Article and all photos by Bill Tilford -- All Rights Reserved

PRELUDIO As I type this, I can already hear the screams of some of my most hard-line Timbero friends and colleagues that I have committed the supreme blasphemy by writing an extended article here about a Salsa Congress, so please allow me to begin by addressing those dear friends. For quite some time now, I have been wandering about looking for insights into whether there are ways to effectively tackle the biggest challenge facing Timba music in the United States:  we as a community have basically failed to attract the levels of mass paying (that word "paying" is important) audiences that the music truly deserves, and at the very time when it is politically easier than it has ever been for bands to tour the United States from Cuba, the economic realities of the position of Timba music in the marketplace have slowed what could  be a flood of amazing bands touring the country to a relative trickle touring  primarily the East and West coasts.  Even in those places, the audience numbers have frequently failed to live up to initial expectations. What's more, many of the US-based bands that play Timba have either fallen upon hard times, adapted by playing more fusion and/or Salsa and/or survived by touring extensively out of the United States. There are a prosperous few, but they are exceptions that prove the rule. This problem is truly odd because much of the Salsa audience is already halfway home - many of the songs they listen to were written and originally performed in Cuba, and most of the most important roots of Salsa come from Cuban music..... click here to read the full article >>>

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On February 8, 2013 David Calzado y Su Charanga Habanera returned to Stockholm for the first time in four years, under the auspices of Latin Entertainment. During these four years the band has had time to release four CDs and Dantes Cardosa  "El Ricky Ricón" has again left the band, replaced this time by Pedro Nieto. La Charanga is more of a show, película and espetáculo than ever with Aned, Lachy, Junior, Heikel and Pedro on vocals and Randy joining in on vocals during the timbaton numbers. David as always directing the show, interacting with the audience and introducing the songs by singing the coros and getting the fans to sing along. Whatever you may think of the Old Charanga versus the New Charanga, the concerts are always a party and a guaranteed good time. In a room filled with pheromones and sweat people let go, dance, sing and scream and go home with a smile on their face and in their heart. For a full report of the concert with 6 videos including the estrenos "La bomba" and "Esta noche voy a partir el party" click here.

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(Machito is in the center on maracas)

Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez  "Machito" Grillo was born on February 16, 19-something - the most commonly used years are 1908 followed by 1912, 1909 and occasionally 1915. Accounts also differ as to whether he was born in Havana or in Tampa of Cuban parents. A few things are certain:

1. For decades from the 1940s to the 1980s, he had one of the most important Afro-Cuban Jazz orchestras in the United States.  It was his brother-in-law and musical director, Mario Bauza, that introduced Dizzy Gillespie to Chano Pozo.  He also used Jazz musicians like Charlie Parker, Brew Moore and Howard McGhee to lay the foundations of a style that became known as Cubop. 
2. The powerful section work in his band inspired other big band leaders such as Stan Kenton to borrow elements of his music in their own work. 
3.  He made numerous recordings, and his 1975 album Oro, Incienso y Mirra with Dizzy Gillespie was nominated for a GRAMMY  and remains one of the acknowledged classics of AfroCuban Jazz recorded in the United States.   .  

In modern times, his son, Mario Grillo, carries on with a current version of the band.  You can learn more at their website, http://www.machitoorchestranyc.com/
The 75th Anniversary of the original orchestra will be coming up next year.   We salute this giant of the music on the one hundred and something-eth anniversary of his birth. 

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Reports and videos are coming in from the debut preformance of El Yuma's newest timba band "La Maquinaria Cubana". It is a thrill for me that they did their first gig in Boulder, Colorado, my hometown. I was not able to be there myself but I have heard from other who were there. Carlos from Radio KUVO said:
"Fox Theater Boulder Colorado was worthy of admiration, Calixto and his team were over the top and chequendengue. We had a bit of Cuba in the Rocky Mountains, in addition to the music, the Cuban restaurant, Frijoles Colorado, was selling delicious Cuban sandwiches, media noches and pork sandwiches. In summary a chéverisima night. Thank Modupe-Thank You-Merci! KUVO live radio in Denver."

And my friend Eric Freeman, one of the great proponents of Cuban music and dance in Colorado and the USA, posted a short report at his Facebook group, Salsaville Dance Studios, where among other things he said "...they sounded real tight, energetic, and fun. The songs, all originals, were good."

You can enjoy this new band yourself since a number of amateur videos have been uploaded to YouTube already. I am impressed by the professionalism and level of muscianship in this fledgling band and the way the audience responds to them. Check out the videos below to see what everyone is talking about! The band also filmed an HD DVD so we should soon have high quality video and audio to enjoy. The band is planning a US tour in May and is also looking at Peru and Japan. We will keep you updated as tour dates start coming in.

Pepito Gomez sings "Inedita"

Lily D Oviedo sings "Manana"

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