5th Annual Festival Cubano Part II
Riis Park, Chicago IL 16 August 2014
Photos and Summary by BIll Tilford, all rights reserved

Although the famous acts that filled the park in the evening were Eddie Santiago and Rey Ruiz, two of the most musically interesting acts during the day were local - Charangueo, a local charanga with an international mix of musicians, and Sureya.   Charangueo began life doing mostly material from the 40s, 50s and 60s but is beginning to incorporate some more modern material.  Sureya brought what may have been the best backing band that she has used to date and performed a combination of the Celia Cruz-vintage material for which she is best known and a nice version of Juan Formell's Aquí se enciende la candela.  One of the best things about her performances is that in addition to being an excellent vocalist, she lets her musicians stretch out during songs more than many vocalist/bandleaders will.  Towards the end of her set, she went down to the crowd to finish the performance. 

There was also a comedy segment during the afternoon, and since the festival's food selections are often a source of public discussion, I went out into the food vendor zone in search of ropa vieja and chose Siboney's nice version. (More about food in the main story, but I have to salute the paella by 90 Miles that was provided in the VIP area - this made wandering over to the vendor tents an act of self-discipline).  The crowd was also given some serious Timba by DJ Fernando "Cuban Mix" Rodríguez  in between some of the live acts.  . 

You can find a potpourri of photos from the day below.  Click on the images to enlarge them