The 9th Edition of Festival Cubano in Riis Park, Chicago, Illinois, will have a very special closing Sunday -  Adalberto Álvarez y su Son in their first Chicago appearance since 1999 followed by Gilberto Santa Rosa,  who is Boricua but has become very popular in Cuba lately due to his collaborations with a few artists there.
In its beginnings, Festival Cubano was very cautious (excessively so in this writer's opinion) about booking artists from the island.  In recent years, this has no longer been an issue, and we salute them for that.  Chicago deserves to hear this music.    One thing that the Festival has done well since its beginnings is showcase Chicago's community of  fine Cuban-American musical talent, and it continues to do so this year.  Many of these bands don't have regular club or restaurant gigs, so catch them while you can!
This is a three-day festival from Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 12.   There are a lot of things besides the concerts - food, rides for the kiddies, dominos etc. etc.   For a complete listing of events and performers, tickets etc, visit the Festival Cubano website here

If you haven't seen it yet, we have a photo gallery of one of  Maqueuque's June performances at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago here.  Melvis Santa was with them this trip. 

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ENGLISH: This Saturday July 21st, César "Pupy" Pedroso y Los Que Son Son  will present their new CD "Pásandola Bien" with a grand concert at Teatro Mella in Havana. Guests include Alejandro Falcón, Manolito Simonet, Lazarito Valdés, Los Niches and Charly Mucha Rima. 

"Pasándola Bien" is Pupy's seventh CD since he left Los Van Van to create his own orchestra "Los Que Son Son". He also recorded three solo CDs while still a member of Van Van. Click here for more about Pupy's discography. The latest album contains a stunning 15 tracks albeit the final track is more of a despedida based on the opening track "Pasándola bien". The CD is available at iTunes and other digital retailers. If you're in Cuba pick me up a hardcopy please!  From their recent European tour I leave you with "La cuenta decisiva" lead vocals by 19-year-old Alcibiades Durruthy.

ESPAÑOL: Este sábado 21 de julio, César "Pupy" Pedroso y Los Que Son Son presentarán su nuevo CD "Pasándola Bien" con un gran concierto en el Teatro Mella de La Habana. Los invitados incluyen a Alejandro Falcón, Manolito Simonet, Lazarito Valdés, Los Niches y Charly Mucha Rima.

"Pasándola Bien" es el séptimo CD de Pupy desde que dejó Los Van Van para crear su propia orquesta  - "Los Que Son Son". También grabó tres CD solistas mientras aún era integrante de Van Van. Haz clic aquí para ver más sobre la discografía de Pupy. El último álbum contiene unas impresionantes 15 pistas, aunque la última pista es más una despedida basada en la canción de apertura "Pasándola bien". El CD está disponible en iTunes y otros minoristas digitales. Si estás en Cuba, llévame una copia impresa, por favor. De su reciente gira europea los dejo con "La cuenta decisiva"  voz principal de Alcibiades Durruthy, que sólo tiene 19 años.

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ENGLISH: This Sunday July 8th Frosinone, Italy will host Europe's biggest Latin Awards event at the new stadium Benito Stirpe. The show begins at 7:00 p.m. and will last six hours! The show will include artists from various countries but for the timberos the poster above is what excites us: Havana D'Primera, NG La Banda, Los Van Van, Paulo FG, Issac Delgado, Manolín and representing for reggaeton are Yomil & El Dany and Osmani Garcia. If you are in Italy and can make the show, here is a link to purchase tickets. If not, you can look for it on Italian TV. They were negotiating to show it on Mega TV in Miami as well, but I don't know how that turned out.

ESPAÑOL: Este domingo 8 de julio, Frosinone, Italia, será la sede del evento de Premios Latinos más grande de Europa en el nuevo estadio Benito Stirpe. El espectáculo comienza a las 7:00 p.m. y durará seis horas! El show incluirá artistas de varios países, pero para los timberos el afiche arriba es lo que nos emociona: Havana D'Primera, NG La Banda, Los Van Van, Paulo FG, Issac Delgado, Manolín y representando el reggaeton estarán Yomil & El Dany y Osmani Garcia. Si te encuentras en Italia y puedes ir al espectáculo, aquí hay un enlace para comprar boletos. Si no, puedes buscarlo en la TV italiana. También estaban negociando para mostrarlo en Mega TV en Miami, pero no sé cómo resultó.

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ENGLISH: The festivals continue in Varadero. July 12th marks the start of four days of concerts featuring 20 Cuban and international artists at the Jazz & Son festival at Josone Park in Varadero. The park will also host a fair of Cuban cultural products. Concerts begin each evening at 8:30pm and continue until 3:00am. From 2:00am-4:00am the Hotel Melia Varadero will have an aftershow jam with Yissy García and Bandaancha.

Click here for the full program and to buy tickets.

ESPAÑOL: Los festivales continúan en Varadero. El 12 de julio marca el comienzo de cuatro días de conciertos con 20 artistas cubanos e internacionales en el festival Jazz & Son en el Parque Josone de Varadero. El parque también presentará una feria de productos culturales cubanos. Los conciertos comienzan cada noche a las 8:30 p.m. y continúan hasta las 3:00 a.m. De 2:00 a.m. a 4:00 a.m., el Hotel Melia Varadero tendrá una descarga después de la fiesta con Yissy García y Bandaancha.

Haz clic aquí para ver el programa completo y comprar entradas.

Participanting bands:
Los Muñequitos de Matanzas
Osaín del Monte
Rumbatá
Rumberos de Cuba
Yissy y Banda XX (with Telmary & Vania Borges)
Dayme Arocena
Septeto Santiaguero
Pancho Amat
Nicholas Payton
Álvaro Torres
Ernán López Nussa
Horacio "El Negro"
Gente D'Zona
Issac Delgado
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Alejandro Falcón
Roberto Carlos "Cucurucho" Rodriguez
Michel Herrera
DeCuba
Los Van Van

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