Planet Records has just uploaded "Dale lo que lleva" to YouTube. It is the official video of the new single by Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor featuring world renowned Cuban dancer Maykel Fonts on vocals! The song in a nutshell is about the two Maykels, both of whom learned their art more or less on the street, rather than through the Cuban schools of the arts, and both of whom have gone on to international fame. It is a fun, dancable song even if neither of the Maykels is really a lead vocalist. The video is great fun with some footage of Maykel F trying to teach Maykel B som dance moves.

Currently Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor are in Peru for two weeks where they will have their official CD release for "A toda máquina" on October 30th at Drama. On November 3rd the band will do their first ever 2 hour concert in Peru at Guajiros Room in Tiro Libre. Click here for the full list of concet dates in Lima.

Dale lo que lleva

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Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing Havana D'Primera in Stockholm. I haven't seen them live since 2010, so the anticipation was tremendous. Havana D'Primera is a band that appeals to dancers and musicians alike, and both groups were well represented at the concert, which was arranged by Club Mambo and El Barrio. A full report is coming but in the meantime, I want to urge you to find a concert near you. In 2013 Havana D'Primera has toured every continent with the exception of Africa and Antarctica. There is a reason for this exceptional popularity: their remarkable combination of first-class musicianship and heart.

There are seven dates remaining in the European Tour. Tonight they perform in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Click here for Havana D'Primera's full concert schedule to date. They return to Cuba November 12th and head to Venezuela November 13th where they will give three concerts before returning to Havana. If you are attending Baila en Cuba 2013, you will see Alexander and the guys on November 27th as part of the prodigious concert line-up.

Stockholm Timberos representing @ Havana D'Primera

Members of Calle Real, La Liga Habanera, Orquesta Pomo and La Jugada were there, as well as musicians from several other Stockholm timba groups.

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Calle Real is hard at work writing and recording new songs as they prepare for a busy tour season in 2014. They are already booked to play at Rumba y Candela 4 in Strasbourg, France on February 14, 2014 and have plans for tours of the US and Argentina...more information is pending. 

In the meantime, on September 15, 2013 Calle Real performed in front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm at the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of King Carl XIV Gustav as Regent of Sweden. During the break between sets I took the opportunity to talk to Harry Wallin (drums/pailas), Gunnar "El Dony" Thullberg (piano) and Thomas de Paula Eby (lead vocals) about the concert, the tour of Peru and Chile and plans for the future. The video interview also includes clips from the concert where they performed two new songs "Hoah 2013 edition" and "Oye". There is also footage from Peru courtesy of Luis Ángel Gonzáles Taipe, Jesús Nimbona & Alberto Orbegoso. Audio from the Stockholm concert is by Francisco Hernández.

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"Se sufre pero se goza" Charanga Habanera 2013

On the eve of the US tour by David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera, EGREM has announced the release of the new CD "Se sufre pero se goza". The official release will take place at the November 16th concert @La Covacha in Miami, where Blue Night Entertainment will have 500 CDs for sale to concert attendees. If you can't make any of the concerts, EGREM says the CD will be available for digital download next week.

The arrival of La Charanga to the US was delayed due to the overload of work at the American Interests Section. Although the visas were issued, the passports didn't get returned to the band until November 7th. The November 8th concert in Washington has been rescheduled for November 22nd and the band will arrive today for the Latin Grammys concert. Click here to read more of the details directly from the press release by David Calzado.

La Charanga will perform 14 concerts during the tour. Click here for the list of concert dates . Below is a photo of the current singer line-up complete with nicknames so you can familiarize yourself with any changes since last you saw the band. A gozar!

The Charanga Habanera singers. Photo courtesy of  EGREM 

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