Three great new galleries from Peter Maiden - click on each photo to see the full gallery for that group.

Pedrito Martínez Group

QBA

Orquesta Borinquen

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Pedrito Martínez Group - Álvaro Benavides on bass - photo by Peter Maiden

Pedrito Martínez Group - San Jose Jazz Festival - photo by Peter Maiden

The 25th San Jose Jazz Festival was absolutely tremendous, capped by the Pedrito Martínez Group playing three stunning shows - one with special guest Calixto Oviedo and another with Jerry González sitting in on trumpet. Among dozens of other amazing acts was the California debut of the classic plena band Viento de Agua, led by Tito Matos, who will be conducting a plena clinic with John Santos at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco.

Tito Matos Clinic Tonight
6:30 to 8:30
2868 Mission St.
510-295-7685

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Sunday at SJ Jazz is truly a day for the ages. 

Three Pedrito Martínez Group concerts within a 12-hour period provide the incredible opportunity to experience just how differently this historically great band plays each time they pick up their instruments.

Here's my plan to get he most out of this tremendous lineup. Start by waking up a bit early to catch every note of PMG's 12:00 noon show on the main stage. While you wait for their 5:30 set at Café Strich you can hear the tremendous plena group Viento de Agua (with monster plenero Tito Matos) at 2:00 at the Blackbird stage, then slide back over to the main stage for John Santos' and Poncho Sánchez's musical tribute to the late great Armando Pereza, a wonderful man who did as much as anyone to put Northern California on the Latin music map. Next, there should be time to catch part of QBA's set on the salsa stage before the second PMG set at Café Stritch at 5:30. Next you can the tail end of either David Sanborn or the second Viento de Agua show before relaxin' at the Big Easy with Donald Harrison as you build up strength for Pedrito Martinez' climactic 9:00 closer at the Blackbird. [Kevin Moore]

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English:  What should have been Havana d'Primera's triumphant debut in Chicago instead became a surreal competition between a band that wanted to play excellent music and a sound system that attempted to make it sound like something not suitable for human ears.  Who won? Click here to find out. 
Español: Lo que debería haber sido el debut triunfal de  Havana d'Primera en Chicago en vez se convirtió en una competición surrealista entre una banda que quería tocar excelente música y un sistema de sonido que trató de hacer que suene como algo no adecuado para el oído humano. ¿Quién ganó? Haz clic aquí para averiguarlo.


English: The 5th Annual Festival Cubano in Chicago (August 15-17) will include a tribute to Juan Formell during its first night.   On the final night, the lineup includes one of Bill Tilford's favorite bands, Palo!  What else is happening?  Click here to find out. 
Español: El quinto anual Festival Cubano en Chicago (15-17 de agosto) incluirá un homenaje a Juan Formell durante su primera noche. Para la noche final, la lista de los grupos incluye uno de los grupos favoritos de Bill Tilford, Palo!  ¿Qué más pasará?  Haz clic aquí para averiguarlo. 

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