MB y Salsa Mayor - "A toda máquina"

Maykel Blanco

Tonight is the long awaited and slightly delayed anniversary party for Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor at Casa de la Música Galiano. The band's eight year anniversary passed in October, but the official party was pushed back until November. As they say, No hay mal que por bien no venga and in this case Maykel is combining the the anniversary party with promotion for the new CD "A toda máquina". If you have signed up for newsletters from their web page, you already know that the CD consist of 13 tracks, including "El songo de todos" with the participation of many of the most popular young singers in Cuba today: El Noro, Christian and Rey Alonso, Emilio Frias "El Niño ", Ailyn, as well as Salsa Mayor singers Yasser, Yordis and Alexis David. Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor continue to be one of the most popular young bands in Cuba and one of the bright spots on the timba horizon. The CD should be released by Planet Records in December making it the holiday gift of 2012 for all the timberos on your list!

Track List:
Son estos
El artista soy yo
Tremenda pinta
Anda por la calle
Tú no eres mi amigo
El songo de todos
Bembé
Un kilo
Pa' que se te quite
Hazte la que no me ves
La figura

| Share

lunes, 29 octubre 2012, 02:18 pm

I had the privilege of seeing Pablo Milanés for the first time two weeks ago in Madrid. The concert report is pending but I want to make sure everybody knows that Pablo is still on tour and will perform this Wednesday, October 31 at Polideportivo de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. This is truly a must-not-miss concert.

Pablo Milanés & Andrés Suárez - Madrid - Teatro Caser Calderón Pablo Milanés in Madrid after the show with his opening act Andrés Suárez

In addition to the tour, Pablo is about to release a new CD that is going under the working title "Renacimiento". On this album he has continued incorporating Cuban traditional dance music, this time using rumba and changüí in his arrangements. His popularity with the younger generation of troveros has led to recent collaborations with artists such as Maná, Buena Fe and Andrés Suárez.

Pablo Milanés' musical career spans more than 50 years. From the very start he was a part of some of the most interesting and important developments in Cuban trova music, from his collaboration with Grupo de Experimentación Sonora de ICAIC (GESI) to his decisive roll as one of the founders of the Nueva Trova movement in Cuba and Latin America. While he has faced controversy at times for always speaking his mind, his fans deeply love him as you can see in the video below from the Madrid concert, which he closed with: "El breve espacio en que no está" . Stay tuned for the full concert report.

| Share

sábado, 27 octubre 2012, 02:58 pm

Pepitín y su Q'mbachá

Many fans have been asking me where Pepitín went after leaving El Trabuco. He has formed his own septeto playing traditional Cuban son. Pepitín is best know to Timba.com readers as a lead singer with Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor and later with Manolito y Su Tabuco with whom he recorded the CDs "Anda y pégate" and "Trabuco 1 vez más", respectively. But he has also had his own following since gthe 2008 release of his solo CD "Estudiando" which was well-recieved both by fans of Cuban music as well as fans of salsa dura.

Pepitín is a stellar example of the young generation of soneros in Cuba, who represent continuity in the Cuban vocal and popular music tradition. The strength of son cubano is that it has a worldwide appeal that does not age or fade. Pepitín y su Q'mbachá have uploaded a demo to Youtube for your enjoyment.

Pepitín y su Q'mbachá - El hombre increíble

| Share

miércoles, 24 octubre 2012, 02:04 pm

Havana Rhythm & Dance Festival 2013 (Fiesta del Tambor)

Percussionists and fans of Cuban music and dance, you are hereby notified in good time that the 2013 Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival will take place from March 5-10. You now have time to schedule your vacation and make your travel plans. No more excuses! this is a stellar even with a breathtaking combinations of performances, expositions, conferences, masters classes, dance, music as the prestigious International Percussion Competition. Competitors choose from various percussion genres and are rated on a clear set of criteria, which you will find elaborated in the official announcement of the festival. Prizes are given to the winners and there is even a youth category for budding musicians.

The official website hasn't been updated with the 2013 schedule and rules, but keep checking as that information should come soon. For information about hotels, transportation, credentials, etc., contact Cecilia Principe. Remember, 2013 is your year so don't miss this opportunity!