Master drummer Calixto Oviedo will be performing May 23rd, at The Granada in L.A. with Salsa, Timba y Sabor Band. Vocalists are Grammy nominated singer Lily D Oviedo and Cuban sonero George Balmaseda. Musicians include Serafin Aguilar on trumpet, Yosmel Montejo on bass, as well as Ramon Flores,  Natanael Molina,  and others. This will be their only L.A. show so don't miss it!

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photo by Tom, Erhlich • 2010 • Yoshi's, San Francisco

Last night we lost the most important Cuban musician since Arsenio Rodríguez. 

A few hours before getting this horrible news Orlando Fiol and I were working out the chord changes to a string of Juan Formell songs and marveling at his endless creativity. The track below, from 1996, is typical of Formell's best work - running the full range of emotions, starting with melancholy and building slowly and relentlessly through a series of higher and higher climaxes.

A handful of the greatest musicians are able to spend a few years in that magical zone where one brilliant idea flows out of the last and each connects directly with the hearts of their public. Juan Formell stepped into that zone with Aquí se enciende la candela in 1970 and stayed there for as long as he stayed on this earth. 

Among countless awards, Formell won the Grammy in 1999 for Llegó Van Van and the Grammy Latino a la Excelencia in 2013. He also composed the top two songs in our "greatest timba song of all-time" poll - Soy todo and Te pone la cabeza mala. I clearly recall counting the votes and it was not remotely close. But for every towering hit that you know by heart there's another - just as great - that you may not have discovered: Barriste con el, No somos de la gran escena, Quién no ha dicho una mentira, Ponte para las cosas, Pero a mi manera, Si tú te vas, Mis dudas, Me basta con pensar, Tú tranquilo ... we've lost the man, but his music will last forever.

Formell's death caps one of the most tragic two-week periods in memory, with the losses of Armando Peraza, Cheo Feliciano, Chuck Silverman, and Gabriel García Márquez.

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ENGLISH: The list of  nominees for the Cubadisco 2014 awards was made public Tuesday, April 29, at a press conference in Havana, Cuba. The Publications Department of Cubadisco has helpfully sent us the official Nominees booklet and granted permission to share it with the rest of the world.   You can download this and read some of Bill Tilford's observations about the nominations here. 

ESPAÑOL: La lista de nominados a los premios Cubadisco 2014 se hizo pública el martes, 29 de abril, en una conferencia de prensa en La Habana, Cuba.  El Departamento de Publicaciones de Cubadisco nos ha enviado amablamente el folleto oficial de Nominados y ha concedido el permiso para compartirlo con el resto del mundo.  Puede descargar este folleto y leer algunas observaciones de Bill TIlford sobre las nominaciones aquí.

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Pianist Jorge Luis Pacheco will be at Piedmont Piano for two shows Saturday and will be sitting in with Rumbaché and Walt Digz at the Cigar Bar tomorrow night.

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