Tonight at 9pm in Havana's Teatro Nacional Alexander Abreu & Havana D'Primera officially release their album "La Vuelta al Mundo". Guests at the concert will include Carlos Vareles, Osain del Monte and salsero Luis Enrique, who shares vocals the title track with Alexander. The album was released oustide Cuba by Pafata Productions and won both a Grand Prize and Best Dance Music Album - Maestros at Cubadisco 2015. I don't know if this official release concert marks the release of the Cuban version of the CD on the Unicornio label or if we still have to wait for that to become available. In any case, Teatro Nacional is the place to be tonight if you find yourself in Havana. For more information about the Pafata release and speculation about what may yet be to come, checkout Bill's review . If you don't have "La Vuelta al Mundo" yet, you can buy it from the digital retailers such as iTunes, Amazon and CD-Baby.

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Click the link for the Cuban Jazz Train homepage

Calixto Oviedo's second Latin Jazz CD will drop July 30th with a Record Release Event at the prestigious Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. The event begins at 8:30pm and will feature special guests. You can buy your tickets in advance .

Amazingly the album has not leaked to the public yet, but those who have heard it during production have given rave reviews. For example, independent journalist Angel Lopez says:

In 2015 Calixto Oviedo brings us a CD of pure Cuban Jazz in his second independent Jazz production. While we have only heard a few songs from this CD, even un-mixed they already carry the promise of a big prize. What artistry by this legendary drummer, timbalero, conguero, composer and bandleader - in short a living legend of all the best we have in this Latin world! I promise you will love it. Please follow him. He is one of the greatest musicians of Cuba and one of the most innovative drummers of all time. The compositions are masterful; there is guaracha, afro, Pilón - a little of everything for your enjoyment. Don't miss it Los Angelinos  - Como Suena .

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ENGLISH: While in Cuba in May, BIll Tilford had the opportunity to attend several concerts by important Cuban groups.   Photo galleries with commentaries are now available of two Cubadisco award winners: Septeto Santiaguero (here) and Alejandro Falcón (here).  On Tuesday, July 14, Alejandro Falcón will be the featured guest on The Afro Cuban Jazz Edition, a radio program in English hosted by Frankie Pineiro in which BIll Tilford participates,  on WSLR.  To learn more, you can visit the program's Facebook page here. 

Check out our Reviews section for some new CD reviews.  Also, two items of interest in Chicago and South Florida:  In Chicago, Tiempo Libre will be at the Square Roots Festival on Sunday July 12.  In the Sarasota, Florida area, tres phenomenon Renesito Avich will be giving a series of lessons and concerts during the next few weeks.  For more information about these, visit http://renesitoavich.com/

ESPAÑOL: Mientras en Cuba en mayo, BIll Tilford tuvo la oportunidad de asistir a varios conciertos de importantes agrupaciones cubanas. Galerías de fotos con comentarios ahora están disponibles de dos ganadores de premios Cubadisco: Septeto Santiaguero (aquí) y Alejandro Falcón (aquí) . El martes, 14 de julio,  Alejandro Falcón será el invitado especial en The Afro Cuban Jazz Edition,  un programa radial en inglés conducido por Frankie Piñeiro en el que BIll Tilford participa, en WSLR. Para obtener más información, puede visitar la página de Facebook del programa aquí.

Eche un vistazo a nuestra sección de Reseñas para algunas nuevas reseñas de CD. Además, dos itemes de interés en Chicago y el sur de Florida: En Chicago: Tiempo Libre tocará en el Square Roots Festival el domingo,  12 de julio.  En el área de Sarasota, Florida, fenómeno del tres Renesito Avich va a dar una serie de lecciones y conciertos durante las próximas semanas. Para obtener más información acerca de ellos, visite http://renesitoavich.com/

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Mala maña is a brilliant new arrangement from PMG's new pianist Edgar Pantoja:

Tom also filmed Pedrito's unaccompanied conga tour de force at the Santa Cruz show:

And here's the first installment of photos from PMO's soundcheck at Stern Grove:

                                     Braulio Barrera and Omar Ledezma of Pacific Mambo Orchestra

More PMO photos (from the concert itself) will be posted later this week.

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