PAULITO FG "TU NO ME CALCULAS"

Klippet er frå ein konsert i Lima, Peru i 2008.

Maykel Fonts

Låta dei danser til er "Gozando en la habana" frå plata med samme navn av Adalberto Alvarez.

Bloque i kubansk salsa og timba.

"Basically, this translates to "break" -- a short, syncopated rhythm pattern played by the percussionists in unison, sometimes accentuated by the bass, piano or horns. Traditional salsa tunes might have one or two of these to transition between sections, but Timba can have a dozen or more in a given arrangement. It's mind-bending for non-Cuban musicians to listen to the sheer number of complex bloques that are memorized by Timba musicians for each arrangement. It's almost as if the percussionists are playing a horn chart, but the music stands are nowhere to be seen! The secret, of course, is that these bands rehearse up to 6 times a week. Some, like Bamboleo, have numbered bloques which can be called out like basketball plays, so that in concert a given song will have different bloques from night to night. Timba increases the frequency of bloques, and the complexity of their rhythms (which are often derived from polyrhythmic Afro-Cuban folkloric music), but even more exciting is the placement of the bloques within the arrangement. Instead of reserving them for transitions, the bloques are frequently inserted after a section has begun. Just as the listen lets his or her guard down and settles down to listen to the coro and lead singer, an explosive bloque will erupt from out of nowhere."

Kjelde: timba.com

Mario Charon Alvarez og Madeline Rodriguez

Lekker sondansing til låta Son de un Amigo frå plata Una vez mas por amor av Paulito FG.

Musician at the forefront of Cuban evolution

"Alberto Alberto a tireless ambassador of timba on the city's thriving Latin scene.
When Alberto Alberto sings "de Toronto soy" (I am from Toronto), he is referring to far more than a mailing address.
For the 36-year-old Cuban ex-pat, the city is all about artistic inspiration that has taken him far beyond the traditional music of his native country.
Since coming to Canada in 1999, the gregarious, energetic singer/composer/arranger has been a tireless ambassador of timba, the genre-crossing evolution of son that is very much the music of the times in Cuba.
Although there are only about 2,000 ex-pat Cubans in Toronto, their influence on the city's Latin music scene has been disproportionately large.
"In the last five years, there have been a lot of new Cuban arrivals, most of them of a very high professional quality," says Alberto. The positive cycle keeps feeding itself, attracting even more new talents.
That has only helped musicians like Alberto propagate the aggressively dance-friendly rhythms of timba, placing more importance on rhythm than salsa, which tips the scale toward melody.
The singer's first big Toronto project was cover band Quimica Perfecta (Perfect Chemistry). More recently, he has been working locally as Alberto Alberto y su Orquesta, which performs the bandleader's own creations.
"Now, timba has a community (in Toronto), thanks to what I do," says Alberto. "I've been pushing very, very hard."
They're putting on a show at Lula Lounge Saturday night. Much of the music is bound to come from the band's year-old album, Traigo de todo (I Bring it All), which includes Alberto's dance-fired ode to his adopted city and the proud refrain, "de Toronto soy."
For Alberto, the road from Cuba to Toronto leads in the other direction, too. "The bandleaders there keep inviting me to come play with them," he says, laughing.
Alberto toured the U.S. in 2006 with Cuban bandleader Maraca. He discovered that decades of severed relations with Cuba helped build up an almost insatiable thirst for new music among lovers of Latin styles.
"They want to see what's going on," says the musician. "They want timba."
He also discovered a yawning gap between advocates of timba and traditional salseros in big cities like Los Angeles and New York. "It's more of a division between communities" rather than a fight over musical tastes, Alberto observes.
One of the advantages of Toronto is such deep divisions don't exist.
Another notable absence in Toronto is Cuban politics. "One of the reasons I'm staying in Canada this winter is I don't want to have anything to do with politics," says Alberto. In this city, the musicians are all about music. "We don't even touch politics," he adds with evident satisfaction.
Alberto began singing at age 5, earned himself a prodigy's profile through national talent shows, and got his first gig with a major band when he was 17, thanks to Delio Cardoso and his Orquesta Pakason. Another star mentor early on was pianist Chucho Valdes.
Locally, Alberto boosted his profile as soon as he arrived in 1999 by gigging with jazz greats Jane Bunnett – the single biggest force in initiating the growth of Cuban music in Toronto – and Hilario Duran.
Alberto says he's devoting a lot of energy in coming months to creating tracks for a new album with Telmary, a Cuban singer/songwriter who is working out on the edges of that country's pop music scene.
Alberto and Telmary have performed and toured together in the last year. "Everybody loves Telmary," he says, hoping that her hip-hop sensibility and his passion for timba can translate into a mutual creative leap forward.
Best of all, it's happening here in Toronto."

Kjelde: JOHN TERAUDS, Thestar.com, Dec. 11. 2008.

Azucar Negra

Azucar Negra med tittellåta Exceso De Equipaje frå den nye plata Exceso De Equipaje.

Azucar Negra: Exceso De Equipaje CD & DVD

"Another heap of non-stop timba from one of the great second generation Cuban timba bands, one that keeps going, due in part to the nonpareil ear of the leader Leonel Limonta. Limonta cranks out unforgettable songs, and has a way with the cool coro; as a talent scout, he’s no slouch either, regularly picking singers that can rock the house. This is noisy, no-prisoners-accepted timba, working on a bunch of rhythmic levels, the coro floating tranquilly through the rhythmic mayhem of the percussion, the erratic movement of the bass, the pointillism of the horns and keyboards. The male singers are a bit hysterical, giving a sense of wildness to the songs on which they’re featured; Aylin Mulgas, the woman singer, is a bit more relaxed; they all bring it totally, and contribute to the first great timba album of the year, an album loaded with soon to be classic material. Comes with a DVD of live material."
Highly Recommended."

www.descarga.com: Peter Watrous, 01-Jan-09.

