"Para Juan Formell con respeto aquí tienes mi Alma de sonero"  - Mayito Rivera

Sin duda alguna, la triste desaparición física de Juan Formell ha sido un duro impacto que recibe el círculo de la música popular en Cuba y en resto del mundo. Su ausencia no solamente nos provoca un gran dolor sentimental para aquellos que tanto lo queríamos y admirábamos, sino que además, su desaparición física, a mi juicio, pudiera traer consigo cambios y posibles consecuencias negativas en cuanto a la estructura y futuro desarrollo del discurso musical y creativo del género bailable en Cuba. La ausencia física de un gran músico como lo ha sido Juan Formell será lamentable, triste, pero será un factor determinante que marcará diferencias sustanciales, dada la autoridad misma que su figura ejercía como cabeza pensante y audaz dirección, su inigualable talento creativo, la guía, el genio y la inteligencia, su experiencia, el arte y el oficio que poseía y en fin, toda su maestría - no sólo al servicio de sus Van Van - sino que también su influencia traspasa los límites e incide en todas las orquestas de Cuba, tanto para los músicos instrumentistas como para los compositores. 

Dale clic aquí para leer el articulo entero.

Without any doubt, the sad passing of Juan Formell has been a hard blow to the circle of popular music in Cuba and the rest of the world. His absence not only causes great pain to those of us who both loved and admired him, but also in my opinion his passing away could bring changes and possible negative consequences for the structure and future development of the musical and creative discourse of the dance genre in Cuba. The passing of a great musician, as was Juan Formell, will be lamentable, sad, but it will also be a determining factor that will mark substantial differences, given the very authority that his presence commanded as the thinking mind and bold leadership, the unmatched creative talent, the guide, the genius and intelligence, his experience, the art and craft that he possessed, and finally, all his expertise - not only at the service of his Van Van - rather also his influence transcended boundaries and influenced all the orchestras of Cuba, both instrumentalists and composers.

Click here to read the full article in English.

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On Wednesday, May 28th Los Van Van begin their first European tour of the post-Juan Formell era. In recent years Juan did not accompany the band on their European tours, leaving things in the hands of his son Samuel Formell. Despite the recent loss, Van Van is following their tour schedule and performed recently in Mexico, where the concert was roundly praised. We have published the list of concert dates in their tours page, so find a concert near you.

Other bands on tour in Europe this summer include Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor, Havana D'Primera, Elito Revé y su Charangón, Oderquis Revé y su Changüí, Bamboleo, Mayito Rivera and Issac Delgado. In the US Cubadisco winner Adalberto Álvarez is nearing the end of his tour while Pupy y Los Que Son Son now have four dates listed and Paulo F.G. will be performing later this summer. We will keep updating the tours as more concerts are confirmed. If you know of any concert dates we're missing, send me an e-mail

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Cuba's heralded vocalist and chékere player Eladio "Don Pancho" Terry, will join his sons Yosvany and Yunior Terry in a one-time NYC performance at Minton's in Harlem on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. The night's kaleidoscopic program is said to run the gamut "from AfroCuban Folklore, to Charanga, to Contemporary Latin Jazz". 

The lineup of the evening will consist of the patriarchal Eladio on vocals and percussion, Yosvany Terry on saxophone and Yunior Terry on bass along with pianist Osmany Paredes, percussionist Yusnier Sánchez and flutist Javier Porta. 

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** Updated with Adalberto's official statement on Facebook
If you have more details please add them to the COMMENTS section. Here's Roccapulco's site, saying tonight's show is cancelled.

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