Photo courtesy of Buena Fe (Página Oficial)

It has been nearly a week since the big concert by Buena Fe February 22nd at Miami-Dade County Auditorium, and I have now posted my concert report which I was able to complete thanks to the cooperation of friend and fellow Buena Fe fan Líen Álvarez and Javier Otero of Blue Night Entertainment . Since we had such a build-up to the Karl Marx concerts, I start this report with a bit of a summary of the events n Miami beginning with the arrival of Israel and Yoel on February 18th and including their television appearences prior to the concert. There is also a short interview with Javier Otero as well as a playlist of songs from the concert. Click here to read the concert report.

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It's time again for the Fiest del Tambor. Here is the introduction to the call to the 11th edition:

The Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival (Fiesta del Tambor) was born and developed giving posthumous recognition to Guillermo Barreto, one of the greatest percussionists of all time throughout the Americas.  Due to his importance, the event has had 10 editions with the participation of guests of international fame, the support of several of the most important percussion companies around the world and Cuba, and participation by the most important Cuban musicians as well as the principle dance companies, which join in the festival demonstrating the unbreakable relationship between the drum and dance.
 
The festival is a natural showcase for all percussionists, and we also celebrate the International Percussion Competition. The competition is totally open to all ages and nationalities and permits us to further and to stimulate Cuban Percussion in some of the principle instruments which identify us and that we inherit with special acknowledgement from musicians such as Chano Pozo, Tata Güines, Ricardo “Papín“ Abreu, Miguel Angá, among many other  musicians that have passed away.
 
This year it will be celebrated from March 6 to 11, 2012. The festival is organized by the Center for the Promotion of Traditional Music “Ignacio Piñeiro”.

We maintain all of the activities that have been a cultural success for Cuba in the previous editions among which are: masters classes, dance music concerts and jazz concerts, performances by the principle folkloric groups of Cuba, visits to the national Schools of the Arts and intercultural visits by alumni and professors of universities and schools of various countries, conferences and classes in Cuban percussion organized in advance, among other surprises that we continue to add.
 
We expect more than 30 000 people to attend the planned activities at different venues including some of Havana’s principle theaters (Karl Marx, Amadeo Roldán, Mella). Other venues that will host the festival are: “El Palacio de la Rumba”, El “Salón Rosado de La Tropical”, de la EGREM’s “Casas de la Música”, La Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, Hotel Occidental Miramar, Hotel Habana Libre, among other locations.

Click here for more information, including instructions to apply to participate in the drum competition (in Spanish).

The Canadian organization KoSA is organizing their annual trip to the Fiesta del Tambor, which includes hotel, meals, conferences, classes and local transportation. For more information about partcipating via KoSA click here .

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The schedule has now been finalized for the 2013 Havana Rhythm and Dance Festival. It is a five-day event including an international percussion competition, dance classes, percussion classes and dance and music performances by major groups in genres from foklore to timba to jazz. Some highlights of the timba concerts:
March 6 - Klímax & Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor @ Hotel Habana Libre
March 7 - 50th anniversary celebration for Los Papines  @ Teatro Mella 8:00pm - 11:00pm
11:00pm - 2:00am Adalberto Álvarez y su Son  @ Hotel Habana Libre
March 8 - Klímax and guests @ Casa de la Música Miramar 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Los Van Van & Havana D'Primera @Teatro Mella 8:30pm - 10:00pm
March 9 - Pupy y los que son son @ Hotel Habana Libre 11:00pm - 2:00am
March 10 - Klímax, Havana D'Primera, JG y su grupo & Oderquis Revé @ La Tropical

Click here for the full schedule and check out the Fiesta del Tambor website for more information.

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On March 1st Los Van Van begin their Winter 2012 Tour of Europe featuring songs from their latest CD, La Maquinaría and providing Europeans with our first live experience of Mandy Cantero with Van Van. Yes, there are already a number of Mandy with Van Van videos, but there is really nothing that can match the live-in-person experience. Van Van's month-long tour includes England, Belgium, France, the Nordic countries, and an extensive tour of Germany as well as dates in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Click here to find a concert near you.

If you happen to be in Germany you can also take advantage of the Cubanízate Festival de Salsa Cubana offer of a discount on Van Van tickets when you purchase your festival ticket. This is the second year for the Cubanízate Festival,  a Cuban dance congreso that is held in Nuremberg, and DJ Tomba has promised timba, timba and timba! Tomba tells us: "The deal is that if you order both tickets you save 10 Euros. Related to the concert ticket you pay 20 instead of 30 Euro. And you can choose One of the cities Van Van plays in Germany." Check out the Cubanízate Festival website for more information about how to take advantage of the festival/Van Van offer and for a complete list of classes and instructors.

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