Issac in Boston - Free Concert

photo by Tom Ehrlich

Thanks to Pedro Aizcorbe for alerting us that Issac Delgado and his group will play - for free - as part of Boston's 9-day Outside the Box festival on Thursday, July 19.

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 12:04 AM

Highlights: Luz viajera vocal improv (both of them) (Y2K), Tirso's guest spot on No me mires (Y2K), Tomasito and Yoel's songo con efectos all through Noche de Cristal (autumn 98 I believe).

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Seriously - Issac just KILLS it on Luz viajera - the best vocal improvising I've heard.

The fourth contender for the title - the amazing April 2000 Marina Hemingway show - is coming soon, but in the meantime, here's an honorable mention. This is from the same July 1997 Festival at which Charanga Habanera was suspended. All CH did was to perform their regular nightclub show, but Issac omitted the dance contest from Por qué paró. Compare the version here to this one. but the hottest Por qué paró (no video) is this one. And for a full comparison, there's also this one. Which do you like best and why? (please answer in the comments section)

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 12:04 AM

PMG comes to the Mendocino Music Fest this coming Friday, July 26.

We're now getting close to catching up with the timbanado that hit the Bay Area last month: 5 HdP galleries and about 6 videos; selected Mayimbe shots, soundcheck photos from PMG in SF, and now Tom's PMG gallery from the mind-boggling Santa Cruz show. Still to come are the videos from this show.

Everything else is just rumors - maybe Manolito, maybe Revé - keep your fingers crossed, and don't forget Issac in Boston for free on Thursday (see previous post).

Book news - Tirso Duarte is done and on sale at createspace and LPM. Now about 50% done with Beyond Salsa Bass, Vol. 2. Volume 1 ended with Arsenio, and Volume 2 begins with the most adventurous Arsenio survey yet - the cierres and diablos of almost 50 tracks - Arsenio, my friends, Arsenio - what can I say? Everything keeps coming back to the blind tresero from Bolondrón. Volume 2 will also cover Cachao, Dizzy & Chano, and the 1950s Puerto Rican roots of salsa: César Concepción, Cortijo, Ismael Rivera and the two Titos. Stay tuned!

Late-breaking news! - timba.com contributor Pepe Martínez reports that Yosvel Bernal has joined Havana d'Primera! Yosvel, the nephew of Van Van's trombonist Mundo, played teclado and then piano with Paulito FG for close to 10 years before moving to Spain. He has a gorgeous voice and has been recording a lot of original R&B flavored tracks. He will apparently sing coro with HdP and help with material. [Kevin Moore]

Thursday, 25 July 2024, 12:04 AM

If Issac's performance on this early arrangement of Solar de la California doesn't take you on an emotional journey from tears to euphoria, check your pulse. Of Issac's many epic live bands, the Alain/Melón, Yoel/Joel, and Piloto/Pérez incarnations are probably the most famous, but the Spring 2000 group was just as amazing in its own way.

Before Bombón Reyes became the founding drummer/arranger of Pupy y Los Que Son Son and Pupy's spot in Van Van was taken by Roberto "Cucurucho" Valdés, both of these phenomenal musicians played in this short-lived but historically great Issac Delgado Group, along with the ubiquitous bass master Frank Rubio, conguero Denis "Papacho" Savón and many others.

This concert includes the original arrangements of El Solar de la California and Amor sin ética and two tremendous guest vocals by Mayito Rivera. Manolín is on hand, and, doing what he does better than anyone, he adds coros, rather than guías, to the proceedings. Don't forget that you can use the links in the video descriptions to jump from song to song. For Beyond Salsa geeks, this band was the heavyweight champion in the categories of efectos and signals. The rhythm section here is as brilliantly loose and creative as the piano and bass were in the Melón-Alain band of 1997. The '00 band's sello is based on that of the '99 band that played the Y2K Concert that we added last week, but they added their own sello to the inherited sello - you'll see what I mean. Enjoy! If the response is good I'll add another show, two days earlier at the same club, with Robertón sitting in.

And Bay Areans - Gente de Zona will be in Alameda Sunday for their Bay Area premiere. It's supposed to be a full band of live musicians - will they force us to change our name to regueton punto com? [Kevin Moore]