LA CHARANGA HABANERA

photography by Peter Maiden

David Calzado and Charanga Habanera have been on the cutting edge of Timba since they played a seminal role in defining the genre in 1992. The original Charanga Habanera recorded four indispensible classic albums before a whirlwind of personnel changes beginning in 1997 split them into three separate groups: Charanga Forever, Dany Lozada y su Timba Cubana, and David Calzado's new Charanga Habanera. This group of pages lays the foundation for all three groups and then follows the career of David Calzado and the band known today as Charanga Habanera. Each of the other groups has its own section of timba.com and we hope to soon add pages for the current groups of other ex-members of the original Charanga Habanera.

Charanga Habanera was chosen by the readers of timba.com as the greatest Timba band of all-time in the Timba.com awards of 2003 and CH members placed first in a number of other categories. Michelle White presented them with their awards on their February 2004 tour of Sweden. and wrote a very interesting account of the presentation of the awards.

See also the official website of La Charanga Habanera at http://www.charangahabanera.net.

I. Music
  A. CDs by the original Charanga Habanera
    1. Me Sube La Fiebre (Love Fever)
 2. Hey You, Loca!
    3. Pa' Que Se Entere La Habana
    4. Tremendo Delirio (also available in German)
    5. Unreleased Songs

  B. CDs by the new Charanga Habanera
    1. Charanguero Mayor (El Baile de Azúcar)
    2. Chan Chan Charanga (Tiene de Cuba, Tiene Mela'o)
3. Soy cubano, soy popular

  C. Live CDs
    1. Live at Disco Azúcar, 1998
    2. Live US Tour: 2000-2001

  D. Educational Articles
    1. A Study of Clave in the Music of La Charanga Habanera
    2. Conversations in Timba - MIDI files of Tirso Duarte & Yulién Oviedo
    3. The Bass Style of Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez, by Allan Johnston
    4. The Bloques of Charanga Habanera
5. Clave Analysis of Tremendo Delirio
6. The Piano Style of Tirso Duarte - "part 2" of the article on Charanguero Mayor

II. Interviews and Articles by Members
    A. Interview with David Calzado - by Marcelo Lecours
    B. Interview with David Calzado - by Kevin Moore & Bárbara Valladares
C. Biografía (con entrevista) de David Calzado
por Majela Serrano, febrero, 2002
    D. Interview with Tirso Duarte - by Kevin Moore & Bárbara Valladares
   E. La historia de La Charanga Habanera, pt 1 - por J.C. González (Español)
(also available in English)
    F. Entrevista con Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez (Español)
    (also available in English)
G. Interview with David Calzado - February 2004 - Sweden - by Michelle White
G. Entrevista con David Calzado - febrero 2004 - Suecia - por Michelle White

III. History and Members
   A. Los Charangueros de Hoy
por Majela Serrano (also available in English)
B. Los Charangueros de Ayer
por Majela Serrano (also available in English)
C. Sergio David Calzado Almenares
biografía de David Calzado por Majela Serrano (also available in English)
D. Charanga Habanera - The Breakup and Beyond

IV. Concert Reports
A. La Charanga Habanera "ON TOUR"
la gira de Europa de febrero del año 2002
por Majela Serrano

B. "The Boys are Back in Town"
European Tour of February, 2004
by Michelle White

C. La Charanga Habanera Receives Timba.com Awards
February 2004
by Michelle White