Tumbao Habana Tour Changes!

Tumbao Habana Mambo Duro

Pascualito Cabreras posted today at Facebook that due to factors beyond their control, Tumbao Habana is not on the tour with Alexander Acosta. They will still be performing two concerts in France: February 27 at Salle Victoire 2 in Montpellier and February 28 at New Morning in Paris. If other concerts are scheduled during their stay in Europe, we will post the information at Timba.com so keep checking with us. For more details see Tumbao Habana's Facebook page.

I tried to contact Alexander Acosta's manager, but they are on the road returning from a concert in Munich and I have not recieved an answer. However, I have been told by a person who attended the Bayerischer Hof concert last night, that Alexander is performing with musicians from Italy and as far as I know, the remaining concert dates for his tour are unaffected.

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From March 9th - 14th the eyes of the Latin percussion world will be turned to Havana as it plays host to many of the premier Latin percussionists from Cuba and around the world as well as talent from the new generation of aspiring percussionists. It is time again for the Fiesta Del Tambor in memory of Guillermo Barreto. This year the festival will honor the recently deceased Ricardo “Papín” Abreu, founder of “Los Papines”, Jesús Alfonso Miró musical director of “Muñequitos de Matanzas”, as well as Roberto García, the great Cuban bongocero. On Sunday the 14th there will be a tribute to changüí and to Elio Revé Matos at La Tropical.

The Fiesta del Tambor is a multifaceted event. Each day from 9:00am to 4:00pm at Palacio de la Rumba percussionists compete in the international Drum Festival Contest. Winners receive new instruments within their area of specialty. The contest is open to both Cuban and non-Cuban musicians. There is also a prize for best female interpretation and best child's interpretation. Masters classes and conferences are held as well.

Closest to my own heart, every day there is a selection of great concerts to choose from. Here are some of the groups you can see if you are in Havana at this time: Klímax celebrating their 15th anniversary, Yoruba Andabo celebrating their 25th anniversary, Rumbatá de Camaguey, Conjunto Folklórico Nacional, Maraca y Otra Visión, Muñequitos de Matanzas, Pupy y los que Son Son, Elito Revé y Su Charangón, Lázaro Valdés y Bamboleo, Manolito Simonet, Los Papines, Rumberos de Cuba, Pachito Alonso y sus Kini Kini, Maykel Blanco, Addaché de Matanzas and Habana C. For the complete program of the 2010 Fiesta del Tambor and instruction for registration in the contest click here.

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Tom Bauer was present for the annual Fiesta Latina at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. This year's concert was held by Alexander Acosta y La Nueva Propuesta, and Tom has sent us a selection of his excellent photos. Click here or on the photo above to see all of the pictures.

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Leonel Limonta & Azúcar Negra are the talk of the town with their new singer line-up and the new CD Se acabó el pescao that will be released later this month. You have probably heard that when Tania Pantoja left Bamboleo for a solo career, Ailyn moved to Bamboleo. This left an opening for a new female singer, and I have been very curious about who Limonta would find to fill the spot.

The new leading lady of Azúcar Negra is 26-year-old Havana native, Ingrid Leyva Fuentes. Limonta found her singing with the small group Calle Cuba. She has a voice with a timbre that sounds like a mix of Tania and Ailyn and a tremendous stage presence. I might add that a number of men have pointed out that she is also quite attractive, which is always a plus in the world of show business.

Other new faces in the Azúcar Negra front line include Pavel "La Figura" who sings the title track from the upcoming album Se acabó el pescao. His voice is in top form and he remains one of Havana's most entertaining performers. El menor among the singers is 20-year-old Leisdel Gonzáles, the very good-looking nephew of none other than Manolín, El Médico de la Salsa. He has become Havana's new heartthrob and sings lead on the track La vida es . Rounding out the front line is Yurisan Hernández, lead singer on A mí La Habana .

Having finally seen the current lineup thanks to muchoswing.com and Cubavision, I am very pleased to say that they sound fantastic! The band has great energy, arrangements that call you to the dance floor and as always Limonta's lyrics are creative and intelligent, and the coros are infectious. Stay tuned for our full report on the CD, coming soon. In the meantime, here are a few words from Limonta himself and a look at Ingrid singing lead on "Perrita Fina", also known as "Sacúdate que tienes arena".

Dice Leonel Limonta a los fanes: "Como se acabó el pescao se acabó el abuso Azúcar Negra está dando que hablar con sus nuevos cantantes y nuevo CD , es el suceso de la Habana y toda Cuba."

Azúcar Negra "Perrita Fina"- cantante Ingrid Leyva