Pablo Milanés will be back in Spain for two concerts in March before setting out on a world tour later this year. His long-awaited new CD will also be released later this year, and we will get back to you as soon as we have the details. For now the two dates in Spain are:
March 13, 2013  – San Sebastián, Spain  – Victoria Eugenia
March 15, 2012  – A Coruña, Spain – Teatro Colón

I finally saw Pablo live last October in Madrid and it was a thrilling experience. If you don't live in Spain, just take a a mini vacation like I did. You can read my full concert report here, including six videos of Pablo and two of opening act Andrés Suárez. If you don't have time for that right now, I leave you with one of the most beautiful songs in the Spanish language: "Si ella me faltara alguna vez".

Pablo Milanés performs "Si ella me faltara alguna vez" in Madrid 15 October 2013

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The brand new state-of-the-art SF Jazz hall plays host to Juan d'Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars for the next four nights. The acoustics are supposed to be absolutely sublime and the band definitely is. Juan will also give a lecture/demonstration (same venue) on Saturday afternoon. See you there!

Click here for more info and tickets.

Click here for the rest of the tour (WA, Canada, Arcata, etc.)

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In less than two weeks the annual Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival will kick off with an inaugural carnival at La Fuente de la Juventud. This is the biggest percussion event of the year with percussion conferences and classes, dance shows and concerts by the biggest timba bands, jazz groups and rumba/folklore groups.  The event includes the participation of international artists from Venezuela, Puerto Rico,Curaçao, Canada, the USA, Japan and Chile. Performances and conferences will be held at Palacio de la Rumba, Hotel Habana Libre, Teatro Mella, Hotel Occidental Miramar, Hotel Melia Cohiba, Casa de la Música Miramar and Salon Rosado de La Tropical. If you will be in Havana during this period don't miss this amazing event. It is a union of some of the world's greatest percussionists. All the information including the full program can be found at the Fiesta del Tambor website.

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February 19th is an important day in Latin music history. In 1932 Cuba's first all-women dance band, Anacaona, was formed by Cuchito Castro and her sisters Ada, Bola, and Ondina. Also part of the original band were Isabel Álvarez, Berta Cabrera, Elia O'Reilly. Despite prejudices in what was then an all-male industry, Anacaona developed a following and at the height of their popularity, they performed in New York, Europe and Mexico.

Eighty-one years later Anacaona is still releasing hit songs, although the band has a younger look and modern musical style. Congratulations Anacaona!

Today is also the 50th anniversary of the passing of the great Benny Moré who died on February 19, 1963 at the age of 43 due to liver disease brought on by alcoholism. Born in Lajas, Cuba, Benny Moré was a self-taught musician who got his start playing for tips in Havana and by the time of his death was the leader of one of the most popular latin dance bands in the world. It was his voice that got him his first jobs with bands such as Sexteto Cauto and later Conjunto Matamoros with which he traveled to Mexico.... click here to read the full article >>>

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