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Pitit's (aka Limpia Timpanos) new album CONFRONTACIÓN draws from his artistic experience to deliver a hard hitting Latino hip hop album. Intended to reach a more commercial audience, the record embeds deep lyrics with the driving beats and arrangements from producers Jhon Po and Jean DC.

Yaimir Jiménez aka "PITIT" aka "LIMPIA TIMPANOS" was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Now living in Sweden, Limpiatimpanos is known for his work in the 2004 release Seres Humanos with the group Alianza, a unique mixture of Latin Hip Hop, Caribbean rhythms and traditional Cuban music. Before forming ALIANZA and creating the album 'Seres Humanos', PITIT was the director of the hip hop group Grandes Ligas and he also participated in two of the most highly regarded Hip Hop projects in Cuba: Cuban Hip Hop All-Stars and Cuban Rap Ligas (Delabel Editions, France).

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Mike's WiFi works at Yoshi's - currently halfway through La bomba soy yo. Blazing hot. Rebeca Mauleón sat in during the first set and tore it up. Percussionists and bassist soloing. Life is good!

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... and all this week at Yoshi's SF and Yoshi's Oakland.

photos by Tom Ehrlich

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Saturday's Cócomo show was sublime. I could watch this rhythm section night after night -- in fact, that's exactly what I intend to do and six nights won't be nearly enough to satisfy me. Their approach, originally architected by Changuito himself, is unlike any other timba band. Along with güirero Julito Noroña (the son of Van Van founder Julio Noroña) the timbalero, Miguelito Escuriola holds down the fort by covering both bell parts, as Samuell or Riverón would do, while also working in the jamblock, freeing the magnificent drummer/arranger Bombón Reyes to orchestrate the arrangement with his inimitable left-handed combination of kick, snare, hihat and toms. Bay Area fans will remember conguero Duniesky Barreto from Bamboleo's many tours in the late 90s. Pupy uses a lot more gears than he used to, giving Duniesky a lot of space to shine. This band's groove grabs ahold of you and won't let go, and Pupy's songs are all timeless classics, from 1970s Van Van masterpieces to fresh-out-of-the-oven estrenos from the upcoming album.

The concert kept building and building to an extraordinary climax on a new arrangement of Pupy's Van Van classic, Ni bombones ni caramelos. Bay Area sonero Fito Reinoso sat in and delivered one of the most inspired vocal performances I've ever heard. Fito can always be counted on to rise to the occasion with his Cándido Fabré-inspired improvisations, but this time he really outdid himself. Seconds after he took the mike, the energy level, already high, went off the scale. Pupy himself was grinning from ear to ear and shaking his head. The standard Cándido approach is to find a catchy melodic phrase and repeat it with minor variations, improvising words to fit the occasion, but Fito transcended this completely, fluidly responding to the band's every accent and changing rhythm and melody as well as words in myriad brilliant and completely spontaneous ways. When the rhythm section locked into an extended bomba behind him the groove was almost unbearable. Next, they seamlessly broke way down to a short 3-part coro with minimal accompaniment and Fito slid right into it, keeping the same rhythmic intensity at a fraction of the volume.

It's been a long, painful decade of musical drought, but the floodgates have opened and it's catch-up time for the city by the bay. Wherever you're reading this from, catch a boat, plane or train and get yourself out here.

NY Times Review   --  Central Park Video Clip

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Pupy & Los Que Son Son are just at the beginning of their US tour . They have already played in Florida and at Summer Stage in New York, and you can catch them again on the East Coast tonight at S.O.B.s before they head out for 12 concerts in California . If you can't make tonight's concert, don't worry they will be back east again with a concert the 19th at the Salsa Room in Arlington, VA. , back at S.O.B.s on the 20th and the final concert is Boston on the 22nd. I tell you quite seriously, you don't want to let this opportunity pass you by, so find a way to make it to at least one of the concerts on this historic first tour! Click here for a full list of remaining gigs.

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