Conjunto Chappottin y Sus Estrellas is in the middle of a first-time-ever US tour.  This legendary band dates to the Arsenio Rodriguez era and continues to defend that music with a powerful conjunto that includes 4 trumpets.  Chicagoans can (and should, we might add) catch them tonight, July 14 at Martyrs'  (the photos are from yesterday's excellent performance at the Square Roots Festival). The rest of the tour dates can be found here: 

Conjunto Chappottín y Sus Estrellas Summer Tour

We'll have a lot more pictures and a full review later this week. 

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continue reading Sin Clave No Hay Na

Cuban Summer 2014 is in full swing, and in just three hours Oderquis Revé y Su Changüí will kick off the the Cuba in Nijmegen Festival at Hennes Latin Stage in Nijmegen, Netherlands during the annual "international 4 day marches Nijmegen".

If you missed our report last year, here's a link where you can learn more about how the Cuba in Nijmegen festival got started. But what I can tell you about it right now is that it is the most intensive week-long Cuban festival in Europe. Unlike other festivals that feature a new band each night, sometimes several bands in one night, Cuba in Nijmegen lets you really immerse yourself in the bands. Just like in Havana, you can see you favorite bands over and over again! 

This year the focus is on Changüí with Oderquis performing tonight and tomorrow night at 20:00. Elito Revé y Su Charangón will perform three days July 15, 16 and 17 at 21:30. And it should be noted that the new CD, "La Aplanadora de Cuba", will finally be released internationally on Monday, July 14 at iTunes and mallcubano.com. If you can make one of the concert nights take som extra cash just in case they are selling the hardcopy. It is still hard to come by outside of Cuba.

Other bands performing this year are Orquesta Salsabor on Monday the 14th and Tomi y Su Timbalight on Friday the 18th. Now if all of this isn't enough for you, let me throw in one more detail: It's free! So seriously, take a trip to Nijmegen and spend this week immersing yourself in changüí timba! It's the closest thing to Havana that you will find. Click here for the full program.

Here is your personal invitation!

Do you know that feeling too? After a great gig you want more. "Otra Otra Otra!" 

But ... where to find a place to see your favorite band 2 to 3 days in a row. In Nijmegen, a medium-sized university town in the Netherlands. 

This spring they already enjoyed a concert by Los Van Van and Havana D'Primera at the local International Music Festival 'Music Meeting'. 

Totally awesome, but for only one performance. Fortunately local entrepreneur 'Hennes' brings a godsend, again.  For his annual party, everyone's invited by the way, he again booked a few Top Cuban bands. 

With an emphasis on Changui this year:
Oderquis Revé y su Changüí making a start on July 12 and 13
Orquesta Salsabor July 14 
Elito Revé y su Charangón July 15, 16 and 17
Tomi & su Timbalight July 18 

 In the mood...come and party with Hennes, Marloes and the now solid fan base of this unique festival. 

                  "Hennes celebrates his annual party and everyone's invited." 

- Free entrance -

Hennes Latin Stage @ Facebook

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continue reading Timbera Mayor

IT'S ALIVE!!! Beyond Salsa Bass Volume 3 is a historical behemoth of a Latin Bass Book! Doubling as a history and music appreciation course, at 442 pages, Beyond Salsa Bass Vol.3 is by far the longest of the 26 Beyond Salsa books and the first to extensively cover New York and Puerto Rican salsa and pre-salsa as well as Latin jazz. Its audio product (separate purchase) has 616 tracks (a generous selection of 60 free audio tracks is also available by download). The book includes a bass tumbao for every piano tumbao in each of Volumes 3 and 4 of the Beyond Salsa Piano series, but it also includes hundreds of bass tumbaos from and historical analyses of areas of Latin music not covered in the piano series: Puerto Rico, New York, Latin Jazz, the Cuban descargas and additional aspects of the Cuban music of 1959-1989, i.e., from the Cuban Revolution to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. 

CLICK HERE for a FREE pdf sample of Beyond Salsa Bass Volume 3

CLICK HERE to download 60 FREE Tracks from Beyond Salsa Bass Volume 3

In other news about the Beyond Salsa Series, in addition to Bass V3, the next book is almost done as well - Beyond Salsa Piano, Vol. 12 - Pupy Pedroso, Pt. 3 - Los Van Van in the 1990s. The book is equal parts history and piano - covers Van Van's amazing transition into the timba era, arguably van van's greatest period, which includes the top two songs in the timba.com readers poll - Soy todo and Te pone la cabeza mala, and the top album, Llegó Van Van. 

It was during this period that Samuel Formell replaced Changuito and that Ángel Bonne, Mayito Rivera and Robertón Hernández all joined. The seven (7) albums covered are Crónicas, Aquí el que baila gana, Azúcar, Lo último en vivo, Ay Dios ampárame, Te pone la cabeza mala and Llegó Van Van. The book includes some of pupy's most famous tumbaos, including Qué tiene Van Van, El negro está cocinando, Disco Azúcar, Que le den candela, Tranquilo Mota etc. It also includes piano and bass parts for each tumbao PLUS awesome photos by Tom Ehrlich, Patrick Bonnard and others. [Mike Lazarus]

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continue reading Pa' Ponerte en Talla

The San José Jazz Festival has by far its best lineup ever this year, with Pedrito Martínez, Conjunto Chappottín, Calixto Oviedo, Jerry González and the Fort Apache Band, Jimmy Bosch, Wayne Wallace, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, Pasión Habanera, Jesús Díaz y su QBA ... it goes on and on.

Meanwhile, trumpeter/musical director Josiel Pérez and promoter Peggy Jo Oliva have created a new group called AC Jazz Project that - its name notwithstanding - sounds like very hot timba to me. Josiel and bassist Yosmel Montejo played the US several times with Maraca y Otra Visión, and the drummer is none other than the great Calixto Oviedo, of NG La Banda and Beyond Salsa fame (all right - mostly of NG La Banda fame ...).They're already booked for Yoshi's on August 30. The band also features Fermin Sifontes, Joel Núñez, Santiago Santiuste, lead vocalist Julio César Bouza Hernández and Christian Arturo Gutiérrez .

Also, Havana d'Primera is confirmed for Yoshi's SF on Aug 1 and 2. We'll have much more on this soon. Also, Roberto Roena has put together a group to replace Pupy y Los Que Son Son at Stern Grove on July 20. [Kevin Moore]

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continue reading La Última