Don't Miss tonight, Monday, July 12th, at KUUMBWA JAZZ CENTER in Santa Cruz.

07/12/2010 Mon  Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz Club
07/14/2010 Wed  Oakland, CA Yoshis Jazz Club
07/16/2010 Fri  Winston, OR Riverbend Park
07/17/2010 Sat  Los Angeles, CA MacArthur Park 
07/23/2010 Fri  Lowell, MA Lowell Folk Festival
07/24/2010 Sat  Providence, RI Sound Sessions Festival
07/25/2010 Sun  Lowell, MA Lowell Folk Festival
07/28/2010 Wed  New York, NY River to River Festival, Wagner Park
07/29/2010 Thu  Huntington, NY Huntington Summer Arts Festival
08/01/2010 Sun  Rochester, NY NY Puerto Rican Parade Fest

The masters of Puerto Rican plena, Plena Libre will be touring the United States in July and August of 2010. Captivating and moving audiences over the course of a fifteen-year, thirteen-album career, this fine-tuned 12-piece Puerto Rican-based ensemble of virtuoso musicians has only gotten better with age, as evidenced by their four recent Grammy nominations. And now, for the 2010-2011 touring season, Plena Libre has created an all-new exciting repertoire along with new choreography and compelling new stories told from the stage between songs. 

Unlike salsa bands, who usually only have two singers, Plena Libre features five vocalists singing in lush three and four part harmonies; a musical representation of a traditional community gathering. Further giving their live performances a memorable standout quality, occasionally, the entire band will vocalize the percussion parts of the plena, creating an a cappella polyphonic polyrhythm. These artistic choices drive home the core of the tradition in an aesthetic that appeals to broad audiences and aficionados alike.

Along with providing exhilarating entertainment, Plena Libre-which has performed in fifteen countries, from Morocco to Malaysia-has a deep commitment to educating their audiences about the traditional culture of Puerto Rico. Since the founding of the group, the ensemble has offered three levels of workshops tailored to the needs of particular demographics. For young audiences, the band has conducted hands-on demonstrations, taking an interactive approach to helping kids play Caribbean rhythms and learn various dance steps.

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Giraldo Piloto in Cannes - Photo ©Patrick Bonnard

While Elito Revé y Su Charangón are blowing minds in the US, the European Tour Season is also underway. Pepitín sent us a message yesterday saying that the Trabuco was back in Europe. Check here for Manolito's complete list of tour dates. And Giraldo Piloto & Klímax are already touring, but you still have time to catch them at Festival Bayamo in Seyne-sur-Mer on July 18 and Latinoamericando in Milan on July 19th.

Patrick Bonnard saw them in Cannes on July 2nd and has shared some of his outstanding photos with us. He promises a full report later but in brief he said:
I send you photos of Klimax 1st european show in Cannes at "Palais du Festival", you know where the movie stars...:) It's been 13 years since they had a concert here in France. The show was explosive, one of the best of this year. i'll try to send you later a little report...photos from Paris concert to follow. Elpidio Chapottin and German Velazco are joining the whole tour. Maraca was in the audience in Paris as they rehearse here for their Monterey All Stars project (Rotterdam 11th of July concert). Try to catch Klimax if you can, they sound wonderful.

Take Patrick's advice and don't miss this chance to see Klímax. Click here to see the Cannes photogallery.

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(photos by Peter Maiden - photo permission courtesy of Fuego Entertainment)

Click Continue Reading Below for More Photos by Peter Maiden

Where has THIS band been all my life? I waited a long to finally hear them (a whole lot of people in the crowd said those exact words), and it was well worth it. Everyone was in heaven.

They're back tonight Saturday (8:00 and 10:00) and tomorrow Sunday (matinee at 5:00, 2nd show at 7:00) Yoshi's San Francisco. Don't even THINK about missing this people. The second Friday show sold out, so don't wait too long.

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Ya No Te Doy Más Na - Orquesta Revé (El Nene) - video: Michelle White

We'll never know how Elio Revé would have responded to the timba revolution of the late 90s because his live was cut tragically short by a car crash. The band was taken over by his son Elito, who inherited both his father's gruff voice and his astounding ear for talent. Elito is a graduate of the music schools but also owes much of his musical education to his father. He began at the age of 20 as pianist for the charangón and also worked as arranger for many of the band's hit songs. Elito has employed many extraordinary singers, such as El Gallo, Lele Rasalps and El Nene, and several brilliant musical directors, but none greater than the present one, bassist Aisar Hernández, whose work on Fresquecito made it one of the best ten albums of the 2000s.

See you at Yoshi's tonight.

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