Tiempo Libre really tore it up in Santa Cruz last night! Ultra-agressive timba in the extreme. Pututi III is incredible and the whole club, even by Kuumbwa standards, was absolutely on fire. The bassist Tebelio was also insanely good tonight. Make it to the clinic on Saturday and the concert on Sunday if you can. It's not obvious from this photo, but from a straight-on view, the new trumpet player, (who was also the founding trumpet player), Raúl Rodríguez, is a dead ringer for Paul Shaffer.

Click here for Tom's gallery - more coming.

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Last weekend at the incredible Yerba Buena free concert series, the John Santos Sextet opened for, and then sat in with, the Pedrito Martínez Group. Yerba Buena is trying to increase their Facebook friend list to help in their latest grant project - please follow the link and support this great free concert series.

            ***click here for full gallery***

Pedrito's group has a completely new and absolutely brilliant approach to timba! It's like a timba conjunto - congas, bongó, piano, bass, and for gigs like this one, they add Román Díaz playing 3 batás, and two  horns. The need for a kick drum is covered by the thumps of the electric bass and a large, miked cajón that Pedrito sits on as he plays congas.

Like Arsenio's or Chappottín's conjuntos, the only metal percussion is the bongosero's bell, so the overall volume level is much lower, allowing the nuances of the exquisite vocal harmonies and hand percussion to come through much more clearly, but without sacrificing any of the intensity. The music and arrangements are pure, creative, original timba - ALL timba - no smorgasbord of danzón, reguetón and chachachá filler tracks - every single song has gear changes, melodic cuerpos, great coros and mambos, funky, song-specific piano tumbaos, world-class lead vocals by Pedrito and Ariacne, and the best 3- and 4-part coros I've heard from any timba band.

Pedrito says they're going into the studio in October. Go see this band at Guantanamera if you're in New York and ask your local clubs to book them - this is the most excited I've been about a new timba band since HdP. [Kevin Moore]

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The new double NG La Banda CD is very interesting and should be widely available soon. It includes a blistering new version of my favorite NG song, Rap de Muerta.

Meanwhile, an explosion of concerts and clinics is about to hit the Bay Area, including Santa Cruz (home of timba.com's worldwide corporate headquarters).

In book news, I'm getting ever closer on the second Pupy book, about to start the first volume of Beyond Salsa Bass featuring Alain Pérez!, and about to release a stand-alone course on clave changes. And speaking of Pupy - watch for Siempre Pupy, which sounds fantastic and should be available soon. [Kevin Moore]

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Yemaya's Verse has a great concert report from Havana on the revamped Bamboleo which "resembles the band of yore", which for me is just what the doctor ordered! They're supposed to tour Europe in March. Still no rumors on La Yuma but hope springs eternal.

In book news, I'm almost done with the second Pupy Pedroso book and will move on to Alain Pérez and Beyond Salsa Bass after that. Also on the bass front, Cherina Mastrotones is working on her second book on Feliciano Arango, who should be making it to Boston sometime this year, knock on wood. [Kevin Moore]

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