The new Van Van album "La Fantasía" is now available at Descarga.com in hardcopy. It is their best album of the past decade so you don't want to miss it! Click here to read Bill's review. It's the best way to prepare yourself for the upcoming US tour celebrating 45 years of Van Van. For more information about the tour click here.

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Giraldo Piloto has published the program for the 2017 Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival. The inauguration party will take place March 6th at Casa de la Música Miramar at 11:00pm with Giraldo Piloto & Klímax and Aisar y El Expresso de Cuba. During the week there will also be concerts in Miramar by Manolito Simonet y Su Trabuco, Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia, Adalberto Álvarez y Su Son, Maykel Dinza y Soneros de la Juventud, Pupy y Los Que Son Son and Elito Revé y su Charangón. Hotel Riviera will host jazz groups all week long, while more timba can be had at Salon Rosado de La Tropical with Van Van, El Niño y la Verdad and Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor on Saturday the 11th and Havana D'Primera, Paulo FG y su Élite , Leonel Limonta y Azúcar Negra and Giraldo Piloto y Klímax on Sunday the 12th. The rumba and Afro-Cuban concerts will be in the gardens of the Teatro Mella.

The percussion classes and competition will be held all week in Sala Avenida and the major percussion performances and the finals for the dance and percussion competitions will all take place at Teatro Mella. This is a fantastic event with so many facets of Cuban music and dance to enjoy at once. Don't miss it if you can be in Havana in March!

Click here for the full program including venues and times.

For questions about tickets for the various event you can write to
Sra. Darlenys eventos2@paradis.artex.cu

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Alain Almeida Manzanares has been singing timba since he was 18 starting with Sello L.A. and later with groups such as La Charanga Forever, Michel Maza y La Bola and Roberto Armas y Los Conquistadores del La Salsa. It was with the latter orchestra that he finally settled in Lima in 2002, where he also worked with A1 Banda and Barbaro Fines y Su Mayimbe. In March 2013 Alain started his own timba band "La Constelación de Cuba" with a repertoire based on original compositions by himself and musical director and arranger Osuan Ponciano. The band will soon be finishing their first CD - "Pa' Lante y con Fe" - that they plan to release in time for their second anniversary party which will be hosted by the nightclub Makumba in Lima on March 28th. They are also in the process of filming the official video for the hit single "Hoy serás mía". We took the time to do a short interview with Alain. Click here to read the interview where he talks about how he got into music and what led him to start his own band. Dale cliq aquí para leérlo en español. Below is a video with lyrics of "Hoy serás mía" but this is not the official clip that is coming; it's just a teaser. To keep up with the band, you can follow them at the Constelación D'Cuba Facebook page. 

"Hoy serás mía" with lyrics

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Led by Cuban trombonist Andrés Fernández, the CuJazz Ensemble is a new musical project that brings together talented Costa Rican musicians, receiving the cubop legacy of greats like Dizzy Gillespei, Chino Pozo, Frank Emilio Flynn and Machito.

Two cultures united by the same musical language exposing their experiences with a universal approach.

The Cujazz ensemble combines Andrés Fernández's original compositions with jazz standards from the 1940s, sprinkled with influences from Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop, cooljazz, modern jazz, plus elements of Latin American music and the Caribbean.

Danceable, intellectual, full of chants and colors that immerse you in the journey of a musician who was born in Cuba and has enriched his language throughout the world.

Andrés Fernández: trombonist, singer & composer
Eduardo Montero: pianist & composer
Erick Monge: drumset & composer
Nelson Segura: bass & composer
Kendall Berrocal: congas & minor percussion

www.facebook.com/thecujazzensemble

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