I spoke to Samuel Formell today and he was about to leave Miami and return to Cuba. The orchestra will be in the US in July 2015 through August 25th.

Read our "La Fantasía" album review (in English) here 
Oprima aquí para leer nuestra reseña del nuevo disco de Los Van Van "La Fantasía" (Español)

"This year marks the 45th anniversary of LOS VAN VAN and preparations are underway for this summer's 2015 USA Tour, in support of our new album La Fantasia, created an as homaje to my father, Juan Formell." Samuel said. "Jenny, Roberton, Lele and Mandy will be singing on this tour. We have dates already booked for San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Miami with many more to come. We look forward to the return of EL TREN and he will be performing with a 15-piece band."

Searock Music LLC proudly announces the U.S. 2015 tour of Formell y Los Van Van, Cuba’s legendary, Grammy-winning dance orchestra.  Performance dates will be posted on www.Searockmusic.com and on Facebook under SeaRock Entertainment.

Heralded as Cuba’s greatest dance orchestra and known throughout the world for their iconic live performances, Los Van Van return to then US, reuniting with Leo Tizol, the producer and creative force behind their 1996 debut tour of the U.S.

Founded in 1969 by Juan Formell, Los Van Van continue to dominate as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of contemporary Afro-Caribbean music.  Fans can expect to hear the group’s greatest hits along with work from their more current CD releases. 

Continuing the legacy of the late Juan Formell, his son Samuel, the band's artistic director, has left no doubt that the group will follow the footsteps of his father. The tour of Los Van Van will present compositions from their latest production entitled La Fantasía ("The Fantasy"), a collection of danceable tracks incorporating innovative, contemporary arrangements of Juan Formell’s hits from past

“La Fantasía es el mejor album de los Van Van”- Samuel Formell

For group availability, contact:
Searock Entertainment - Leo Tizol - Tour Producer/Artist Representative
mundolibremusic@aol.com
 (917) 687 - 2486

Ernesto Lago - Tour Producer 
(917) 617 - 5708
ernesto@searockmusic.com

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Tom Ehrlich has discovered a new magazine -  Jazzin’, reporting on jazz in Puerto Rico and   scheduled to release its first monthly issue in February, 2015. It will include interviews, reviews of recordings, listings of concerts and more. The magazine will be distributed mainly in Puerto Rico in clubs and restaurants, but the magazine is available to people outside the island for the cost of shipping and handling. If anyone is interested in getting a subscription to this magazine, contact Wilbert Sostre at wsostre@gmail.com. 

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PALO! anticipates Grammy(R) week with video premiere and concert. - Miami’s Afro-Cuban Funk band PALO! has much to celebrate: A Grammy nomination and headlining a concert at one of Hollywood’s top music venues. In anticipation of Grammy Week, timba.com is featuring the Exclusive World Premiere of their music video “La Malanga Resbala”.

PALO! storms Los Angeles on February 3rd for Grammy week with a series of high profile appearances on TV, radio and digital media. (Follow “gopalo” on social media to keep track.) The week culminates with Music’s Biggest Night: The 57th Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 8, 2015.

On Friday, February 6, PALO! will be performing at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood.
Tickets can be purchased here.  

“We are blown away.” said Steve Roitstein, the group’s founder and pianist, when asked about their Grammy nomination. “We started PALO! to have fun and make music we’re proud of. Happily, our fans like it too. But this kind of industry recognition was totally unexpected. It’s a real honor.”

The video for “La Malanga Resbala” features a 1950’s-influenced approach. PALO! collaborated with directors Ralf Gonzalez and Andrew Peña, art director Rene Quesada, and fashion designer Yas Gonzalez, who created singer Leslie Cartaya’s look. “They did a fantastic job to reflect our mix of vintage and contemporary sounds.” Roitstein told timba.com. “The Cuban flavor is echoed in the visuals.” In addition to the Grammy Nomination for Best Tropical Latin Album of the Year, the album “PALO! Live” was also nominated for a 2014 Latin Grammy. For more information about the group, see gopalo.com.

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With Mezcla's 30th Anniversary this year, a few things are happening:  Last week, Radio Metropolitana had a special segment devoted to Mezcla during the week, and on February 15, a new release, Pure Mezcla, will be unveiled as a digital download on Latinpulsemusic.com. There will be some special concert events featuring Mezcla in the weeks to come in Cuba.
A very popular video with unmastered audio of a song from their live concert at Yoshi's Oakland in 2013, Mambo Influenciado, has been on Mezcla's YouTube channel for months; a mastered audio version has now been published on YouTube as a leadup to the new album release:  

This is a great time to be in Chicago if you love Cuban Jazz and Funk.  Orlando Sanchez Soto (Cubajazz)  and Danae Blanco are thriving on a riff at Sabor a Café - you can read more and see a photo gallery here.  
Then, on February 6-7, Eliel Lazo is coming to the same establishment for a concert and workshop (we covered Eliel Lazo & The Cuban Funk Machine a few posts back.)  Finally, the Pedrito Martínez Group comes to Chicago at the City Winery on February 15.  This has become the PMG's regular annual outpost in Chicago, and we believe this will be the first time there with their new lineup. 

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