Ahora Es Cuando Es

Aisar y El Expresso de Cuba - Ahora Es Cuando Es

#SaveTheDate Friday, November 25th Aisar y El Expresso de Cuba will release the first single "Ahora Es Cuando Es" from their upcoming album "Musica Cubana Llegó El Expresso" on the Bis Music label. The single will be available worldwide at all the typical digital sources, such as iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Deezer and more. This is a must have for all DJs and timberos.

If you are in Cuba, don't miss your opportunity to see Aisar y El Expresso de Cuba live! You can catch them every Wednesday at the matinee at El Diablo Tun Tun from 5:00pm-9:00pm, the first and third Friday of every month at Café Cantante , and the second Saturday of every month at Los Jardines del 1830 from 10:00pm.

The planned release date for the full album is set for December 22 in Cuba. We are very excited about this debut album. This is the real thing ! There's no question that Ahora es cuando es!

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 12:04 AM

Maykel Blanco @Teatro Nacional de Cuba 12 Anniversary Concert Maykel Blanco outside the National Theater after rehearsal
photo courtesy of Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor Official Facebook page

Tonight Maykel Blanco y Su Salsa Mayor celebrate their 12th anniversary with a concert in Sala Avellaneda at Teatro Nacional de Cuba. The tickets went on sale November 15th and were sold out in just two hours. Maykel has prepared something different this time working with the National Symphony Orchestra in a presentation of their most recent CD "Que no me quiten la fe". Let's hope they also film and upload some of the concert for those of us who can't attend. Congratulations to Maykel and Los Mayores! In the meantime we can enjoy a taste of their concert from the 2016 Festival de la Salsa in Havana.

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 12:04 AM

Tony Moreaux & Asokere

Tony Moreaux is working on his first CD with his new group Asokere , based in Copenhagen. He has come a long way from his childhood in Guantanamo where his father is maraquero and singer with Changüí Guantanamo. Tony studied percussion at the Music Conservatory Esteban Salas in Santiago de Cuba and his timba career began with Carlos Manuel y Su Clan. In the year 2000 Tony relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark where he worked with orchestras such as Grupo Danson. He later became a member of Juan D'Marcos' Afro-Cuban All stars and toured the world extensively. Tony has now formed his own orchestra - Asokere. Last year they performed as a backing band for Tito Nieves on his European tour, and they are currently hard at work finishing their first album.

In 2016 Asokere released their first single "Pa' que aprendas" and Tony recently took time off to tell us a little about the band and their debut album slated for release later this year. Follow Asokere at their Official Facebook Page .

The CD will have 10 songs so that Cuban music lovers can enjoy themselves and dance to the music that I bring with Asokere. Our music style is popular dance music using different genres such as son, son montuno, pilón, cha cha chá, songo ... well it will have a range of Cuban rhythms and a lot of rhythmic folkloric elements, which I am very interested in doing, since of course I have always been interested in the Yoruba religion. That's why my band's name is: Asokere. Asokere is a song to Eleggua in the Yoruba religion, and I, as Son of Eleggua, was interested in that song and from there came the name of the band.

The band members are Cubans and Danes. The singer is Henry Benitez better known in Cuba as "El Jerry" (ex-Pupy y Los Que Son Son singer). The pianist is Javier Gutiérrez Massó (El Caramelo de Cuba). Several of the members are involved in writing the arrangements, but I always put something of myself into the arrangements and the way in which I want to interpret the songs. This is to say it's always a collective work, because we all have different ways of thinking and of feeling the music.

The first single "Pa' que aprendas" is by the trumpet player Oslen Ceballo, an excellent arranger and trumpet player. The next songs that I will begin to record have arrangements by Maykel "Cuchilla" Garcia (pianist and member of Pupy y Los Que Son Son) and also arrangements by two magnificent musical producers and arrangers - Mauricio Cecilio Diaz and Roniel Alfonso Mella. I hope everyone enjoys it and that you like everything I bring, which is simply dance music for the dancers.

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 12:04 AM

La Fantasia - GRAMMY Nomination 2016

The 2017 GRAMMY nominees were announced this week. From the Cuban side Chucho Valdes was nominated in the Best Latin Jazz category for “Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac” and Los Van Van was nominated for "La Fantasia" for Best Tropical Album. Timba.com wishes them both good luck. the winners will be announced on February 12th.

El Tren is facing competition from Fonseca - "Conexión, Grupo Niche - "35 Aniversario", La Sonora Santanera - "En Su 60 Aniversario" and José Lugo & Guasábara Combo - "Dónde Están?". If I may campaign for Los Van Van for just a moment, beyond the fact that "La Fantasia" is an excellent album (click here to read Bill's review) , it is special to Cuban music fans because it is a tribute to the late Juan Formell. "La Fantasia" includes some of the last songs in which Juan Formell was involved as composer and arranger. Moreover, the title track features Juan Formell himself on vocals. Formell originally recorded the song as a demo for Luna Manzanares, but after he passed Samuel decided to use his father's vocals and record it on the new album together with the children's choir of Alejandro Garcia Cartula.

Los Van Van also happen to be starting a short US tour tonight at Howard Theatre in Washington D.C. See all the dates below.

Concert Dates:
December 8, 2016 - Washington D.C. - Howard Theatre
December 9, 2016 - New York, NY. - B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
December 10, 2016 -San Francisco, CA. - Roccapulco
December 11, 2016 - Los Angeles, CA. - Conga Room