Klimax

Klimax med låta "Es Un Peligro" frå plata Nadie Se Parece A Ti.
Dei har nett gjeve ut ei ny plate Solo Tu Y Yo.

Klimax

Solo Tu Y Yo
Import CD (BIS 636), Released 2008.

"Piloto and his band have always been apart from the average timba band, in part because what he produces isn’t straight up timba, often mixing rhythms from around the Caribbean, and because his recording and production technique often sounds more modern and professional than the average Cuban recording. It sounds like he spends time outside of Cuba, which he does, and on Solo Tu Y Yo, he’s doing his traditional mixing of stuff. In case non-Cuban speaking people buy the album (something that’s been on his mind from early on), it comes with a Cuban-Spanish dictionary; the music’s the same, a salsa/timba/other stuff mix, all played perfectly. There’s some Latin pop schmaltz, per usual, but when this band starts moving down the road, get out of the way. Not only is Piloto a great writer, but his drumming is as good as it gets in the idiom, which is saying something. There’s the sense of musical heaviness you hear in great bands, whether it be the Coltrane Quartet or the Rolling Stones. Piloto’s invited a bunch of people to perform, from Omara Portuondo, Pablo Milanes, Tania Pantojo, Chucho Valdez and the goddess Haydee Milanes who’s pretty much brilliant on her track, offering a new set of melodies for improvisation. Dance music doesn’t get better than this, intelligent, driving, of a place, heroic.
Highly Recommended."

Kjelde. descarga.com, Peter Watrous, 2008-07-23

Issac Delgado på SOB i New York

Issac Delgado Y Su Grupo

Asi Soy
CD (Universal 178451), Released 2008;

"The second product of the great Cuban singer Issac Delgado’s stay in Miami has arrived in time for Christmas, and per usual with Delgado, it’s a masterpiece. Produced by Delgado and Sergio George and recorded in Puerto Rico with a cast of the best Puerto Rican musicians (Cano Estremera shows up on coro!), it’s a non-stop blast of pleasure. Delgado ventures on the tune "La Fiesta" into deep party music, mixing up some reggaeton with salsa; on title tune "Asi Soy," the percussion goes home-wrecking, the musicians are so excited (actually, the percussion, turned up and placed high in the mix is pretty much brilliant all album long; no fear of percussion in this mix). And while Delgado was there at the inception of timba, his music has long been a sophisticated blending of various Afro Caribbean musics, and Asi Soy is a straight up salsa record, hard and unrepentant, even if at times Delgado starts out his tunes with some near pop singing. It’s as if, on say a track like "No Vale La Pena," with its strong melody and coro, Delgado was putting himself in the same territory as Victor Manuelle and Gilberto Santa Rosa — when they’re singing uptempo swingers. And, per usual, the songwriting is exceptional, with great tunes taken from the book of Amaury Gutierrez, and Jorge Luis Piloto and Sergio George and Delgado himself. It has to be remembered that Delgado’s one of the great singers of the late 20th century, and the album is rife with melodies he’s improvising, asides that add melody on top of melody, that take just a song into something special, something worth remembering, looking forward too. There’s nothing like him, the texture of his voice, his ability to evoke emotion, his freedom, and if there’s any justice we’ll be hearing tracks from this on the radio for the next year. Otherwise, it’s just another historic recording that radio overlooks, again.
Highly Recommended."

Kjelde: Peter Watrous, 2008-11-12.

Spilleliste/ Playlist Timba Night desember 2008

Artist: Låt: Plate

Adalberto Alvarez: Esa Mujer: Para Bailar Casino
Alberto Alberto: Dime Luna: Traigo De Todo
Aramis Galindo: Que Sabras del amor: Tiempo Que Cambian
Azucar Negra: Toque Natural: Toque Natural
Bamboleo: Amor sin traspaso: Yo No Parezco Nadie
Carlos Manuel: Prometiste: Salsa De Cuba
Charanga Forever: Suave Paque: Charanga Forever
Charanga Habanera: Hit Parade: El Ciclon De La Habana
Danny Lozada: Te Voy Hacer Llorar: Tanto Lo Pedi
Elio Reve: Dejala Que Sigua: Se Sigue Comentando
Enrique Alvarez: El constructor: Promo
Habana D Primera: Cuando el rio suena: Promo
Havana Power Band: Que No Paso: Salsa Power
Havana City: Ella me embrujo: No Me Detengo
Issac Delgado: Prohibido: Prohibido
Klimax: Zorreando: Juego De Manos
Los Ases De La Timba: Las apariencias enganan: Aqui Estan Los Ases
Los Van Van: Chapeando: Chapeando
Manolin: Aventura De Amor: Para Mi Gente
Manolito Simonet: La Boda Belen: Para Que Baile Cuba
Maikel Blanco: Mi Destino: Anda Y Pegate
Maravilla De Florida: Suave Suave: Luchando Con Fe-Egrem version
Michel Maza: Ni Fio, Ni Presto: Que Hablen, Los Habladores
NG La Banda: La Carretera: La Bruja
Pachito Alonso: La Habana me queda chiquita: Cantandole A La Vida
Paulito FG: Confio en ti: Te Deseo suerte
Pupy Y Los Que Son Son: Ya tu campana no suena: De la timba pogolotti
Tirso Duarte: La cosa mas bella: Fin Del Juego
Vitaly Y Su Timba Habanera: Leslie: Desnudar tu cuerpo