The Creole Choir of Cuba or Grupo Vocal Desandann as they are called in Cuba, formed in 1994.  Their ancesters are from Haiti and the group is from Camagüey, Cuba.  The Creole Choir sing and dance to traditional Haitian music, using only drums, percussion instruments and beautiful lush vocal harmonies.  Their first US tour began in September, 2011.  I caught them in San Francisco on November 3, 2011 - click here for the full gallery. [Tom Ehrlich]

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continue reading La Última

El Zorro is one of the most prolific timberos of Europe. With five CDs to his name, trombonist, composer, arranger and vocalist El Zorro has a rich repertoire to draw on. He has recorded with many of today's biggest names in Cuba such as Ángel Bonne, Sinsonte, Mayito Rivera, Arnaldo Jimenez, Ulises Benevides, Serio Noroña, Roberto Linares and Aisar Hernández to name a few. El Zorro y Su Clan recently put on a great show for their Swiss fans at the jazz club Moods, an important venue for both jazz and Latin music in Zürich. A 14+ minute video potpourri of the concert has been uploaded to YouTube. Check it out, pass it on and see if we can't get the venue owners to set up a nice summer tour across Europe for El Zorro y Su Clan.

El Zorro y Su Clan @ Moods

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Up until now, we thought that the odds of our using the words "Timba", "dance band" , "explosive" and "quartet" in the same sentence were roughly equal to our chances of feeding a real live unicorn at the local zoo.  Well, two nights of the Pedrito Martinez Group in Milwaukee and Chicago have persuaded us that we might need to consider the possibility that those unicorns could be real after all.  This quartet really is  an explosive Timba dance band with added measures of killer funk bass and excellent Rumba chops.  They tore the roof off in Milwaukee and Chicago and lifted the crowds out of their seats both places.  What's more, they did it without the electronic toys that some bands use for cheating. 

(CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT AND CHECK OUT OUR PHOTOS )

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continue reading Sin Clave No Hay Na

Miami's old-guard Cuban exiles exert less influence -- "When you go to the airport and take one of these flights to Cuba, you realize the median age is no longer in their 60s or 70s." Popular Cuban musicians once greeted with bomb threats and boisterous demonstrations now pack venues in the city. After the concerts, the artists gather at the homes of relatives and old friends in South Florida. A decade ago, many of the musicians would defect. Now most return to Cuba. source

Young Cuban pianist makes jazz waves -- If you live in New York be sure to check out young Fabián Almazán. He's playing in heavywieght trumpeter and Spike Lee movie composer Terence Blanchard’s band, but hés also got his own jazz trio. Smoking. 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $15 cover, with a $10 minimum. With bassist Linda Oh and the drummer Henry Cole.

Gloria Estefan & Ricky Martin on Glee? -- rumor has it Ricky will play a Spanish teacher and Gloria will take on the role of a mom. "Glee" is the most popular music-focused television show in the U.S. source

Italy-based "Timba EN Talla" releases new CD "Pa'l Mundo" --  anyone know who these musicians are? Well-versed in jazz, these guys certainly have the chops. Bomba's galore. Here's a new video below....

Cachao's "The Last Mambo" nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album --  no question this master deserves another Grammy nod. It's a celebration of post-revolution Cuban music and tradition....descargas, danzones, cha cha cha,  El Cuarto De Tula featuring Issac Delgado, etc. However it begs the question: When will people get motivated to support more modern projects? Also related: hey salseros...the 1970's was 40 years ago.  

Cuban Festival in New Zealand -- yeah that's right. There'll be rumba and Cuban cha-cha as the world's top salsa dancers take to the floor in New Zealand during the next three days. Salsa on the Awa is hosting the third annual New Zealand Cuban Festival, which opens tonight. Salsa workshops today are open to the public (7pm-10.30pm) followed by a salsa dance party, and tomorrow workshops start from 9.30am and run to 5pm, with others on Sunday (9.30am-1pm).source

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