Issac Delgado will release "L-O-V-E" this August

I can't begin to express how beautiful this project is...the audio quality on this video does not do justice to the exquisite sound captured on the up-coming release by Issac Delgado, L-O-V-E.

The latest production by Nat Chediak for Calle 54 Records (co-produced with Delgado), this stunning tribute to Nat King Cole features songs Nat had recorded in Cuba and México, and features as a special guest Freddy Cole, Nat's brother. Issac's voice is, as always, magnificently subtle, nuanced and oh so tasty.

Look for my forthcoming review in JazzTimes soon, but don't hesitate to pick up this CD when it comes out August 31st.

Real Cuban Rumba & The Next Generation

Came across this video on YouTube and had to immediately post on FB and here on GotClave. It is heartening to know that the younger generations in Cuba have not only retained their cultural wealth, but they continue to evolve and redefine it. This is Cuban rumba at its most authentic, raw and unadulterated, with some hints of modernity. It sure makes me want to go back!



You can't get much more real than this!

Here is a link to the website of the production company behind the film, Attic Independent Production.

Heads up: AfroCubism is coming this fall

Be on the lookout for the newest project from World Circuit, the team behind Buena Vista Social Club. AfroCubism mixes the country musics of Cuba and Mali. Lovely.

Orquesta Revé 2.0 - this weekend at Yoshi's San Francisco

Review (Opening night 7/9/10) ~
In a nutshell, Orquesta Revé is a fun band to dance to. Not necessarily the most musically subtle or diverse - it's pretty much one tempo and one volume the entire show, but certainly tight. However, I would say that Bay Area audiences are very discriminating and are well-aware of the enormous talent that continues to flow from the island of Cuba, so we can hope that future groups that tour the U.S. will keep the bar as high as possible. -RM

In the wave of Cuban bands coming to the US, there are a few who are completely re-vamped versions of their original formations. Such is the case with Orquesta Revé, founded in 1956 by Elio Revé and re-made following his tragic death in 1996. I met Elio in London in 1989 and enjoyed his unusual blending of charanga instrumentation with tres and trombones, which he coined "charangón" (translation: big-ass charanga band!). Despite Elio's on-stage antics and farmer-John overalls, the group featured a relentless groove that combined stylistic elements of the Cuban changüí (a predecessor of the son) with innovative instrumentation.

Well, the Bay Area will welcome the new version of the group (under the direction of Elio's son Elito) this weekend at Yoshi's in San Francisco. I'll be there to soak in the Cuban groove-churning, dance-inducing atmosphere.

Here is a behind-the-scenes view of the band playing in Havana in 2008 just to give you a glimpse of this funky, no-frills group:


Here is another live performance in Havana that shows off their trombone section along with pianist Juan Carlos Alfonso: