Giraldo Piloto & Klímax have landed safely and begin their West Coast tour tonight at the 333 Club in Los Angeles. Here's the full itinerary:

CONCERTS: 
Friday, 10-17 - Los Angeles - 333 Club
Saturday, 10-18 - Felton (Santa Cruz) - Don Quixote's
Sunday, 10-19 - Folsom (Sacramento)  - Three Stages at Folsom Lake College
Tuesday, 10-21 - San Francisco - Yoshi's SF
Wednesday, 10-22 - San Francisco - Yoshi's SF
Thursday, 10-23 - Seattle - Seattle Club Sur
Friday, 10-24 - Portland - The Conga Club

KLÍMAX-THEMED DANCE CLASSES:
Saturday, 10-18 - 1:00-4:00 - Santa Cruz Tannery (corner of Hwys 1 & 9)
Tuesday, 10-21 - San Francisco - Yoshi's SF
Wednesday, 10-22 - San Francisco - Yoshi's SF

CLINIC WITH GIRALDO PILOTO:
Monday, 10-20 -  Community Music Center in San Francisco's Mission District (home page here)

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Habaneros String Quartet

Here are Tom's photos from Saturday at Monterey Jazz 2014. Sunday's gallery coming soon.

Klímax will be in LA Friday and Santa Cruz Saturday. See below for more.

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If you're in Northern California, this one is absolutely not to be missed. On Klímax's one off-day, Monday, October 20th, Giraldo Piloto will do a clinic-demo session at the Community Music Center in San Francisco's Mission District (home page here). It's only $15 at the door (sliding scale), 6:30 to 8:00. No need to be a drummer or musician - this is a demo rather than a play-along master class - and an incredible opportunity to meet the greatest living Cuban musician never to have come to the United States (til now!) - and to hear him play, talk and answer your questions for 1.5 hours in a small and intimate setting. For more info, call  415-647-6015. Here are the latest concert dates.

There are drummers who compose and composers who drum, but Piloto is on the shortest of short lists in both categories, having won the timba.com award for Best Timba Drummer of All-Time and having written pivotal breakthrough hits for Issac Delgado (No me mires, Por qué paró, etc.), Charanga Habanera (Me sube la fiebre, Mi estrella, Pelirroja), NG La Banda (Te confunde ser esa mujer), Bamboleo (Yo tengo Bamboleo), and of course, Klímax.

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The place to be in Havana this weekend is Teatro Lázaro Peña for the 10th anniversary celebration of Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor. Maykel has been keeping most of the plans to himself to maintain the air of mystery, but he has stated that in addition to the guest musicians, a number of plastic artists are invited.  Fans from around the world have been sending the band video greetings that Maykel will be incorporating into the anniversary AV show.

The popularity of Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor, both in Cuba and abroad, is indisputable. Maykel's hard work with both the music and the audiovisual aspects of the show has made their matinee one of the must-see concerts for timberos visiting Havana. If you're in Havana, don't miss it!

During a recent appearance on Donde si no, the band performed three new songs that they will be doing at the anniversary gala, and each bears the unmistakable Salsa Mayor sello. Maykel himself classifies his music as son with songo. Over the past decade he has faced criticism for similarities to Van Van and Pupy, but there is no longer any question that Salsa Mayor has its own sound that is as recognizable as the great bands of the classic timba era. Click here to watch the video interview (in Spanish) and see all three of the new songs.

Te Escapaste - Yordys Larrazábal

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