Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor continue to demonstrate why they are one of the most popular acts in timba today with a concert in Rome on Friday. The European Tour is winding down so if you have a chance to catch a flight to Rome, don't hesitate. I've followed this band for five years now and they just keep getting hotter and hotter. The singer line-up is excellent and the band is tighter than ever. The final concert of the tour will be Saturday in Viareggio, and then the band returns to Cuba to finish their new CD. There's nothing like live video to bring it all home to you so enjoy the video from the Zouka Cuba festival in Laudun, France.

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Good news timba fans! Sweden's youngest timba band is currently back in the studio working on their first album, and tomorrow CubanNight @ Kägelbanan at Södra Teatern in Stockholm will host the second show by Orquesta Pomo .

I caught their debut performance at Mosebacke on April 15, 2012 and was very impressed. Director, pianist and arranger Jonas Pomo has made a point of handpicking the musicians and then sticking to his guns, no matter the cost. The results speak for themselves. I filmed the April concert, but due to technical difficulties and aging equipment, I have not been able to download the video from the mini-DV cassette where it sits patiently waiting. DJs in Europe and South America have been less patient, and I have had repeated requests for audio or video from that show. Sorry guys...still nothing to share with you.

But in the meantime let me say that the band is very well-rehearsed and boasts a smokin' horn section. Carlos Pérez is currently in Cuba, but Peter Fredriksson and Niklas Viisanen are on trombone and the trumpet section consists of Yuliesky Gonzales, Oslen Ceballo, Johan Nordefeldt and Rickard Lindgren. At the April concert we were treated to solos by all of the horn players that left the audience cheering.

In addition to being beautiful and having a rich voice, lead singer Cecilia Ferrer is charismatic and professional. One thing I noticed was that there wasn't a lot of "muela". The performance was geared towards dancers with smooth transitions between songs. But I think the best way for you to get an idea of what the debut concert was like is to watch some video; this was recorded on an iPhone I believe. Enjoy!

"El Juego" - Orquesta Pomo @ Mosebacke 15 April 2012

You can keep up with the latest news about Orquesta Pomo at Facebook .
The line-up for tomorrow's concert is:
Jonas Pomo, piano
Cecilia Ferrer, lead vocals
Aksel Friberg, bass
Linus Svanberg, congas
Magnus Almqvist, drums & timbales
Jonas Landolsi, güiro
Cristian Guerra, vocals
Alex Saltell, vocals
Cristina Pomo, vocals
Yuliesky Gonzalez, trumpet
Oslen Ceballo, trumpet
Johan Nordefeldt, trumpet
Rickard Lindgren, trumpet
Peter Fredriksson, trombone
Nikolas Viisanen, trombone

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Tonight Maykel Blanco & Salsa Mayor continue their outstanding Summer 2012 Tour with a show at the reknowned jazz club New Morning. Maykel has promised that the band will play their new hit "Bembé" from the upcoming album! If you're in Paris, don't miss the show! If you are somewhere else, check their tours page for the concert nearest you. And once again...a little taste of "Bembé"!

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Yoel Páez with Julio Montalvo & Rafa Sulbarán
during the filming of his new DVD "El Arte de la Independencia 360º"

Yoel is known to timba fans as one of the top percussioninst in Timba. He was part of some of the most important groups of timba during their greatest moments: Paulo F.G. y Su Élite & Issac Delgado. Kevin explains Yoel's style in the following words; "In addition to being a virtuoso and a groove machine, the defining quality of his style is his musicality. He never plays a "rhythm pattern" for its own sake. Everything he plays seems directly linked to whatever is going on musically in the arrangement at that moment." For more about Yoel check out his musician page here at Timba.com.

Over the past 10 years Yoel has been playing with important bands in Spain, and has been busy giving Masters Classes all over Europe. But now he has filmed a DVD called "El Arte de la independencia 360º". He says that he and trombonist Julio Montalvo (Paulo F.G., Pachito Alonso, David Bisbal). Julio produced the DVD with him. 

Yoel says that the idea was to do something different from other products in the market. His DVD goes through more than 10 different types of sets. And the 360º is because the course was shot from many angles and with many instruments such as drums, batá, congas, bongos, timbales, cajon, djembe, etc. Here is a 15 minute video that Yoel has uplaoded to YouTube. For more info contact Yoel at facebook http://www.facebook.com/yoel.paezgonzalez

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