Leonel Limonta and "Voy por ti"

Leonel Limonta

ENGLISH: Azúcar Negra's tour agent announced at Facebook that today, Leonel Limonta "El Poeta de la Timba" and director of Azucar Negra, began recording the rhythm section, horns and coros of the song "Voy por ti", which will be the theme song of an event Limonta is organizing to help the victims of the disaster caused by Hurricane Irma in Cuba. You may recall that in 2008 Limonta also took action and recorded "Así Somos" after Cuba was hit with two hurricanes. "Voy por ti" will include the participation of leading Cuban artists. Among those who have already confirmed their participation in the project are Samuel Formell, Hayla Mompié, Tania Pantoja, Waldo Mendoza, the singers of Anacaona, Dayana La Reguetonera, and Marcos d Alma. Still to confirm are the singers of Los Van Van, Dayan from Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Vania Borges, Osdalgia, Ricardo Amaray and the Rodriguez brothers of Manolito Simonet y Su Trabuco. As the project moves forward, Limonta hopes that more artists will join this worthy cause. All the details about the event, including date and time and venue will be coming soon so stay tuned.

ESPAÑOL: La agente internacional de Azúcar Negra anunció en Facebook que hoy, Leonel Limonta "El Poeta de la Timba" y el director de Azucar Negra, comenzó a grabar la base rítmica, los metales y los coros de la canción "Voy por ti", que será el tema de un gran evento que Limonta está organizando para ayudar a las damnificados del desastre causado por el huracán Irma en Cuba. Puede recordar que en 2008 Limonta también tomó medidas y grabó "Así Somos" después de que Cuba fue golpeada con dos huracanes. "Voy por ti" incluirá la participación de destacados artistas cubanos. Entre los que ya confirmaron su participación en el proyecto están Samuel Formell, Hayla Mompié, Tania Pantoja, Waldo Mendoza, los cantantes de Anacaona, Dayana La Reguetonera y Marcos d Alma. Aún quedan por confirmar los cantantes de Los Van Van, Dayan de Pupy y Los Que Son Son, Vania Borges, Osdalgia, Ricardo Amaray y los hermanos Rodríguez de Manolito Simonet y Su Trabuco. A medida que avanza el proyecto, Limonta espera que más artistas se unirán a esta valiosa causa. Todos los detalles sobre el evento, incluso la fecha, la hora y el lugar estarán próximos, así que estad atentos.

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martes, 17 octubre 2017, 10:23 am

ENGLISH: With of the terrible news in California from the fires, it's nice to be able to post some good news for Californians. With some well-planned logistics you can see Yeni on Friday and Elito y Su Charangón with Mayito Rivera on Saturday.

ESPAÑOL: Con la terrible noticia en California de los incendios, es bueno poder publicar buenas noticias para los californianos. Con la logística bien planificada puedes ver a Yeni el viernes y a Elito y Su Charangón con Mayito Rivera el sábado.

Yeni Valdés

ENGLISH: The San Diego International Cuban Dance Congress will take place this week, October 19 - 22. On October 20th Yeni Valdés will perform with her band. Doors open at 10pm. Tickets from the full congress pass, to party pass to concert tickets for Yeni's show are available at the following link.

ESPAÑOL: San Diego International Cuban Dance Congress se llevará a cabo esta semana, del 19 al 22 de octubre. El 20 de octubre, Yeni Valdés cantará con su orquesta. Las puertas se abren a las 10 pm. Las entradas desde el pase del congreso completo, al pase de fiesta hasta las entradas para el concierto de Yeni están disponibles en el siguiente enlace.

Elito Revé y Su Charangón

ENGLISH: The San Francisco Bay Area Cuban Festival is underway and this weekend October 21st at Roccapulco you can see Elito Revé y Su Charangón and Mayito Rivera. It has been confirmed that the members of the Charangón have ther visas now. This is a concert you don't want to miss! Get your tickets here.

ESPAÑOL: San Francisco Bay Area Cuban Festival está en marcha y este fin de semana 21 de octubre en Roccapulco puedes ver a Elito Revé y Su Charangón y Mayito Rivera. Se ha confirmado que ahora los miembros del Charangón tienen la visa. ¡Este es un concierto que no quieres perder! Compra tu entrada aquí.

