Manolito y su Trabuco anno 2012

On August 16, 2012 I flew to Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden to see Manolito y su Trabuco at the city's annual festival Kulturkalaset. This is the band that first got me to listen to timba, so the Trabuco has a special place in my heart. I had not seen the band since December 2007, so nearly five years had passed. The last concert I had seen was El Noro's second concert with El Trabuco after the departure of El Indio. Since then El Noro left for Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Pepitín entered, and then Pepitín left to be replaced by Iván Rodríguez. Also Miguelito "Pan con salsa" had left and been replaced by Andy Acosta. So it was with some excitement that I set up my new camera on my unipod ready to see what the latest version of the Trabuco had to offer. Click here to read the full concert report including five video clips!

Click here for a small gallery of photos from the concert.

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Photo courtesy of Charles Flores homepage

It is with a heavy heart that we must report that Latin music has suffered another great loss with the passing of bassist Charles Flores. While he may be best known to timberos as the bassist for Issac in the early days, recording on the CDs "Con Ganas",  "El Chévere de la Salsa y el Caballero de Son" and "El año que viene" among others, he is best known to the world for his work as a jazz bassist, performing with artists such as Bobby Carcasses, Paquito D'Rivera, and Arturo Sandoval among many, many others. Charles joined the Michel Camilo Trio in 2002 with whom he won a Grammy in 2004.

Charles has lost his battle with cancer, leaving behind a world of saddened and stunned friends and musicians. The news is all over Facebook where his peers have commented that he was as great a human being as a musician. Timba.com offer our condolences to his loved ones, and what better way to honor him than with a little sample of his work. Rest In Peace Charles.

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Only six months after their first European tour, Barbaro Fines y Mayimbe will be back by popular demand for their second European tour , October 18-November 26! The band has been working on new songs, such as "Salsa y timba...que no hay más na'", a song about the music program Salsa y Timba. This tour will take them to Spain, Italy, France, Belgiim, Germany, Serbia and Martinique! So get ready for Barbaro Fines y Mayimbe: De La Habana a Perú y al mundo!

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Timba.com wants to join Cuban music fans and timberos around the world in wishing Juan Formell a very happy 70th birthday! It is hard to overestimate the importance of the role that Formell had in the development of modern Cuban popular dance music. To refresh your memory check our Los Van Van section, which contains an extensive discography as well as historical articles about Formell and his collaboration with fellow legends Changuito and César "Pupy" Pedroso. Here is a video look back at the early days with a 1974 performance of the changüí "El guararey de Pastora" followed by "La maquinaria" the title track from Van Van's 2011 CD. Felicidades Formell! We are looking forward to seeing what you do in the next 70 years!

Guararey de Pastora - 1974

La maquinaria - 2011

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