(The Creole Choir of Cuba - view the rest of the photos here)

     This mighty chorus of ten singers, dancers and percussionists from Camagüey is one of the most distinctive groups from Cuba that we've heard in years.  We saw their opening concert in Chicago, and you can read our full review here.   You don't speak Creole, you say?  They really are good enough that you  won't care.  The always-industrious Timbera Mayor has posted their tour schedule here.  Cuba's Creoles originally came from Haiti a couple of centuries back, both the language and the music are distinct, and this group represents and preserves an aspect of Cuba's cultural mosaic that most North Americans haven't been exposed to before.  Catch them if you can.  

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After a well-deserved break, Maraca is back on tour beginning  September 3 in Pennsylvania followed by  a series of dates on the West Coast.  See our Maraca page in the Tours/Giras section, which Michelle White has updated, and stay tuned for new dates as they are added.  You can hear their single Preguntale A Mi Mujer on Timba Radio. 
A couple of months ago, we reviewed the CD/DVD Reencuentros, which was recorded by Maraca's other recent project, Maraca and His Latin Jazz All Stars (read that review here). Downbeat magazine also liked it well enough to make it one of their Editors' Picks for August 2011.
There is also a new YouTube channel, Maraca's TV  (descargatotal's channel) which at this writing has over 70 video uploads including live clips of recent performances.  Here's a taste:

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     After an absence of far too long, Ernán López Nussa, a piano phenomenon,  will be visiting the Midwest for a small series of performances in Wisconsin and Iowa.  Ernán is part of an emerging family musical dynasty (we recently reviewed his nephew Harold's new CD release as well), and those of us who follow the jazz portion of the Cuban musical spectrum have enjoyed his work as far back as his time with Grupo Afrocuba and Cuarto Espacio.   A decade ago he wowed American audiences with some performances in support of his CD release Delirium (not always the easiest thing to find here but worth the effort to do so), and most recently he has been working in a trio format with Ángel Gastón Joya Perellada and Enrique Plá Garcia.  For these US appearances, he will be performing with Jimmy Branly and Jorge Sawa Perez.  Ernán is one of the top Cuban jazz pianists in a field of brutal competition for that distinction.
     For this trip, the performances will be as follows:
26 August 2011:  Orton Park , 1200 Spaight Street, Madison WI at 5:45pm
27 August 2011:  Helen Bader Recital Hall, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music , 1584 Prospect Av, Milwaukee WI at 7:30pm
28 August 2011:  Orton Park again at 5PM, then The Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson St, Madison WI at 9pm
30 August 2011: Legion Arts , 1103 S. 3rd St. East, Cedar Rapids IA at 7pm
     Good news/bad news:  The bad news is that there are unlikely to be additional appearances here just now.  The good news is that we are hearing talk of a possible more extensive tour in 2012.  His official website, which includes a discography and some video clips (but does not post his tour schedules) is Ernanlopeznussa.com

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  All of the people who talked to us about seeing Maraca live during this current tour said some version of "That was great, we wanted more!"  Well, folks, more has come to your doorsteps -- on Monday, July 25th at 6PM Eastern, Maraca will be performing on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and this performance will be webcast live on the Kennedy Center's website.  If you are able to attend the performance live, admission is free, and if you can't attend in person, the webcast is free.  Opportunities like this don't come along very often, so enjoy it while it's there. 
CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO THE KENNEDY CENTER WEBSITE

The Kennedy Center folks  aren't going to win the "Most Eloquent Description of What A Musician Is Presenting" contest for their promo blurbs, but the fact that they stage these concerts and do these webcasts at all more than compensates for that.  AND, best of all, if you couldn't be there for the live stream, they archive performances on their website.  (Remember though, there's nothing like an in-person experience when you can do it...)

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