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domingo, 15 octubre 2017, 02:15 pm

Yasser Ramos y 9 Milímetros Tour

ENGLISH: Today Yasser Ramos & 9 Milímetros celebrate their third anniversary with a mega-concert at Salón Rosado de la Tropical. They have invited many other artists including Papucho y Manana Club, Maikel Dinza, Azúcar Negra, El Niño, Mandy Cantero, Los 4, and PMM. Yasser has promised to present some new songs as well as having some gifts for the audience.

The band will be touring Europe in early 2018 to present their first CD "Ni antes, ni después". Stay tuned as the concert dates become available. Yasser & 9 Milímetros are also busy working on new material under the musical direction of Nachito Jr. It will be exciting to see what the combination of Yasser and Nachito Jr. brings to the sello of the band.

If you haven't yet read the interview with Yasser from July 2017, click here. Below is the most recent official video release by the band, "El Artista" - one of the hits from the new album.

ESPAÑOL: Hoy, Yasser Ramos y 9 Milímetros celebran su tercer aniversario con un mega concierto en el Salón Rosado de la Tropical. Han invitado a muchos otros artistas incluyendo a Papucho y Manana Club, Maikel Dinza, Azúcar Negra, El Niño, Mandy Cantero, Los 4 y PMM. Yasser ha prometido presentar algunas canciones nuevas, así como tener algunos regalos para el público.

La banda estará de gira por Europa a principios de 2018 para presentar su primer CD "Ni antes, ni después". Estén atentos a medida que las fechas del concierto estén disponibles. Yasser & 9 Milímetros también están sacando nuevo material bajo la dirección musical de Nachito Jr. Será emocionante ver lo que la combinación de Yasser y Nachito Jr. aporta al sello de la banda.

Si aún no ha leído la entrevista con Yasser desde julio de 2017, haga clic aquí. A continuación les dejo con el video oficial más reciente de la banda, "El Artista", uno de los éxitos del nuevo álbum.

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jueves, 05 octubre 2017, 05:43 pm

There is a lot going on this week in addition to the regular concert schedule in Havana. First up, Leonel Limonta & Azúcar Negra will hold a press conference today at Casa de la Música Miramar for the release of their excellent new CD "Tonada pa'l bailador". They will also give a concert at CDLM Miramar on Saturday, October 7th.

Azucar Negra Press Conference 2018

This is Azúcar Negra's 7th album and as the rightly claims, it is a brilliant album for the dancers. You can find the album at the usual digital retailers and streaming sites. "Tonada pa'l bailador" contains 14 tracks and a full review will be coming shortly.

Track list:
Tonada pa'l bailador
Cuando pienso en ti
De fiesta en fiesta
Retomando el son
Por qué me miras así
Mi chica se rebela
La Habana está de fiesta
Tonada pa'l bailador feat. Alexander Abreu
Agua caliente
El tequila feat. El Micha
Pa' que se entere La Habana
Yo necesito de ti feat. Luna Manzanares
Suave, rico y despacito
Maltratando la tela

Havana D'Primera 10th anniversary

Congratulations to Alexander Abreu & Havana D'Primera who celebrated their 10th anniversary yesterday. They will hold two special concerts this weekend: Saturday the 7th at Karl Marx Theater with surprise guests and Sunday the 8th at Salón Rosado de la Tropical. Their European Tour begins October 12th in Moscow and they will follow up with a national Cuban tour.

Unlike most young bands, Havana D'Primera didn't have a period of "finding themselves" but burst fully-developed on the timba scene. This was in part due to the fact that many of them had already worked together for years in Issac Delgado's band. Alexander's lyrics also made the Havana D'Primera stand out from the masses. It didn't take long for them to become one of the most popular bands both inside and outside of Cuba. During their first decade, Havana D'Primera has released three studio CDs all of which have been at the top of the timba charts and even done well among regular salseros. Still one of Cuba's greatest trumpeters, Alexander is today also highly sought after for collaborations as a vocalist.

We cannot fail to mention that today is José Luis Cortés "El Tosco"'s birthday. Where would Cuban music be today without NG La Banda? I shudder to imagine. So Happy Birthday El Tosco and thank you for your role in making our music and dance obsession possible.

El Tosco

And across the pond over here in Europe, Maykel Blanco & su Salsa Mayor begin their European Tour tonight in Paris. Click here for concert dates. Here is a recent live clip of the band performing in La Guayabera in Alamar, Havana, Cuba.