"¡Ahora sí!" Andy Montañéz at Roccapulco in 2001, one of the multitude of photos Peter Maiden took of Salsa and Timba giants during his intensive 17 years of coverage of the scene. He is stepping down from regular work in music, but says he will definitely still be around. "If you can handle the time involved, the crowds, if you have fast lenses, this work is incredible, and the familiarity with the musicians is wonderful." Peter is currently working on a fiction project as he recovers from a bicycle accident, and he is mastering iPod Touch photography.

Meanwhile, I've finished the latest Beyond Salsa video - this one on Salsa, Songo & The Roots of Latin Jazz - featuring a priceless video of Dizzy Gillespie talking about meeting Chano Pozo, the creation of Manteca, and the importance of Chano's legendary bass tumbao in the development of North American music.

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Filmed by Michael Croy in Feb. 1996, this was part of a special concert at Casa de la Música.

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Live Los Van Van from their peak late-90s period with the epic front line of Pedrito Calvo, Mayito Rivera and Robertón Hernández - still several years before the departure of Pupy Pedroso and with all parts of their tremendous creative engine firing on all cylinders. This is a particularly hot performance with surprisingly good audio quality.

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Master percussionist Calixto Oviedo is back with his second Latin Jazz album, due for release very soon. We have heard four of the songs that he has uploaded to his YouTube channel. Below you will find a short teaser with clips of some of the tracks that will be on the album. We have recieved this preliminary review from Miriam Dotls who has had the pleasure of hearing more than we have.

"Calixto Oviedo is finishing his second Latin Jazz production  with his band The Cuban Jazz Train. This new band, which is emerging in L.A. as the flag of Latin Jazz in California and one of the most noted in the USA these days, will present compositions by Yosmel Montejo (bassist), Joel Nunez (sax) Yasser Morejón (one of the great Cuban bassists who resides in Denmark), Calixto Oviedo as well as some classics of Latin Jazz. "Como Suena" is the name of a composition by Yosmel Montejo that also lends its name to the CD. Soon,  in late May, we will be enjoying The Cuban Jazz Train.

The musicians are Montejo Yosmel - bass, Joel Nunez - piano, Nathanael Molina and Alex Rivas -piano, Christian Moraga - congas, Lily D Oviedo - vocals and one of the great Cuban trumpeters of the moment guest star Josiel Perez on flugelhorn. It will for sure be an album that everyone will enjoy, and from now on with what little I have heard you can say Como Suena!" - Miriam Dotls

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