Meet Gema Corredera

In January 2013, Cubana Jazz vocalist Gema Corredera, currently a resident of Miami, released a fine new album, Derramando Luz, that is winding its way through the early round of the 56th GRAMMY Awards process. We'll be reviewing it soon, especially since Gema is backed by some familiar names including Yosvany Terry (who is Music Director for the project and co-produced), Yunior Terry, Manuel Valera, Osmany Paredes, Alfredo Chacón and Obed Calvaré. Here is a video clip about the release:

Speaking of Yosvany Terry, congratulations Yos for being awarded the Cintas Fellowship 2013 for composers! More about this in our Movimiento en Miami report, which also features a guest article by Eva Silot Bravo about Danay Suárez this week.

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Wednesday, 16 October 2013, 04:41 AM

The newest recordings from members of the Valdés dynasty are doing well this year. We already reviewed Chucho's Border-Free earlier in the year, and it is currently a Latin GRAMMY nominee (Latin Jazz); Chuchito Valdés also has two recordings currently nominated in the 14th Latin GRAMMY Awards (one in Latin Jazz, one in Folklore in a collaboration with Andean folkloric music legend Eddy Navia.) Here are reviews of Grand Piano Live and Carnaval En Piano Charango.

Bill Tilford doesn't doubt for a moment that the following statement will start a few fights, but in his opinion, Timbalive's new Con La Música Cubana NO! is not only Timbalive's best album, but also the best wall to wall Timba dance album (as opposed to Timba plus other things mixed in) to be released by a band based in the United States in many years. Here's his case, before anyone else makes theirs, please actually listen to the album first...

While we're here, congratulations to Miami's Leslie Cartaya for her Best New Artist nomination in the 14th Latin GRAMMY awards. We reviewed her eclectic solo debut CD, No Pares, a few months ago. She would be known previously to fans of the Afro-Cuban Funk band Palo!

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Wednesday, 25 September 2013, 02:49 PM

The Latin GRAMMY awards are getting most of the industry's attention right now, but the Lotus Festival in Bloomington Indiana will be presenting Cubadisco winner Roberto Fonseca on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30pm. Roberto's recording Yo won the Cubadisco 2013 awards (Cuba's equivalent of a GRAMMY) for Fusion and Recording, and it was also nominated in Jazz and Design. Bill Tilford spoke with Roberto on the telephone Tuesday night, and you can hear that conversation (in English) here (audio quality is mediocre but listenable, and Roberto is interesting).

Roberto is also opening for the Buena Vista Social Club concert at Orchestra Hall in Chicago on Sunday the 29th (if you haven't bought your ticket yet, that one is already sold out.)

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Saturday, 21 September 2013, 10:05 AM

Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, a wonderful event that deserves a lot more national notice than it usually receives. This year's offerings include Cuban Jazz and Fusion artist Roberto Fonseca, whose recording Yo won Cubadisco 2013 awards in the Fusion and Recording (engineering) categories this year (you can read a review of Yo here). Roberto is playing Friday, September 27 at 10:30 pm, and this show, which will be an interesting departure from what most US listeners typically expect from Cuban music concerts if the material from Yo is performed, is highly recommended. Click here for the Lotus festival's page, which includes a live video. While you're there, check out the rest of the festival schedule, there aren't any additional Cuban acts, but it is very impressive.

In Los Angeles, the AC Jazz Project is having its official CD release party for the new recording Conga Buena at the Catalina Bar and Grill in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 26 at 8:30pm. This group is based in Los Angeles California and features veterans of Maraca, Klimax, Afrocuba and Opus 13. The leader, trumpeter/composer Josiel Pérez, is originally from Piñar del Rio, played with Maraca and Klimax, and is just getting established in the US after coming here in 2011. The group does both Cuban Jazz and Cuban dance music (Timba, Rumba, Son etc.), and some tracks are already on the radio in a few cities. The album is now available in CD Baby and iTunes