EVOLUTION OF CUBAN PIANO SERIES

SF JAZZ CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

IVÁN "MELÓN" LEWIS WITH PEDRITO MARTÍNEZ

AUGUST 13, 2016

PHOTOS BY TOM EHRLICH © 2016

Melón, Alfredo Rodríguez and Pedrito Martínez

The second night of the Cuban Piano Series I attended included a double bill of the Iván "Melón" Lewis Quartet and Alfredo Rodríguez Trio both with Pedrito Martínez. This post is of the Melón set.

Jimmy Branly, Román Filiu, Melón, Pedrito and José Antonio Miguel Artigas

The Iván "Melón" Lewis Quartet included Melón on piano, Jimmy Branly on drums, Román Filiú on sax and José Miguel on bass. Many of the timba.com readers will know that Melón is considered one of the top timba pianists of the 1990's. His reputation is from being Issac Delgado's pianist creating incredible tumbaos in the 1990's. Jimmy Branly and Román Filiú also were in Issac's band. Melón, as well as the others in this quartet now are mainly jazz players, although there are hints of timba in Melón's last two recordings (Travesía and Ayer y Hoy).

PRE-CONCERT PHOTOS

Melón during sound check

Jimmy  Branly

Pedrito Martínez

Pedrito warming up

Pedrito and Henry Cole warming up with Luis Carranza 

CONCERT PHOTOS

José Antonio Miguel Artigas

POST CONCERT PHOTOS

Ruy López Nussa, Harold López Nussa, Melón and Aldo López Gavilán

The López Nussa brothers and Aldo López Gavilán played on Sunday night which I could not attend. I did catch Harold López Nussa Trio at Kuumbwa Jazz Center which will be the subject of another post.

The Iván "Melón" Lewis Quartet and the Alfredo Rodríguez Trio with Pedrito Martínez 

Pedrito Martínez, Jimmy Branly and Henry Cole - all drummers supreme