Pupy y Los Que Son Son will soon be gracing the stages of Europe. The tour begins in just over one month and will take them to eleven countries including their first-ever concerts in the UK! Pupy will be bringing his legendary music to Glasgow on May 29th and London on the 30th. The London tickets are going fast so please get yours in time. I've seen Pupy in Europe twice and both concerts were sold out. Click here to find a concert near you.

If you've been following our International Timba Month posts, you've seen the 2001 videos of Pupy y Los Que Son Son with Tirso, Pepito and Mandy as well as a guest appearance by Mayito. Here is their most recent video "La Conga Pelotera" from the album "Sin Límites". You can keep up with the latest news about Pupy y Los Que Son Son at their official Facebook page. Dale Like!

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continue reading Timbera Mayor

ENGLISH:
During Cubadisco 2014, EGREM was kind enough to give me permission to photograph NG La Banda and Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco in the Casa de la Música Miramar.  The Casas are one of the best options for tourists to enjoy some of the best current Timba bands. You can view the photo gallery here. 

Also, see the Reviews section for new reviews of recordings by NG La Banda, Elito Reve y su Charangón and Moncada. 

ESPAÑOL: 
Durante Cubadisco 2014, EGREM tuvo la amabilidad de darme permiso para fotografiar NG La Banda y Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco en la Casa de la Música Miramar. Las Casas son una de las mejores opciones para los turistas a disfrutar de los mejores grupos que tocan la Timba en la actualidad. Puede ver la galería de fotos aquí. 

Además, vea la sección Reseñas para nuevas reseñas de grabaciones de NG La Banda, Elito Revé y su Charangon y Moncada. 

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continue reading Sin Clave No Hay Na

This one covers the early history of the bass tumbao up through 1950 and Arsenio Rodríguez. Lots of interesting stuff on changüí.

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continue reading La Última

This is flat-out one of the hottest things I've ever seen. It's probably February 1997 but I'm not sure. Pututi II looks a bit older than he does here. Apparently Pututi I, who was playing drumset on the Marianao video, was out sick with la gripa, so his brother, who normally played timbales, had to play both drums and timbales on short notice. This is itself is not such a feat - many bands, like Van Van and el Trabuco, require their drummers to do this every night, but to do it on the fly - and to do it like THIS is just mind-boggling. Pututi II, and the güiro player, and the whole band, are just out of their minds. I saw Manolín at this same Quinta Avenida outdoor nightclub the very first night I ever spent in Cuba (Feb. 1999) - a concert that led to the creation of timba.com (and the loss of my sanity). There was something truly magical about that outdoor venue that seemed to set every band on fire. The camera stays on the percussion but if you listen carefully you can hear that Issac Delgado is sitting in on two songs.

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continue reading La Última