Adalberto Álvarez Tour - click here for concert dates!

It's June and the European Summer tour season is beginning! Los Van Van is already on tour with a performance tonight in Karlsruhe, Germany. Click here to see the rest of the Van Van tour dates. Adalberto Álvarez arrives in Europe on June 5th promoting his excellent new CD "Respeto pa' los mayores". Don't miss your chance to see the new songs live, and bring some extra cash in case they are selling the CD at concerts! Here is the current list of confirmed concerts for Adalberto, but check back in a few days because there are more dates to be added! Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor will start their tour with a concert at La Bomba in Padua, Italy on June 12th. Here are Maykel's Tour plans. Manolito y Su Trabuco will arrive at the end of June for a June/July tour. Here are some of the concert dates for El Trabuco. And we have also published the first dates for Azúcar Negra who will be touring in July. More dates to come on the Azúcar Negra Tours page.

Calixto Oviedo is performing tonight in Copenhagen, Denmark with Latin Jazz Syndicate at Jazzhus Montmartre. Later this month he will begin a series of concerts and workshops in Japan becfore returning to the US for a series of summer concerts across the country. His current schedule can be found here. Also in the US, I'm sure no one has missed that Havana D'Primera is on tour as well as Barbaro Fines y su Orquesta Mayimbe. We will update the Mayimbe Tours page at the beginning of next week, so check back then. Tiempo Libre has also updated their tours page so check it out! And more info on the way as more groups confirm their tour dates so stay tuned!

deja un comentario

continue reading Timbera Mayor

The dust is beginning to settle over Havana after the wave of changes sweeping over La Charanga Habanera in its twenty-fifth year: first the departure of Randy Malcom to Gente D'Zona, then the return of "Lachy Fortuna", Lázaro Maya, to La Revé and most recently and, perhaps most surprisingly, the departure of veteran charanguero Aned Mota to work on projects together with his wife, Diva Haila Mompie. But as Paulo FG might say las aguas tomaron su nivel with the return of Yulién Oviedo to the group, at least for the time being. Indeed Yulién himself sang no hay mal que por bien no venga, and the first video I've seen of the new line up shows us a move back to serious timba, the band having recently won at Cubadisco for their second foray into Latin pop called "Charanga Light 2". According to a recent interview with David Calzado on "23 y M", the new CD will be out soon and will get back to some serious timba. 

With that I leave you to ponder the world of musical chairs that is Havana's music scene, and with a sample of what is to come and a look at new singers El Dandy and El Guay; now re-named El Chapy Guay it seems. Say what you will about the hair styles but trust me, after the dance routine, you will enjoy what you hear! 

La Charanga Habanera - Partienda la tarima (estreno)

deja un comentario

continue reading Timbera Mayor

Pepitín y su Q'mbachá have another single out. "No lo hagas más dificil" was composed by Pepitín and arranged by Lino Lores, who is producing the album for Q'mbachá. The septeto has recorded three songs so far. It is slow going since they are financing the project themselves, but the album will be worth waiting for. Pepitín is one of the most talented young soneros in Cuba. With his distinctive voice, he worked with Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor and Manolito y su Trabuco before deciding he wanted to start his own septeto to promote son cubano with a touch of timba. So be patient and enjoy the clip below!

deja un comentario

continue reading Timbera Mayor

For some time now I have been continuing to call Havana the Capital of Timba. But I am beginning to think it's time for me to look at this as the Roman Empire with two Capitals: Havana = Rome and Lima = Constantinople. Another serious timba band has been making waves in Lima: La Timba Criolla. The band writes their own material with a classic 90s timba feel and professional production and presentation. 

LTC is made up of a combination of Cuban and Peruvian musicians, some with a conservatory background and others "timberos naturales". Director and pianist Jairo Betancourt, bassist Amarat Stuart Aguila and drummer Manuel Alejandro Moreno "Hueso" are all alumni of Michel Maza y la Tentación. Lead singer Anthony Muzantes is a well-known Peruvian singer as well as being the composer/arranger of the songs. I am very impressed with his work. He is only 20 years old but you can tell that he knows his timba! Other band members: Williams Nicasio "Macarito" - congas and Percy "Chincilla" - djembe/campana are both from Peru Negro and the percussion is rounded off by well-known Peruvian percussionist Marco Antonio Di Maria. The horn section consists of two trumpets, trombone and sax: Roman Coronado, Pedrito Meza, Fernando Shimabuku and Juancito Rondon. Coristas are Adhemir Charun Rivas and Jerson Jeff. 

La Timba Criolla will be releasing their CD "Llegó el Timbón" next month, so stay tuned for more information about the band. In the meantime I leave you with a taste of LTC en Vivo! A gozar!

La Timba Criolla live @ Persepolis 2013

deja un comentario

continue reading Timbera Mayor