Peter Maiden&#39;s AzÃºcar Photos

Azúcar, formerly Azúcar y Crema, is an all-female Latin band from the Bay Area. Check out Peter's concert report and photo gallery.

saturday, 01 december 2012, 07:51 pm

Okay, here's the scoop on Queens. Havana d'Primera backed Tirso on four songs: Te molesta que sea feliz, Eso que me pides, Un mal sueño and Déjala que corra. Tirso also played piano while Alexander sat in on one of Tirso's songs.

Mayito has his own US band under the direction of Osiris Martínez founding member of both Manolito y su Trabuco and Pupy y Los Que Son Son, now living in the US. Jhair Sala of the Pedrito Martínez Group was on congas. Mayito sang De igual a igual, Voy a publicar tu foto and Si no te quieres tú.

And of course the three singers traded guías.

Don't forget Rosy's Charanga Report. Next big show is Charanga Habanera in Orlando.

sunday, 07 october 2012, 11:53 am

Eddie Palmieri and José Claussell on timbales - photo by Tom Ehrlich

Tom has a new gallery from the first night of the Monterey Jazz Fest featuring Eddie P., Grégoire Maret, Jack DeJohnette and others.

Rebeca Mauleón's Lecture Series got off to an amazing start with Danilo Lozano, Orestes Vilató, Jesús Díaz and Abe Gamroyan. Incredibly interesting stuff. It continues every Wed. in October.

Martin Cohen is really on a roll, releasing super-high quality videos of New York's growing community of world class Cuban musicians. Iván Llanes, who came with Maraca on drums, turns out to be a great singer as well.

friday, 14 september 2012, 01:05 am

John Santos and the legendary Orestes Vilató with the John Santos Sextet

Tom's latest gallery features Leyder Chapman's Dos 4, with Colin Douglas on drums and the John Santos Sextet with Orestes Vilató, Kenny Washington and John Calloway.

The incredible timba conjunto, The Pedrito Martínez Group, will be at Yoshi's Oakland on Thursday, Sept. 20th and at the Monterey Jazz Festival Sept. 21st.

Book News: If you're into Afro-Cuban folkloric music, Luca Brandoli's 11 books and 7 CDs are truly amazing. Each book/CD volume teaches you about 50 songs, first with a bell so you know exactly where "1" is and then with an exquisitely recorded batá ensemble. The singing is sublime and the educational method is a godsend. The perfect combination.

As for me, I'm still slaving away at my book for non-musicians. It keeps getting longer so I can't even predict when I'll be done.