It's like the holidays all over again for bassists! Kevin is hard at work finishing the first book in the Beyond Salsa Bass series, and Feliciano Arango will be giving a clinic at the Berklee College of Music about the role of the bass in Cuban jazz/salsa/timba and his work with the group Los Hermanos Arango on February 22nd at 1:00pm. The night before the clinic, Los Hermanos Arango will perform (February 21st) at the Berklee Performance Center at 8:15pm.

Now as all timba fans know, there is no one better to talk about the role of the bass in contemporary Cuban music. But since there may be some readers who have recently discovered timba and who are not yet on a first name basis with all the major players, here is an excerpt from the announcement by the Bass Department, which is sponsoring the event as part of the Visiting Artists Series.

Feliciano Arango was born in the Guanabacoa section of Havana, Cuba where Yoruba, Abakua and other African traditions are preserved in their most authentic form in the Americas. He was mentored by seminal Cuban bassist Orlando 'Cachaito' Lopez and attended Escuela Nacional de Arte where he studied with the top musicians from around the island. Soon after graduating from ENA, Arango joined the group of legendary pianist/composer Emiliano Salvador who was a leading figure in Cuban jazz through the 1990s. After extensive touring and recording with Salvador, Arango went on to be the founding bassist for N.G. la Banda, whom he performed with for the next fifteen years. With N.G. la Banda, Arango developed a new style of Cuban dance music called 'timba'. He was responsible for leading Cuban bassists in a new approach to playing salsa that greatly enhanced the melodic, percussive sound of the bass. Since leaving N.G. la Banda, Arango has been the top call bassist for jazz, salsa, timba and other forms of Cuban music.

Feliciano Arango now leads Los Hermanos Arangos along with his two brothers Eugenio and Ignacio and sister Cristina. The Arangos are the only Cuban band to use completely unaltered Afrocuban ritual voice/hand drumming as the basis for a modern repertoire that integrates electric bass, keyboards, brass/winds (no drumset).

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It's time again for the Fiest del Tambor. Here is the introduction to the call to the 11th edition:

The Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival (Fiesta del Tambor) was born and developed giving posthumous recognition to Guillermo Barreto, one of the greatest percussionists of all time throughout the Americas.  Due to his importance, the event has had 10 editions with the participation of guests of international fame, the support of several of the most important percussion companies around the world and Cuba, and participation by the most important Cuban musicians as well as the principle dance companies, which join in the festival demonstrating the unbreakable relationship between the drum and dance.
 
The festival is a natural showcase for all percussionists, and we also celebrate the International Percussion Competition. The competition is totally open to all ages and nationalities and permits us to further and to stimulate Cuban Percussion in some of the principle instruments which identify us and that we inherit with special acknowledgement from musicians such as Chano Pozo, Tata Güines, Ricardo “Papín“ Abreu, Miguel Angá, among many other  musicians that have passed away.
 
This year it will be celebrated from March 6 to 11, 2012. The festival is organized by the Center for the Promotion of Traditional Music “Ignacio Piñeiro”.

We maintain all of the activities that have been a cultural success for Cuba in the previous editions among which are: masters classes, dance music concerts and jazz concerts, performances by the principle folkloric groups of Cuba, visits to the national Schools of the Arts and intercultural visits by alumni and professors of universities and schools of various countries, conferences and classes in Cuban percussion organized in advance, among other surprises that we continue to add.
 
We expect more than 30 000 people to attend the planned activities at different venues including some of Havana’s principle theaters (Karl Marx, Amadeo Roldán, Mella). Other venues that will host the festival are: “El Palacio de la Rumba”, El “Salón Rosado de La Tropical”, de la EGREM’s “Casas de la Música”, La Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, Hotel Occidental Miramar, Hotel Habana Libre, among other locations.

Click here for more information, including instructions to apply to participate in the drum competition (in Spanish).

The Canadian organization KoSA is organizing their annual trip to the Fiesta del Tambor, which includes hotel, meals, conferences, classes and local transportation. For more information about partcipating via KoSA click here .

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On March 1st Los Van Van begin their Winter 2012 Tour of Europe featuring songs from their latest CD, La Maquinaría and providing Europeans with our first live experience of Mandy Cantero with Van Van. Yes, there are already a number of Mandy with Van Van videos, but there is really nothing that can match the live-in-person experience. Van Van's month-long tour includes England, Belgium, France, the Nordic countries, and an extensive tour of Germany as well as dates in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Click here to find a concert near you.

If you happen to be in Germany you can also take advantage of the Cubanízate Festival de Salsa Cubana offer of a discount on Van Van tickets when you purchase your festival ticket. This is the second year for the Cubanízate Festival,  a Cuban dance congreso that is held in Nuremberg, and DJ Tomba has promised timba, timba and timba! Tomba tells us: "The deal is that if you order both tickets you save 10 Euros. Related to the concert ticket you pay 20 instead of 30 Euro. And you can choose One of the cities Van Van plays in Germany." Check out the Cubanízate Festival website for more information about how to take advantage of the festival/Van Van offer and for a complete list of classes and instructors.

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The New Year is off to an auspicious start! La Letra del Año has confirmed that the world will not end in 2012, and even more importantly, Tirso Duarte will be making his first NYC appearance on March 2nd at S.O.B.s! Ladies and gentlemen, timberas y timberos, this is truly a magnificent event so don't miss it, or you will never forgive yourself! We will get back to you ASAP with more US tour dates.

Tirso is an infinitely talented pianist, composer and arranger, and for the younger generation he is the new voice of timba. During his brilliant career he has written and arranged many of the hits of the post-break-up Charanga Habanera before moving on to NG La Banda and Pupy y Los Que Son Son, finally making his mark on Cuban music as a solo artist. As you can tell I am a huge fan myself. Here is a small taste from the Sons of Cuba DVD which many of you have already seen, but it merits watching over and over again...Manos pa'rriba la gente de la noche y la luna llena .

Tirso Duarte sings "La Luna"

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