Charanga Havana All Stars prepare for US tour

The Charanga Havana All Stars are on their way to the US. The confirmed tours dates are all along the East Coast with concerts in Florida, Boston, New Jersey and New York. More dates are expected to be confirmed soon. Click here for the complete list of concerts and check back with us, because we will update as more concerts are confirmed.

The Havana All Stars are a traditional charanga with a playlist that includes son, guaracha, danzón, cha-cha-chá, changúí and even songo. They also have a dance couple with them, which adds an extra visual aspect to the show and is a great way to help the audience gain a better understanding of the connection between the music and the dances.

Bandmembers:
Julio Iznaga - Musical Director -Timbal
Julio Pulido - General Director
Alberto Alejandro Gonzalez - Congas
Angel Abreu - Güiro
Felix del Pilar ( Samy ) - Vocals
Gregorio Ernesto Laza - Vocals
Reineiro Proenza - Vocals
Angel Aristides Santos - Dancer
Yaimara Rodríguez - Dancer
Roxana de las Mercedes - Violin
Edel Lazaga - Violin
Rene Luis Herrera - Flute
Norberto Shand - Piano
Michel Armesto - Bass

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Tom has posted some new photo collages to announce this weekend's San José Jazz Festival. See the Bay Area Report for more photos and more details.

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Photo courtesy of Patrick Bonnard

2011 may be a bad year for the economy but it is turning out to be a great year for timba! At Festival Caliente in Rome, Ricardo Amaray announced that the band will be releasing a Live CD at the end of December. They played no fewer than five estrenos in Rome and they are all brilliant ! Esto es Trabuco! We have Manolito's masterful tumbaos, Miguelito "Pan con Salsa" with his teclado sabroso, Eutemio and Caldarón sweetening the mix with their strings, El Chino slapping and sliding on the electric bass during the bombas with the stellar percussion section pounding out an irresistible beat, the metales are tighter than ever with Robin Martinez, and both Robin and David Bencomo give extra power to the coros when they aren't playing. Ladies and gentlemen, this CD will be on every timbero's hoilday gift list!

So what are the estrenos? La cuenta no da - a reggaeton influenced song with Amaray on lead and the great hook ¿Dónde está la plata? ¿Dónde está el billete? , A la medida - a romantic son with Mayami on lead, and already a favorite of mine but it is not among the Rome videos, Callejero - fast-paced timba with Pepitín on lead, a guaranteed dance floor hit. There were three more estrenos that I don't know the names of performed in Rome, but I can at least tell you that they are all serious timba, lo que más te gusta .

Thanks to Benini Digital you can check them out yourselves at YouTube. Here is one to get you started, I'm going to hazard a guess and give it the working title Déjala . Enjoy!

Amaray sings an estreno from the upcoming live CD @ Festival Caliente in Rome

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Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor arrived in Cali two days ago to prepare for tonight's big show at Teatro Jorge Isaacs. Maykel Blanco and Tirso Duarte are friends, but tonight they face off in a mano a mano contest to please the dancers in Cali. Let's hope someone uploads video of this event for those of us not lucky enough to be there! Here is a short greeting (2 takes) that Maykel and the singers recorded for the fans.

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