Among the 800+ attendees of the Dec. 22 Charanga Habanera show in San Francisco were Nick & Serena of SalsaValeTodo, happily reporting that registration is almost full for their upcoming and 2nd Annual SALSA RUEDA FESTIVAL at the Hotel Whitcomb. 

This year they will be offering over 40 workshops in Cuban-style salsa, Rueda de Casino, Rumba, Afro-Cuban Folkloric, Son, Cha Cha Cha, Danzon, Salsa Suelta, Cuban Styling for Ladies, Cuban Cabaret and Mambo, and Music appreciation and listening classes. Beginning dancers will have the unique opportunity of extensive study in a Beginner's Track devoted to giving new dancers the basics and introducing other dancer's to Cuban dance. 

The festival will also host special guest, Roberto Borrell who will teach danzon, son, cha cha cha and present his multi-media demonstration and lecture on "Timba: Dancing Though Time".  Four nights of parties will include performances and three live Timba bands.

Enjoy dancing with casineros from around the world!!

deja un comentario

continue reading Pa' Ponerte en Talla

Click here to listen to the new single by Pepito Gómez & José Lugo.
Oprima aquí para escuchar el nuevo sencillo. Mañana estrena en Puerto Rico. 

Pepito performing to a full house in New York last week

They say that Cuba and Puerto Rico are "two wings of a bird" and the latest collaboration between Cuba and Puerto Rico is the new single "No me saques de tu vida" lyrics and music by José Gómez "Pepito", José Lugo & Juan José Hernández  "Juanchi". Pepito needs no introduction to timba fans. His brilliant tenor voice is unmistakable and his iconic interpretations have left an indelible mark on contemporary Cuban dance music. Also a composer, Pepito contributed the mega-hit "Un poquito al revés", including the coro that gave the name to the award-winning CD "Tranquilo que yo controlo" by Pupy y Los Que Son Son. Since his arrival in the US in 2008 Pepito has performed  to rave reviews and recorded with a number of artists, and he is now part of José Lugo's latest project in the Guasábara series as composer and lead vocalist on the single "No me saques de tu vida", which premiers on Puerto Rican radio tomorrow!

José Lugo is one of the most important Latin producers with many Grammy nominations and eight wins under his belt. Lugo produced, arranged and played piano on the single, and you will recognize his style with some interesting and unexpected harmonic changes and even a bit of a timba teaser at 3:30. Juanchi is the director of the group San Juan Habana. An ex-singer for Adalberto Álvarez, he is the composer of such hits as El Gran Combo's "Arroz con habichuela" and Gilberto Santa Rosa's "El conteo regresivo", as well as "Ella menea" by NG2. This is truly a stellar combination.

So how did Los Joséses begin this collaboration? Pepito tells us:
José Lugo and I met through Issac Delgado who referred him to me. José Lugo invited me to sing on a production that he was doing for Pablo Aubia, bassist and director of the group Batambo. Mr. Aubia is Argentinean and living in Geneva. I went to Puerto Rico and we met, and after that we stayed in contact and formed a good friendship. José Lugo had now finished the first production of his CD "Guasábara". It was a project with a big orchestra where singers such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Cano Estremera, Víctor Manuel, Issac Delgado and Herman Olivera participated and it was nominated for an American Grammy. With the passage of time our friendship led us to work together. He proposed that I do two songs to start with for the project "Guasábara 2"  with a 7-musician format and the possibility of doing live performances. We recorded two songs, this one and another that is in the mixing process called "Si te quiere sola regresa" . The lyrics and music are mine, and the arrangement, production and piano are by José Lugo.

"No me saques de tu vida" was recorded in Puerto Rico at José Lugo's Guasábara Records and will be available at iTunes next week. These are the two first songs prepared for the CD Guasábara Combo.

deja un comentario

continue reading Timbera Mayor

I was recently on a five-week vacation in El Yuma and during that time I fell out of touch with what was happening in the world. When I got back from vacation I found an e-mail from Ben Lapidus informing me that Nino Olivares, the marimbulero of Changüí de Guantánamo, passed away on January 4th, 2010 at age 90. I first met Nino at the National Changüí Festival in Guantánamo in December of 2007. He was 87 years old but playing the marimbula with a great strength in his hands and arms. He had a habit of singing along with the
Nino & I in Paris - He liked his rum
rhythm of the marimbula or with the coros as he played, supplimenting his plucking of the marimbula keys with occasional strikes on the wooden case, which served both as his stool and as a cajón. I later met him again in Paris in September 2008 where I asked him to tell me a little about how he started playing marimbula.  I don't claim that I knew Nino well, but he made quite an impression on me and so I want to do something to honor his memory and the contribution he made to Cuban music during his 49 years with Changüí de Guantánamo. Click here for his musician's page where you will find a transcription of the interview, a link to the interview and a short video clip of Nino at a changüí in Casa de Pipi in Yateras. Chao Nino, te extrañamos.

deja un comentario

continue reading Timbera Mayor

Ok here we go.....the first dedicated timba drumming clinics in the country begin APRIL 6 & 7 in Seattle Washington. The instructor is master percussionist Calixto Oviedo, the drummer with the iconic band NG La Banda during the period that produced their greatest recordings, including Santa Palabra, Échale Limón, and El Trágico. For his full biography and discography click here. 

APRIL 6 - Beyond Salsa Percussion
Timba Drumming Clinic
Seattle Pacific University - http://www.spu.edu - 9:30 AM
3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119-1997
Phone: 206-281-2142 / Dan Adams Percussion Studies

APRIL 7 - Beyond Salsa Percussion
Timba Drumming Clinic
University of Washington 
http://www.music.washington.edu - 1:00 PM
1100 Ne Campus Parkway, Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: 206-543-121 / Richard Karpen Director


Calixto's clinics coincide with his performances with the AFRO-CUBAN ALL STARS tour. Seattle shows include April 5-6-7 at the JAZZ ALLEY (http://jazzalley.com). 

Jazz Alley - jazzalley [at] jazzalley [dot] com
2033 6th Avenue, Seattle WA 98121
Phone 206.441.9729

deja un comentario

continue reading Pa' Ponerte en Talla