Irakere in Santa Cruz Tonight

photos by Tom Ehrlich - Sonoma State University - Oct. 25

Irakere and Pedrito Martínez played an incredible double bill at Sonoma State on Sunday. The new Irakere = hosted by Kuumbwa Jazz Center at Santa Cruz's El Río Theater -consists of a beefed up horn section with an extra trumpet and an insanely great rhythm section consisting of Gastón Joya on bass, Rodney Barreto on drums, Yaroldy Abreu on congas and an amazing batalero/folkloric vocalist named Dresiner Durruthy.

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Wil Campa playing for several thousand frantic fans in Cienfuegos - click here for the full gallery - more coming soon.

Meanwhile, Irakere continues this week at SFJAZZ.

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The Pedrito Martínez Group recorded their second CD in Havana last month, with guest stars Issac Delgado, Telmary, Román Díaz and Descemer Bueno (pictured below). Many more photos coming. Click here for the full gallery.

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It's been a historically disappointing summer, full of last minute cancellations and crushed expectations, but we can now confirm that (although the opening Miami and LA shows were canceled due to system-wide visa bugs that, for once, have nothing to do with Cuba) Havana d'Primera is now in the Yuma and ready to roll for Yoshi's SF TONIGHT and Saturday, Minneapolis on Aug. 7th, Chicago on Aug. 8th and at B.B. King's in NYC on August 12th. More details as they come in, but tonight is definitely on - see you there!

Meanwhile, The 2014 San José Jazz Festival (Aug. 8, 9, 10) will be one for the ages and there are no visas involved (phew...) , except for Conjunto Chappottín, who are (I'm 99% sure) already in the country and will also be playing a dance show at Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Aug. 7th. Chappottín has gotten rave reviews on the East Coast. And the REST of the SJ Jazz lineup is just unbelievable - Pedrito Martínez Group, Calixto Oviedo, Fort Apache, Jimmy Bosch, Viento de Agua (hot plena), Donald Harrison, QBA, Pacific Mambo, Pasión Habanera, Orquesta Borinquen, Avance, Wayne Wallace - on and on - and many, including Pedrito Martínez, play more than once. [Kevin Moore, all photos by Tom Ehrlich]