Early yesterday, the 58th Grammy Award® Nominations were announced. Latin Grammy® winners Septeto Santiaguero & José Alberto El Canario are nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album for their collaborative tribute to Cuban music icons Los Compadres (No Quiero Llanto - read our review here) and singer-songwriter Alex Cuba (real name Alexis Puentes, twin brother of Adonis Puentes) is nominated for Best Lain Pop Album. In Best Latin Jazz Album, Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba is nominated with his record "Suite Caminos". Congratulations to all the Nominees! 

This follows good times in Las Vegas a few weeks ago at the 16th annual Latin Grammys. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Alden González (producer & manager) and Fernando Dewar (leader, tres) of El Septeto Santiaguero, our Beyond Salsa star and pianist extraordinaire Iván "Melón" Lewis (who was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Latin Jazz Album, and also performed in the pre-telecast) and our other Beyond Salsa star, bassist, composer, vocalist and all around virtuoso Alaín Pérez. As anyone who has visited the island and experienced the level of musicianship, it was interesting to get their viewpoints on what we were seeing and hearing at the Latin Grammy show compared to the performances in Cuba. It is a televised event after all, and it was GREAT, but my opinion is that after a while the general tendency to rely on flamboyant and pyrotechnic visual elements and stimulation starts eroding the music and sound. The Kennedy Center Honors have succeeded in staying away from this trap and continue delivering breathtaking musical performances. Also I was sad to notice that the Best Salsa Album category was removed from the telecast and into the not-televised part (the pre-telecast, now called "the premier"). We had one (1) single tropical number in the whole show. Jeez... that wasn't too cool.  

One soundbyte that has stayed with me from that night -- courtesy of Alden -- is that he mentioned that "precisely now that the Buena Vista Social Club is saying goodbye to the stage, Septeto Santiaguero emerges as a world-class group, taking the very best of Cuban traditional music to every part of the world". This is a translation from a Cuban newspaper (source), that leaves out the notion of the "passing of the torch" or "passing the baton". It's much better in Spanish: "...(Alden) aprovechó para agradecer a Alain Pérez y Sonlokos -- competidores cubanos en la misma categoría -- las muestras de admiración y respeto. “Lo más importante es que se ha impuesto la música tradicional cubana y ahora, que el Buena Vista Social Club ya no estará más en los escenarios internacionales, el relevo está garantizado”. Pretty cool. 

Here are some more highlights from the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas:

José Alberto El Canario accepts and thanks Alden Gozález and Fernando Dewar from El Septeto Santiaguero for their Latin Grammy Award®

Latin Grammy® nomination medals presented to El Canario, Alden and Fernando (yours truly on the far left - I had the honor of co-mixing and mastering the record)

Iván Melón Lewis performing at the Latin Grammy® Pre-Telecast

Javier Monteverde, Michael Lázarus, Iván Melón Lewis, Fernando Dewar

Con el bárbaro de los bárbaros... Latin Grammy® Nominee Alaín Pérez (left)

Latin Grammy® tickets, after-party and program materials

2015 Latin Grammy® Winner for Best Traditional Tropical Album

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ENGLISH:  On Wednesday, November 25, the Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde reported that 964 dancers established a new Guinness world record (14 minutes and 58 seconds) for dancing a giant Rueda de Casino en Havana, Cuba.   The previous record had been established in Greece in 2014. You can read the entire Juventud Rebelde article here. 
This is as good a time as any to mention the excellent instructional and historical video Bailar Casino es muy facil, which was made in Cuba about a decade ago.   You can read our review in English here. 

ESPAÑOL: El miércoles, 25 de noviembre, el periódico cubano Juventud Rebelde informaba que 964 bailarines habian establecido un nuevo récord mundial Guinness (14 minutos y 58 segundos) con una gigante Rueda de Casino en La Habana, Cuba. El récord anterior se había establecido en Grecia en 2014. Puede leer el artículo completo en Juventud Rebelde aquí.
Este es un momento tan bueno como cualquier otro para mencionar el excelente video instrucciónal  y histórico Bailar Casino es muy facil, realizado en Cuba hace una década. Puede leer nuestra reseña en Español aquí.

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As promised, Tom's second PMG gallery from their recent tour.

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ENGLISH:  Timbalive, one of the best and most authentic Timba groups in the United States, has just released a new single, Todo lo que tu quieras.   This will be followed in a few weeks by their new album, Gasolina de avion.  Timbalive has two new vocalists: Eylen Temon, a former member of Orquesta Anacaona, and Michel Marcos.  While we await the new album, you can purchase the single on iTunes here. 
ESPAÑOL: Timbalive, uno de los mejores y más auténticos grupos de Timba en los Estados Unidos, acaba de lanzar un nuevo single, Todo lo que tu quieras. Esto será seguido en unas semanas con su nuevo álbum, Gasolina de avion. Timbalive tiene dos nuevos vocalistas: Eylen Temon, un ex miembro de la Orquesta Anacaona, y Michel Marcos. Mientras esperamos el nuevo álbum,  puede comprar el single en iTunes aquí.


Photo: Darron Jones

ENGLISH:  A student orchestra from ISA and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic collaborated in an excellent concert in Chicago last week.  You can read a full review here. 
ESPAÑOL: Una orquesta estudiantil de  ISA y el Chicago Jazz Philharmonic colaboraron en un excelente concierto en Chicago la semana pasada. Puede leer una reseña completa aquí.

ENGLISH:  Finally, congratulations to Cuba's Latin GRAMMY winners Pablo Milanés (Lifetime Acheivement Award), Septeto Santiaguero (Best Traditional Tropical Album), Silvio Rodríguez with Calle 13 (Best Short Form Music Video); cubanos Paquito d'Rivera (Best Latin Jazz Album) and Alex Cuba (Best Singer Songwriter Album); and of course TIMBA.com's Michael Lazarus, who co-mixed and mastered the Septeto Santiaguero album and mixed the winner in Best Children's Album, Mister G. Mike was in Las Vegas for the ceremonies, so we'll wait to hear from him before we say more.   
ESPAÑOL: Por último, felicidades a los ganadores cubanos del Latin GRAMMY:  Pablo Milanés (Premio de la Excelencía Musical), Septeto Santiaguero (Mejor Álbum Tropical Tradicional), Silvio Rodríguez con Calle 13 (Mejor Video Musical Versión Corta); cubanos Paquito d'Rivera (Mejor Álbum de Jazz Latino), Alex Cuba (Mejor Álbum Cantuator); y por supuesto Michael Lazarus de TIMBA.com, quien co-mezcló y masterizó el álbum de Septeto Santiaguero y mezcló el ganador en Best Latin Children's Album, Mister G.. Mike estuvo en Las Vegas en las ceremonias, por lo que no vamos a decir más hasta que el regrese. 

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