Fiesta del Tambor 2017

Fiesta del Tambor 2017

It's almost time for the 16th Annual Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival - "La Fiesta del Tambor - Guillermo Barreto In Memoriam" . This year's festival will take place the second week of March in Havana and will feature guest artist Aldo Mazza. As with previous years the festival includes percussion and dance classes, performances and competitions. The percussion competition is open to all ages as is the Casino competition. There is also a Rumba dance competition for 15 years and older. Winners of the percussion competition will receive new instruments from brand such as SABIAN, GON BOPS, PEARL, REGAL TIP, SONOC, and EVANS. Most events will be held in the following venues: Teatro Mella, Teatro Karl Marx, Sala Avenida, El Salón Rosado de La Tropical, Jardines del Teatro Mella and Hotel Palco.

There will also be concerts by the most popular timba and rumba groups, such as Orquesta Revé, Klímax, Paulo F.G., Havana D'Primera, El Niño y La Verdad, Manolitoy Su Trabuco, Azúcar Negra, Bamboleo, Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor, Osain del Monte, Yoruba Andabo, Los Papines, Rumberos de Cuba and more! If you can be in Havana for the festival, do it! For all the information (in Spanish) check out the Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival Official homepage. For information about tourist packages and lodging contact:

Roberto Risquet Redonet Valdés
Especialista Comercial Eventos
Paradiso Turismo Cultural
Email: eventos3@paradis.artex.cu
Email: redonetrisquet@yahoo.com
Tel: +(537) 8365381 / 8383908

And just in case you missed it, here is the most recent video released by Giraldo Piloto & Klímax!

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Wednesday, 25 January 2017, 04:45 AM

El que corta el bacalao - Soneros All Stars

Timba 2017 continues to deliver. Today Soneros All Stars release a new CD - "El Que Corta El Bacalao". For this album tresero, bassist, arranger, producer Jan Miklos Bogdan collaborated with singers Emilio "El Niño" Frias, Pascual "Sinsonte" Matos and pianist Wilfredo "Pachy Jr." Naranjo to bring dancers and aficionados of Cuban music a non-stop dance album. "El Que Corta El Bacalao" is going to be a favorite of DJ and dancers this year. Click here for my full review of "El Que Corta El Bacalao".

In related news, Yanesito & Soneros All Stars are beginning to rehearse for an upcoming tour. When we have more information about the when and where of any concert dates, we'll post an update. In the meantime, enjoy the new album. It is available at all the large digital retailers, via music apps and at CDbaby , where you can even order a hardcopy.

Track list
El Que Corta El Bacalao
Lo Siento
Tú No Eres Popular
El Panadero
Vengo De Cuba
Nunca Pensé

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Tuesday, 24 January 2017, 05:41 AM

Tony Moreaux & Asokere

Tony Moreaux is working on his first CD with his new group Asokere , based in Copenhagen. He has come a long way from his childhood in Guantanamo where his father is maraquero and singer with Changüí Guantanamo. Tony studied percussion at the Music Conservatory Esteban Salas in Santiago de Cuba and his timba career began with Carlos Manuel y Su Clan. In the year 2000 Tony relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark where he worked with orchestras such as Grupo Danson. He later became a member of Juan D'Marcos' Afro-Cuban All stars and toured the world extensively. Tony has now formed his own orchestra - Asokere. Last year they performed as a backing band for Tito Nieves on his European tour, and they are currently hard at work finishing their first album.

In 2016 Asokere released their first single "Pa' que aprendas" and Tony recently took time off to tell us a little about the band and their debut album slated for release later this year. Follow Asokere at their Official Facebook Page .

The CD will have 10 songs so that Cuban music lovers can enjoy themselves and dance to the music that I bring with Asokere. Our music style is popular dance music using different genres such as son, son montuno, pilón, cha cha chá, songo ... well it will have a range of Cuban rhythms and a lot of rhythmic folkloric elements, which I am very interested in doing, since of course I have always been interested in the Yoruba religion. That's why my band's name is: Asokere. Asokere is a song to Eleggua in the Yoruba religion, and I, as Son of Eleggua, was interested in that song and from there came the name of the band.

The band members are Cubans and Danes. The singer is Henry Benitez better known in Cuba as "El Jerry" (ex-Pupy y Los Que Son Son singer). The pianist is Javier Gutiérrez Massó (El Caramelo de Cuba). Several of the members are involved in writing the arrangements, but I always put something of myself into the arrangements and the way in which I want to interpret the songs. This is to say it's always a collective work, because we all have different ways of thinking and of feeling the music.

The first single "Pa' que aprendas" is by the trumpet player Oslen Ceballo, an excellent arranger and trumpet player. The next songs that I will begin to record have arrangements by Maykel "Cuchilla" Garcia (pianist and member of Pupy y Los Que Son Son) and also arrangements by two magnificent musical producers and arrangers - Mauricio Cecilio Diaz and Roniel Alfonso Mella. I hope everyone enjoys it and that you like everything I bring, which is simply dance music for the dancers.

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Tuesday, 17 January 2017, 04:58 PM

La Liga Habanera - Bomba y Cuchara

Timba 2017 is starting with a bang with "Bomba y Cuchara" – the new single by La Liga Habanera, one of Stockholm's favorite timba bands. The band held a concert at Fasching in Stockholm last Saturday and today their new single – "Bomba y Cuchara" featuring Lesmer Solenzar on lead vocals – dropped at CDBaby.com. "Bomba y Cuchara" will soon be at other digital retailers such as iTunes and Amazon as well.

It is a hard-hitting timba arrangement that kicks off with a great piano tumbao and includes clever use of light reggaeton drums from about 1:20 to 1:37 for fans of a more urban style. It works very well. A torrid dance track to usher in the new year. Click here to listen to a preview.

Credits: Drums and timbales Max Alton. Composed and arranged by Max Alton. Lyrics by Lesmer Solenzar and Max Alton. Lead vocals Lesmer Solenzar. Background vocals Pablo Cepeda, Max Alton, Cecilia Ferrer. Trumpets Petter Linde. Trombones Peter Fredriksson. Piano and arrangements Oldrich Gonzales. Bass Alfonso Nuñes. Congas Pablo Cepeda. Recorded in Farmer street Studio Sweden Stockholm. Mix by Måns Ek.