Coming in 2014: Jazz Plaza, Cubadisco and much more...

Bill Tilford went to Havana with a licensed cultural/educational "people to people" group trip organized by Plaza Cuba this month, and Jazz Plaza, the great Jazz festival in Havana, was going on at night during the trip. Plaza Cuba's trips are a great way to visit Cuba legally in a structured, culturally-oriented setting, and while there, he also obtained a lot of information and recordings. Next month, you will see impressions (with photos) of Jazz Plaza, more information about the music industry in Cuba, more about Cubadisco (Cuba's music awards program and festival) and many, many CD reviews. In the meantime, Happy New Year!

Bill Tilford fue a La Habana este mes con una licencia culturales / educativos "pueblo a pueblo" viaje en grupo organizado por Plaza Cuba, y Jazz Plaza, el gran festival de Jazz en La Habana, estaba pasando en la noche durante este viaje. Viajar con Plaza Cuba es un gran manera de visitar Cuba legalmente en un ambiente estructurado y orientado culturalmente, y mientras allí, él obtuvó también un montón de información y grabaciones. Proximo mes, ustedes verán unas impresiones (con fotos) de Jazz Plaza, más información acerca de la industría de la música en Cuba, más acerca de Cubadisco (el programa y feria de premios de la música en Cuba) y muchísimas reseñas de CDs. Mientras tanto, ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

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Sunday, 08 December 2013, 02:54 AM

Musicians born in Cuba figure prominently in four of the five nominees in the Latin Jazz category of the 56th GRAMMY® Awards, and two of the nominees (Yo by Roberto Fonseca and La noche más Larga by Buika) are good illustrations of why it can be a challenge to assign a genre to some of the best new music being made today. Here are the nominees in alphabetical order by title:

Eggῡn by Omar Sosa. Omar was born in Cuba and is now based in Spain.This recording's origins are in a commission from the Barcelona Jazz Festival.
You can read our review in English here

La noche más larga by Buika. Although Buika herself was born in Mallorca and is still based in Spain, her key collaborators (including Musical Director Ivan Melón Lewis) have usually been Cuban in recent years.
You can read our review in English here
Se puede leer nuestra reseña en español aquí

Latin Jazz - Jazz Latin by the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet. This quintet is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, This writer admits that he didn't see this one coming, but it's a quality album from a bandleader who was already a five-time GRAMMY® nominee.
Not yet reviewed.

Song For Maura by Paquito d'Rivera. Born in Cuba and now based in the United States, Paquito needs no introduction, and he now works in multiple styles. This time, he teamed up with Brasil's Trio Corriente for a Brasilian Jazz recording.
Not yet reviewed.

Yo by Roberto Fonseca. Roberto was born and is still based in Cuba, and the group toured the United States earlier this year, electrifying audiences wherever they went. This recording won the Cubadisco Award in the Fusion category (it was also nominated in Jazz) earlier this year.
You can read our review in English here
Se puede leer nuestra reseña en español aquí

Finally, one of the recordings that this writer had hoped would make the cut was Expectativas, the second recording by Manuel Valera and the New Cuban Express. It didn't, but a video from the recording session was recently published on YouTube and is worth sharing:

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Tuesday, 26 November 2013, 10:58 AM

(Source of photo: EGREM's Facebook page)

Felicitaciones a Juan Formell por su Premio a la Excelencia Musical de la Academia Latina de la Grabación®! Se puede leer más aquí...

Congratulations to Juan Formell for his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Recording Academy®! You can read more here...

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Sunday, 03 November 2013, 01:51 AM

Expectativas, the killer new album by Manuel Valera & New Cuban Express (aka NCX), has been out since September, and if you listen to any of the best Latin Jazz radio programs, you have probably already heard at least parts of it, but other touring obligations of the members (including Manuel's own time in India and Europe) have delayed the official CD release party until now. The first New Cuban Express album brought home a GRAMMY nomination, and this one is as good or better, If you have the opportunity to catch this performance, it is a don't miss. The details:

Manuel Valera & New Cuban Express
November 6, 2013, 7:30pm & 9:30pm - Jazz Standard, 116 East 27 Street, NY, NY
Musicians: Manuel Valera, piano and keyboards; Yosvany Terry, saxophones and checkere; Tom Guarna, guitar; John Benitez, bass; Paulo Stagnaro, percussion; Ludwig Afonso, drums