ENGLISH:  The 4th Matanzas Jazz Festival will be presented online with a very impressive roster of performers and presenters from April 29 - May 2, 2021. You can read all the details shared by the Organizing Committee (special thanks to its Vice President, Alejandro Falcón), here.
Closer to the date we will provide the appropriate  links for viewing. 
ESPAÑOL: El IV Festival de Jazz de Matanzas se presentará en línea con una lista de artistas y presentadores muy impresionante del 29 de abril al 2 de mayo de 2021. Puede leer todos los detalles compartidos por el Comité Organizador (agradecimiento especial a su Vicepresidente, Alejandro Falcón), aquí.
Más cerca de la fecha, proporcionaremos los enlaces aproppiados para su visualización. 

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Dayme Arocena, Kati Hernández, & Melvis Santa

DAYMÉ AROCENA, and MELVIS SANTA will be featured live on line this weekend in two different classes, thanks to Los Angeles-based Cuban dancer Kati Hernández, director of Kimbámbula dance ensemble, and the power behind a series of on line Cuban dance and music classes that has been dubbed by a growing number of students around the globe as a "virtual university of Cuban arts!"

DAYMÉ AROCENA, composer singer, arranger, internationally feted jazz artist, will be speaking  on Saturday, April 10 at 12:45 pm (Pacific Time) to the Con Clave: Musicality for Dancers class, a class that incidentally, and understandably, has attracted as many musicians as dancers over this last year.

MELVIS SANTA, musician, song writer, singer (Interactivo, Sexto Sentido...) has become a regular bright spot in Kati's program speaking to and leading lectures on Cuban music in the Musicality for Dancers class, as well as periodically teaching Afro Cuban song. This Sunday, April 11 at 11 am (Pacific Time) Melvis will be leading the Afro Cuban song class.

To sign up for these special guest classes ($15/class), as wel as Kati's dance classes, and to peruse the over 60 classes/month that Kati's program offers (including not only musicality, for dancers, Afro Cuban song, popular and Afro Cuban dance classes, but percussion workshops as well), visit www.katicubandanceonline.com.
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Watch for Curuye LA's upcoming interview with Kati Hernández

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Sad news. One of the key figures in the legendary creative chemistry of Los Van Van has passed. 

Click here for more LVV photos by Tom Ehrlich.

Hugo Moreón was a trombonist, keyboardist and arranger who first came onto the radar in the early 70s in Acheré, a group of future all-stars that included Calixto Oviedo, Omar Hernández and NG trumpeter El Greco.

Hugo did stints with Pachito Alonso and Adalberto Álvarez before joining Van Van in the early 80s. In addition to playing trombone and keyboard solos on many classic tracks, he composed the mambo parts for nearly every major Van Van hit. He'll be sorely missed.

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-English version below the music player-
-More info, full artwork and credits to follow in upcoming posts-

ESPAÑOL: SE LLAMA SABROSO de Zona Franka (una zona franca es un puerto libre de impuestos) es una presentación emocionante de un estilo llamado changüí con flow (a veces conocido también como changüí de hoy), una fusión del changüí rural tradicional con el rap y varios estilos de la música cubana y de las Américas. No se puede exagerar la importancia del Changüí en el ADN de la música cubana moderna, entre otras cosas donó algunos cromosomas esenciales a lo que se convirtió en songo, que luego, mezclado con la rumba y otras influencias, evolucionó a la timba. Changüí con flow es otro de sus descendientes.

La mayoría de las canciones en este álbum son clásicos cubanos reinventados con nuevos e innovadores arreglos. ¿Quién hubiera pensado que Dos gardenias funcionaría realmente bien como samba con changüí?

Una versión anterior del grupo existía como Zona Franca ya en 2001 en Guantánamo, la cuna del changüí, pero fue en 2014 cuando Yasser Edén asume la dirección, a partir de ese momento la personalidad musical del grupo comenzó a tomar su forma actual. El lanzamiento independiente del fonograma Changüí de Hoy fue nominado al premio Cubadisco (el equivalente cubano de un GRAMMY®) en 2014 en la categoría Fusión. Dos de sus competidores ese año fueron Interactivo y Telmary, aunque sus estilos son bastante distintos, los fanáticos de los primeros trabajos de Interactivo encontrarán mucho que gustar en este disco. En 2020 cambiaron formalmente su nombre a Zona Franka.

Manejar la transición de cantar a rapear y viceversa es más difícil de lo que parece; si no se hace con un dominio total de ambos, puede sonar casi como si alguien estuviera jugando con el control remoto de la televisión, Zona Franka hace esto a la perfección. Los anclas del grupo son Yasser Edén y Carlos Scott en las voces, juntos con una sección rítmica formidable que se mantiene fiel a su base en Changüí, incluso mientras se aventura en otros estilos. Una característica distintiva de esa sección rítmica es el uso del bongó de monte. Mientras escucha, también disfrutará de algunas infusiones de samba, cumbia vallenata, jazz y elementos flamencos en la mezcla.

Los audiófilos apreciarán los altos valores de producción de este disco, una característica que es de vital importancia para la sección rítmica de este estilo.

-- Bill Tilford of TIMBA.com & From the Isle of Music

ENGLISH: SE LLAMA SABROSO (They Call it Tasty) by Zona Franka (a zona franca is a duty-free port) is an exciting introduction of a style called "Changüí con flow", a fusion of traditional rural changüí with rap and other urban Cuban music. As the name of the group implies, various musical styles from around the Americas are also featured. The songs are Cuban classics re-imagined in fresh, clever and innovative new arrangements that far differ from the original versions.

Changüí's importance in the DNA of modern Cuban music cannot be exaggerated, among other things, it donated some essential chromosomes to what became songo, which later, mixed with rumba and other influences, evolved into timba. Changüí con flow is another one of its descendants.

Managing the transition from singing to rapping and back again is harder than it may seem - if not done with a full mastery of both it can sound almost as if someone has being playing with the remote control for the television. Zona Franka does this seamlessly. The anchors of the group are Yasser Eden and Carlos Hernández on vocals along with a formidable rhythm section that stays true to its grounding in changüi even while venturing into other styles. As you listen, you will also enjoy some infusions of samba, cumbia vallenata, jazz and flamenco elements in the mix.

Audiophiles will appreciate the high production values in this disc, a feature which is critically important for the rhythm section in this style.

A previous version of the group existed as Zona Franca as early as 2001 in Guantánamo, the cradle of changüí, but it was in 2014, when Yasser Eden became director, that the group's current musical personality began to take shape. Their independent release Changüí de Hoy was nominated for a Cubadisco (Cuba's equivalent of a GRAMMY®) in 2014 in the Fusion category. Two of their competitors that year were Interactivo and Telmary, and although their styles are quite distinct, fans of Interactivo's early work will find much to like in this disc. In 2020, they formally changed their name to Zona Franka. They have attained sufficient respect among their peers to convince the legendary Omara Portuondo to make a cameo appearance in this recording.

-- Bill Tilford of TIMBA.com & From the Isle of Music

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