Chicago's Festival Cubano Finds Itself

Are we having fun yet?  Yes we are...

Despite dire warnings from a very small handful of self-appointed members of the Purity Of Our Party Patrol that the presence of a non-native taco here, an alcapurria there and the inclusion of some non-Cuban musicians in the entertainment roster would inflict irreparable emotional trauma on attendees, a very large crowd had a very good time at Festival Cubano last night in Chicago.  We'll bring you a full report in a couple of days, but if you are in or near Chicago, get there today, the last day of the Festival. Timbalive, Cachao Mambo All Stars, hey, if you aren't already hooked yet, go to thecubanfestival.com for the rest of the lineup, where and when its at etc. and that should finish the job.  

(What are those weird blotches in the center by Alfredo's head?  We don't know either, but we decided to leave them in because they remind us of our favorite science fiction movies, and we're curious to see whether anyone accuses him of being from the 8th dimension now.  We'll have crisp, blemish-free pictures of him and the band for you in a couple of days...)

One of the highlights was when Alfredo de la Fe, wired for sound, took his violin out into the crowd to solo.The crowd went crazy, and it got more fired up after that as the evening progressed. By the time Jerry Rivera was on, it was like a Rock concert, but in a good way. 

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More about Alfredo

As I was typing this blog, I was also listening to Alfredo de la Fe's new CD, Sin Limites. Say anything else you want to about Alfredo, he has never been afraid to take risks (one of the reasons that I have respected him for decades), and the title of this project is EXTREMELY accurate - it comes roaring out of the gate with an updated version of Que Se Sepa, and then it goes everywhere - there's old-school Charanga, Hip Hop, reggaeton, Salsa, Vallenato, oh the heck with it, there really IS a bit of everything. And it works, even though everything we know about "The Rules" says that it shouldn't have. I'll do a full review when I have time, but meanwhile, I like this a lot.

Posted by: Bill Tilford on domingo, 04 agosto 2013, 02:55 am