Sierra Maestra has been around almost 35 years (a relatively young band compared to Aragon or Septeto Nacional, but they've been around long enough to know a thing or three) and is one of the keepers of the flame of traditional Son. They will be kicking off their US tour in Chicago on Thursday, July 14th at 6:30pm with an outdoor concert in Millennium Park followed by an indoor set on Friday,  July 15th at 9:00pm  at the Mayne Stage in Chicago. 

They were nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2010, and we'll be doing a review of their 2010 CD, Sonando Ya  in the near future. (Photo by Bart Madjeski supplied by City of Chicago)

          Michelle White has posted their tour schedule in the Giras/Tours   section, and we hope to be able to do a live interview with them once they hit town.

     We are also doing some serious listening to a sneak preview of Maraca's new jazz CD Reencuentros,  recorded recently  by Maraca and his Latin Jazz All Stars (and there really is an interesting collection of heavy hitters in the lineup).    We dig it, and in the near future, we'll be telling you all about why.    Stay tuned.  In fact, you should do that literally - Maraca also has a dance CD in the works, and we have a sneak preview of that as well, Preguntale A Mi Mujer , in Timba.com's Radio   section. Check it out, and if you can, catch them live on tour.     

          Kevin Moore turned us on to this review of Maraca's show at the Napa Valley Opera House:
Napa Valley Register review of Maraca

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(Orando Valle) Maraca's USA Tour officially begins June, 14, 2011 at the Napa Valley Opera House (8pm) in Napa, California.

Click here for his full 2011 USA Tour Schedule courtesy of TIMBA's Michelle White.

Straight from Cuba, Maraca's ensemble has been called “the most influential Afro-Cuban band of the emerging century” (Chicago Tribune) and “one of the hottest names in jazz” (LA Times). Maraca will have the Opera House moving to the authentic rhythms of salsa, mambo and cha cha cha, as well as creative Afro-Cuban jazz.

The band has been extended to 13 musicians, all coming from Cuba, with great addition as Jose-Miguel melendez (ex-Irakere), on vocals and solo percussion, and Alfred Thompson (ex-Irakere, Omara Portuondo and Ibrahim Ferrer) on tenor saxophone. The band will be playing a mix of their afro cuban jazz repertoire, danceable songs from their hits and songs from their new danceable CD which is being recorded in Havana now.

Participating Musicians & Staff:
Orlando “Maraca” Valle bandleader, flute, composer, arranger 
Josiel Pérez  trumpet 
Eduardo Martínez  trumpet 
Ariel Pérez  trombone 
Alfred Thompson  tenor saxophone 
Andrés Pérez  baritone saxophone 
Lester Ciarreta  vocal 
Alexei “El Nene” Sánchez  vocal 
José Miguel Meléndez  vocal, percussion 
Iván Llanes  drums, timbales 
Yosmel Montejo  bass 
Rafael Valiente  congas, background vocals 
Andy Rubal  piano 
Céline Chauveau  manager 

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La Época is a documentary about the music and dancing from the pre-Salsa period in the U.S. when the mambo, son, guaracha etc. were still distinct in the minds of the dancers as well as the musicians.  Since the Palladium ballroom in New York was an epicenter of the "Mambo Craze", there is a lot of coverage including historical footage of what happened there along with interviews with key musicians and dancers from the period.    This is touring multiple cities and includes a Q and A with the producer, Josué Joseph, some social dancing and some filming of dancers for footage for an upcoming film segment.

This is an opportunity to learn more about how la musica Cubana took parts of the U.S., especially New York, by storm.   We'll review the Chicago showing after it comes here.  Meanwhile, for more information, see the film's website at   http://laepocafilm.com/

In the future, Sin Clave No Hay Na will have interviews, reviews of CD releases, major concert reviews and other items of interest.  Stay tuned.

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