Tom Ehrlich's photos from this year's SJ Jazz Summerfest are up. Click here for Friday and here for Saturday. Check back soon for Sunday.

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ENGLISH:   We'll start with what was originally going to be a Leoni Torres Chicago concert review.  
Due what appears to have been a failure of the local promoter/emcee on the ground (who will remain nameless since even unflattering publicity is publicity)  to resolve a press pass issue in a timely fashion, we did not cover this concert to emphasize why this was unacceptable.  Leoni deserved better coverage, and we do hope that  the concert went well. 

ESPAÑOL:  Comenzaremos con lo que originalmente iba a ser una reseña de un concierto de Leoni Torres en Chicago.
Debido a lo que parece haber sido un fracaso del promotor / presentador local en el terreno (quien permanecerá sin nombre ya que incluso la publicidad poco halagüeña es publicidad) para resolver un problema de pase de prensa de manera oportuna, no observamos este concierto con el fin de enfatizar que eso era inaceptable . Leoni mereció una mejor cobertura, y esperamos que el concierto haya ido bien. 

ENGLISH:  You can see our photo gallery and review of Manolito Simonet in Chicago here



ESPAÑOL:  Puede ver nuestra galería de fotos y reseña de Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco en Chicago aquí.

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[all photos by Tom Ehrlich] It was vintage Issac Delgado at SF JAZZ Thursday night, with a 13-piece working band from Cuba--a full complement of young conservatory studs, including a wild new pianist, Victor Campbell, along with three celebrated veterans:

- musical director/tecladista Yusef Díaz of Klímax fame

- Elpidio Chappottín, a founding member of Los Metales del Terror who recorded with NG La Banda when Issac was singing lead

- trombonist Ariel Guillot, who began playing with Issac in the late-90s, taking a break to play with Pupy for a few years.

The show was all in Issac's classic live timba style, thus turning the tributes to Cheo Feliciano and Beny Moré into two of the hottest numbers of the night. The songs spanned Issac's full career, from NG (Necesito una amiga) through the torrid 90s (La sandunguita was truly ferocious) and onwards to La primera plana, Salsa, timba y amor, tracks from the new album, and--in true timba fashion--a few new improvisational tumbaos thrown in for good measure. Chappottín played several smoking hot solos with the soon-to-be-famous young lions hot on his heels. The pianist one-upped Jimi Hendrix by playing part of his solo with his back to the keyboard (almost infinitely harder than JImi's behind-the-neck trick because both hands are doubly reversed from their usual functions). He didn't use his teeth, however. Maybe he will as the weekend progresses! [Kevin Moore]

They're back Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Don't miss it.

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Two US tours worth catching if you can are about to begin:  


I.  Manolito Simonet y  Su Trabuco  are touring multiple US cities from August 23 to 31 as they celebrate 25 years for the band.   Currently-announced dates and locales are

August 23, 2019 - Miami, FL. - Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center 
August 24, 2019 - Tampa, FL. - Avalon Event Center
August 25, 2019 - Chicago, IL. - JC Martini Club
August 29, 2019 - New York, NY. - S.O.B.s
August 30, 2019 - Washington D.C. - Howard Theatre
August 31, 2019 - Newark, N.J. - Palacio Europa

We will be covering the the Chicago performance.   

II.  Leoni Torres will be touring the US from August 23 to September 22 and again with a visit to Miami Beach in February 2020.   We will be covering the Chicago concert on August 29 at the House of Blues. 

This being TIMBA.com, Manolito Simonet is already well-known to you if you are reading this, and you already know why you need to go.   Leoni Torres sang with Maravilla de Florida and Charanga Habanera  for several years before launching a solo career in 2006.  His style is eclectic but tends towards Salsa Cubana including ballads. In a addition to his solo work, he has had collaborations with Gente de Zona and Gilberto Santa Rosa among others.  Here is a taste of him with Gilberto Santa Rosa. 

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