Los Van Van in Africa - The band is scheduled to perform in Luanda, Angola, for three shows on November 25, 26 and 27 as part of the celebrations of National Independence Day, November 11. Juan Formell and his team were welcomed by the Cuban ambassador to Angola, Pedro Ross, and other figures. Los Van Van created a musical style called "songo" and they are directly responsible for the emergence of our favorite genre (Timba). source

Kings of Salsa dance & theater show - This collaboration between dancer Roclan Gonzalez Chavez of Cuban ballet fame and London producer Jon Lee is heating up the theater scene for those who enjoy live dance performances. The purely music and dance show (no dialogue) features all original music (anyone know who the composer is?) a company of nine dancers and the eight-member band Cuba Ashire plus two vocalists. source

Cuban born, Emmy & Grammy winning composer charged - Cuban born, Julliard School of Music graduate and Emmy & Grammy winning composer -- Fernando Rivas -- pleaded not guilty and was free on $300,000 bond for production, distribution and possession of child pornography in South Carolina. Mr. Rivas composed music for shows like Sesame Street, in which his songs featured singers Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan and Cyndi Lauper. source

Tiempo Libre has a new website - Now it's easier to find tour dates and news on TL. source

Japan-based Cuban percussionist debuts first solo album - Escuela Nacional de Arte graduate Juan Carlos López debuts his first-ever solo album -- called Dale Coco --  in a night of salsa grooves at club Crocodile in Harajuku, Japan. The album features a track with leading Japanese salsa outfit and Universal Music recording artists Salsa Swingoza. source

Latin Grammy wrap-up - Exiled Cuban singer-songwriter Amaury Gutiérrez won a Latin Grammy this past November 10 and dedicated his award to The Ladies in White movement. Other Cubans henored with Latin Grammy wins were Paquito D’Rivera and Lena Burke, as well as a posthumous award to Israel "Cachao" López.  source

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A very talented musical family in Toronto, Canada offers Cuban music instruction for both adults and children. The CUBAN PERCUSSION SCHOOL is located at 11 Weston Road, Toronto, Canada M6N 5H2. To reach them, call +1.416.554.9276, or email mayitodelmonte [at] rogers [dot] com.

Led by Mario "Mayito" del Monte, the school provides private and group lessons a swell as workshops with Jose Luis "Changuito Quintana", Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez and Amadito Valdés (of Buenavista Social Club fame). Mayito began playing professionally as a trumpet player to please his father, Mario del Monte, the director and trumpet lead of la Orquesta Riverside. Later Mayito has played percussion alongside some of the greatest Latin musicians of the century….Ignacio Berroa, Alex Acuña, Miguel Angá, Oscar de León and joined the puertorican superstar José Feliciano on many of his recordings and tours. Mayito also led his own group, Latin Street, and has traveled internationally hosting percussion clinics. His many other performance credits include NG la Banda, Issac Delgado, Anga, Conjunto Roberto Faz, Changuito, la Orquesta Riverside, the Tropicana Cabaret Oruqestra and Los Barba. His daughter, known artistically as Glenda del E, is an accomplished pianist and composer.

Update = Silvio has secured his visa and his shows are highly anticipated. Here's a new video:

Update = this Combinación de la Habana video is TIGHT. Un abrazo para Gersón y compañía.... están echando candela. Quémala.

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Happy to announce we've added Alisa Froman and PlazaCUBA to our schools page. The following free Cuban music video clips were made available to us courtesy of PlazaCUBA, a humanitarian-based arts organization that specializes in travel to Cuba and Cuban music, dance, art and cultural exchange. These video clips have a total playing time = 11:58 mm:ss. This FREE DOWNLOAD includes 2 QUICKTIME VIDEO FILES - one of the Camagüey folkloric group RUMBATÁ performing a song titled "Que Mal Te Portaste" and the other is a concert at la E.N.A. (National School of the Arts) by world famous timba group Pupy y los que Son Son.

Here are the trailers for the full song videos (aquí les va las muestras de los video clips de las canciones completas).

 click here to visit the free download page 

Tickets to Pupy's first show in San Francisco available here. Handheld recording will be allowed at this show! Oprima aquí para boletos para Pupy en San Francisco. Se permitirán grabadoras de mano en este show.

  oprima aquí para visitar la página de la descarga gratis

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El 12 de Junio se presentara en un festival de jazz en la isla de Aruba, la más exitosa orquesta femenina de Cuba: la orquesta ANACAONA.

Oprima aquí para descarga el dossier completo de la orquesta ANACAONA.

Un saludo y abrazo a Ánika Vila  por mantenernos al tanto con toda esta información.

Originalmente fundada el 19 de Febrero de 1932 por Concepción Castro Zaldarriaga y sus hermanas, la orquesta ANACAONA sigue siendo la mejor y primera orquesta femenina de Cuba. A partir de la jubilación de las hermanas Castro en Diciembre de 1987, asume la dirección de la orquesta Georgia Aguirre, quien junto a su hermana y otras jóvenes también egresadas de las escuelas de música, continúan la labor iniciada por las fundadoras consolidando un estilo que combina la tradición con la modernidad, para conservar y engrandecer la historia de la orquesta, que ya cuenta con más de medio siglo de trabajo ininterrumpido en el panorama musical cubano e internacional. En Cuba Anacaona se presenta en los principales escenarios de la música popular bailable, eventos culturales, giras nacionales, festivales y programas de la Radio y la Televisión.

En la actualidad, está integrada por trece mujeres que cultivan la música popular cubana, fusionando los ritmos más tradicionales con la sonoridad contemporánea. Conocidas también como “Las Mulatísimas del Sabor”, han logrado un sello que las distingue y son apreciadas tanto por la crítica como por los bailadores de toda Cuba y de diversos países del mundo.

Internacionalmente han viajado por más de 20 países de Europa, Asia, África, América y el Caribe actuando en importantes festivales y múltiples escenarios entre los que más se destacan: La gira por 34 ciudades de la República Popular China; su participación en la obra teatral “El Burgués Tropical” bajo la dirección de Gerome Sabarí, inspirada en el clásico de Molière, “El Burgués Gentilhombre”; la gira realizada en agosto de 1999 por algunas ciudades de los Estados Unidos en la que también sostuvieron un encuentro muy emotivo con Graciela Pérez, cantante y fundadora de Anacaona y el show “Sabor de la Habana” que abrió la temporada de espectáculos cubanos en el Cabaret del Gran Casino Montecarlo del Principado de Mónaco.

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