Orquesta Aragón are celebrating their 70th anniversary with a concert at Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley this Friday August 13 at 8pm. The band is currently touring the US and has a number of To Be Determined concerts but this is the last confirmed date as far as I know so don't miss them! No they don't play timba but they swing, or as Gabriel of Yemayá's verse said "they rock".

Gabriel prepares for Van Van in Sydney

And speaking of Gabriel, her interview with Samuel Formell and Yeni Valdés has been published in the Sydney Morning Herald in preparation for the impending Los Van Van concert Sunday August 15 at the Opera House in Sydney.

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Here are some killer video clips of footage from Elio & Elito Revé's new documentary, an interview with Danny Lozada and a great live performance from Alexander Abreu & Habana d' Primera, courtesy of David (DJ Melao) and Duni's new blog El Puente. To access the new column click on blogs and then select EL PUENTE. Enjoy.

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I have finally published the band section for Juan Kemell & La Barriada. This is long overdue. I have seen this band live 3 times and every time I am struck by how fun the concerts are! They have a gift of really communicating with the audience, whether or not you understand Spanish.

Under the direction of trumpet player Juan Kemell, La  Barriada plays a mix of Cuban music as well as other Caribbean genres, and has a loyal following both in Cuba and throughout Latin America.La Barriada plays regular bi-weekly gigs in Havana, tours the provinces and tours Europe and Latin America regularly. Their last CD/DVD "Havananza" was one of the best albums of 2008.  If you are not yet familar with La Barriada check out the new section with video, interviews, concert reports and more.

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Patrick Bonnard is back with a report and photos from the July 13 concert a Le Zénith in Paris with Los Van Van and Oscar D'Leon. Here is an excerpt from his report.

  
Oscar D'Leon & Los Van Van photos © Patrick Bonnard used by permission

Le Zénith i s one of the main indoor locations for rock and pop gigs in Paris. As we all know, Elito Revé's participation for that long-awaited night was unfortunately cancelled. Expectations were still high and the fans had travelled to Paris from all across the country to be at these shows. Los Van Van opened at 20 p.m with "Arrasando". Show highlights included a thrilling performance of "Muevete" with participation of Juan Formell. Lele was loose and in infectious good spirits all night long, sh ining on "Me Mantengo". Yeni sang "Tu a Lo Tuyo , Yo a Lo Mio". Mayito certainly would have enjo yed to si ng more than a single "Si No Te Quieres Tú" but they wrapped up with the perfect show closer "Esto Te Pone La Cabeza Mala". Click here to read the full report and see the photos he sent us.

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