Random Notes 5/8/19

Lots of great acts have been visiting our area lately including The Uprising All Stars featuring music director/trombonist Jimmy Bosch, vocalist Frankie Vasquez, conguero Little Johnny Rivero, trombonist/Grammy nominee Doug Beavers and master tresero Nelson Gonzalez.  They played tribute to the late, great pianist Charlie Palmieri at the opening of the Yerba Buena Festival in SF.  What a show with a great band of all stars!……Cuban sensation Cimafunk wowed Bay Area audiences with his unique brand of Afro Cuban Funk.  He is quite a dynamo in person incorporating dance moves a la James Brown but with his own artistic touches.  Man, the band was funky and the show I caught at Oakland’s Complex was explosive….Talk about explosive…Juan De Marcos and the Afro Cuban All Stars took over the SF Jazz Center for a series of shows in Early May.  The Afro Cuban All Stars is a family affair featuring Marcos, his wife on coro and his two daughters on saxophones and keyboards respectively backed by a stellar group.  Playing from a varied repertoire which included son, danzon, cha cha and timba, the All Stars were on-fire!!…..Look out for award winning poet, performance artist and playwright Paul S. Flores new play “We Have Ire” which debuts May 10 thru 12 at the Yerba Buena Gardens Theater in SF.  The play explores the true stories of Afro Cuban immigrants living in the United States as well as their influences on and experiences with American culture.  We Have Ire features the talents of Yosvanny Terry and his Quartet, Ramon Ramos Alayo, DJ Leydis and Paul S. Flores….the legendary maestro Eddie Palmieri and his Latin Jazz Sextet will be holding court at Yoshi’s, Jack London Square in Oakland on May 11th and 12th!  Don’t miss one of the all time greats in Latin Jazz and Salsa.  There are rumors that he may be retiring from performing soon!….Also coming up at Carnaval San Francisco at the end of the month, the legendary Los Tigres Del Norte will bring their distinctive Mexican sound to this year’s edition of the famed free festival and parade on Memorial Day weekend May 25 and 26th.