Serious students of the music and musicians with a sense of history already know why this is important. For those who aren't familiar with Arsenio, he was merely one of the most transformative figures in the history of Cuban popular music in the 20th Century.  You can read more about him and his many musical innovations in Kevin Moore's Roots of Timba article here. Arsenio did not die wealthy, and for decades his legacy was often neglected except by the many musicians who used his ideas and his music.  This honor is both appropriate and long overdue. 

leave a comment

continue reading Sin Clave No Hay Na

A lot of exciting things for US listeners are coming soon:

Chucho Valdés will be touring the United States in support of the release of his latest CD with the Afro-Cuban Messengers , Border-Free .   This is a killer recording, and you can read our review here. The following US Tour dates have been announced:
June 21:  The Town Hall, New York, NY
Aug 10:  Stanford Jazz / Bing Concert Hall, Stanford, CA
Aug 13:  Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston, TX
Aug 14:  Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

Although the López-Nussa family may not have the same level of name recognition as the Valdés family in the United States, it's not for lack of merit.  Two of them, Harold López-Nussa and his brother Ruy Adrian López-Nussa , are touring the US as a duo in June. You can read our review of Harold's wonderful 2011 recording El País de la Maravillas here. The following dates have been posted for that tour: 
June 12: Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, CA
June 13-16:  SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco, CA
June 18: Jazz Standard, New York, NY
June 19: An die Music, Baltimore, MD
                                               June 21: Regattabar, Cambridge, MA
(also scheduled at Montreal Jazz Festival, July 1)

In other news, Manuel Valera is finishing up another New Cuban Express recording in New York. The last one, which knocked our socks off,  was nominated for a GRAMMY in Latin Jazz last year along with a Cubadisco 2013 nomination in the same category.  Manuel tells us that the group will include mostly the same personnel as the first recording plus additional percussion and may be "perhaps even more Cuban".  We can't wait to hear this!

Over the weekend, we caught the Chuchito Valdés Trio in Chicago. These guys have some serious chemistry going on, and if they should happen to drop in on your town, check them out.  A review and photo gallery are here. 

leave a comment

continue reading Sin Clave No Hay Na

UPDATE: Lots of youtube clips of HdP in Vegas. Their next show is Tuesday night (7:00 and 9:00) at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz.

First of all, the links: HdP is at Sam's Town Casino - Mayimbe is again at Café Cócomo as the climax of an all-day Peruvian celebration. Click continue reading for our already massive post of photos, video, links and concert reportage on both shows and related topics, with more coming soon. Left photo below by Peter Maiden, right photos of Rueda con Ritmo with Mayimbe by Tom Ehrlich. 

Click here to CONTINUE READING FOR MUCH MORE (para ver más fotos oprima aquí). This post will be updated several times this afternoon. Tom Ehrlich's and Peter Maiden's photo galleries under NEW STUFF are also works in progress and will get longer and more detailed over the next few days so keep refreshing your page.

leave a comment

continue reading La Última

Havana d'Primera tore it up at Yoshi's last night and are back again tonight. Mayimbe starts at midnight at Cócomo - bring your Yoshi's HdP ticket stub for a $5 discount. Mayimbe also Sunday night. HdP goes to Vegas Sunday, then back to SANTA CRUZ Tuesday night at Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Here's the rest of the massive tour. [all photos by Tom Ehrlich]

leave a comment

continue reading La Última