Mezcla gave a very successful performance at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago on June 29, 2013.  Kudos to the OTS for its continued leadership role in presenting this music in Chicago. For a photo gallery and review of the concert, click here.

If you weren't at their California, Colorado or Chicago concerts, there is still a way for you to connect with the experience.  The group has set up a Kickstarter page to help defray some of the expenses of the tour (yes, this is an unusual step for a band from Cuba, but this was largely a "do-it-yourself" tour on their part), and as is the case with Kickstarter generally, some interesting premiums are being offered for different levels of support. The page will be active until July 22, so visit now if you are a fan of Mezcla. 
Click here for Mezcla's Kickstarter page, which includes a video.

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The newest addition to my CD collection: Grupo Danson - Rumba, Son con Timba

On Monday Grupo Danson, under the direction of trombonist Carlos Pérez, released their long-awaited second CD - "Rumba, son con timba" - at iTunes and Amazon. I was fortunate to get a hardcopy at their release concert held in Copenhagen Saturday, November 8th. The concert report and a CD review will be coming soon.

Briefly let me say that Grupo Danson is an outstanding body of musicians. The rhythm section has fantastic gears and the trombones are a powerhouse. I highly recommend catching them live, but more on that in the concert report. The CD contains songs by Alaín Pérez, Alexander Abreu, César "Pupy" Pedroso and Carlos Pérez and includes both Alaín and Mandy Cantero as guest singers along with Danson's own singer lineup of Ernesto Manuitt and Henri Benitez. But again, more on the CD in the full review.

track list:
Mezclando culturas A. Abreu arr. A. Abreu ,A. Pérez
Que buena suerte G. Pérez arr. A. Pérez
Sibaguaní C. Pérez arr. C. Pérez
Polvo del ayer G. Pérez arr. A. Pérez
Sabor de mi rumba G. Pérez arr. A. Pérez
José Andrés C. Pedroso arr. C. Pérez
Siempre cha cha chá G. Pérez  arr. A. Pérez
Va y ven de hamaca C. Pérez arr. C. Pérez
Conga cubana G. Pérez  arr. A. Pérez

In the meantime here is a brief interview with Carlos done shortly before the concert. It is in Spanish with English subtitles.

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photo by Tom Ehrlich - 2009 - with the Afro-Cuban All Stars

Calixto Oviedo - of NG La Banda, The Afro-Cuban All Stars, Adalberto Álvarez y su Son, Pachito Alonso (to say nothing of Pacho himself), and Beyond Salsa Percussion - will lead a incredible band at New York's Jazz Standard club tonight, Tuesday, July 9, as part of the New Dimensions In Lazz Jazz, Cuban Drum Series.

It's an amazing band, featuring:

Gustavo Ramírez: played with NG, now probably the best timba pianist on the West Coast.

Mauricio Herrera: played drums with Paulito, 90 Miles, and many others; has now been tearing up the New York scene and YouTube for several years. Here he is with Pedrito Martínez. 

Carlos Averhoff, Jr.: Issac's ex-saxophonist and the son of NG La Banda's and Irakere's Carlos Averhoff, Sr.

Nestor Del Prado: an accomplished Latin jazz bassist, played on varios projects with saxophonist Carlos Averhoff, trumpeter Zoltan Grof, and vibist Pedro Alfonso among many others.

Catch them if you can. Calixto will also be in California later this summer playing a series of gigs with Edgardo Gambón's Candela.

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ENGLISH: Los Angeles-based Rumbankete recently released two excellent new singles, Cuando Suene and Ambicioso Seductor.   This is a group that prides itself on its ability to play both Timba and Salsa Cubana, but these two songs are clearly in the Timba side of the repertoire, and I like them both (Ambicioso Seductor is my favorite), enough so that the radio program Domingos Felices will play them Sunday, November 16, and interview lead singer Iris Sandra Cepeda.  For more information (including where to buy the singles in iTunes), click here. 
Also:  Chicago will enjoy a trifecta of excellent concerts this weekend:  Cuban Jazz piano virtuoso Alfredo Rodríguez (a favorite of Quincy Jones, incidentally), Tiempo Libre and Arturo Sandoval.   For all the details, see our Report From Chicago page for November 9. 
ESPAÑOL:  Rumbankete, que se basa en Los Angeles, lanzó recientemente dos nuevos sencillos excelentes, Cuando Suene y Ambicioso Seductor.  Este grupo se enorgullece de su capacidad de tocar ambos la Timba y la Salsa Cubana, pero las dos canciones son claramente del lado de la TImba en su repertorio, y me gustan las dos (Ambicioso Seductor es mi favorita), lo suficiente para que el programa de radio Domingos Felices pondrá ellas el domingo, 16 de Noviembre, y la cantante Iris Sandra Cepeda será la entrevistada.  Para más información (incluyendo dónde se  puede comprarlas en iTunes), haga clic aquí.
También:  Chicago va a disfrutar de una trifecta de excelentes conciertos este fin de semana: el pianista cubano Alfredo Rodríguez (un virtuoso del Jazz y uno de los favoritos de Quincy Jones, por cierto), Tiempo Libre y Arturo Sandoval.  para todos los detalles, consulte Report From Chicago  (9 de noviembre). 

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