Tom Ehrlich&#39;s Afro-Cuban All Stars Photos

Here's the next installment of Tom's 3- or 4-part series on Juan d'Marcos & the Afro-Cuban All Stars at SF Jazz. And here are the remaining tour dates. Next stop: Waterbury Connecticut and then on to NY for a full week at the Blue Note.

Coming: Havana d'Primera at Yoshi's SF - May 31 & June 1.

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UPDATED: Two new shows added on 2-21 & 2-23 - click here for details.

Por Fin! Los Hermanos Arango are finally in the United States and will play at Berklee School of Music a week from today, Wednesday, Feb. 22.

There are also encouraging signs that they may play a show in Chicago.

Their visas are good until July so if you ideas for venues, please write in.

Click "continue reading La última" for a larger image of the poster.

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Click here for Part 3 of 4.

Rebeca Mauleón with Gabriel Hernández, Pantaleón, Juan de Marcos and Niño Mentira.

Book News: Thanks to the efforts of Vasík Greif the new beyondsalsa.info web site has been launched - everything in one place. There's even a Beyond Salsa Blog. Facebook page is next! Also, the beginning bass book is almost done. Stay tuned!

thursday, 25 july 2024, 12:04 am

Beyond Salsa Piano, Vol. 9 hard-copy -- eBook and audio files

At 130 pages, this is by far the most ambitious volume to date of the Beyond Salsa Piano series, almost twice as long as the other Melón volumes. It begins with the easiest Melón tumbao, Catalina, and simplifies it a step further with an introductory chapter on the time-honored I-IV-V-IV chord progression. But the gloves come off in Chapter 3. Since the series is chronological, this final volume contains Melón's most advanced work with Issac Delgado and goes on to cover the music he's recorded in Spain, including Me falta la Habana with Manolín and the amazing Movimiento from his 2010 CD Travesía.

There are also extensive chapters on Melón's playing on two Issac masterpieces which were only played live: La competencia (Hit Parade), and my all-time favorite piano tumbao, the legendary La temática.

The most dramatic difference between this volume and the eight that preceded it is the inclusion of cuerpos, mambos and transitions. On three songs, Se te fue la mano, Con la punta del pie, and La soga, we provide a full written part for everything Melón plays up to the improvisational open montuno section.

I'm already deeply embroiled in writing Volumes 10, 11 and 12 on Pupy Pedroso , and Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Inside Cuban Percussion, featuring the amazing Calixto Oviedo . The long-awaited video product of Melón is still on the back burner, but the video has already been shot for Calixto - and it's amazing -- so the video will be part of the initial launch of the Calixto project. Drummers have been bugging me to do something like this ever since the first Tomás Cruz Conga Method came out in 2005. The wait will soon be over, guys, but start practicing your perididdles and 7-stroke rolls, because Calixto is going to rock your worlds!