Music News 7/19/2021

The 2nd Bay Area Latin Jazz Festival brought to you by Montuno Productions is scheduled for Saturday, August 21, 11 am to 6 pm at Rowell Ranch (Rodeo Park), 9275 Dublin Canyon Road in Castro Valley. Headlining will be the hot Cuban vocalist Bobi Cespedes (pictured left) and her band. Also appearing will be Spanish Harlem Orchestra bandleader and pianist Oscar Hernandez and Alma Libre, The Latin Rhythm Boys with special guest vocalist Carlos Rosario, The Latin Jazz Collective with John Nava, Rene Escovedo’s Latin Jazz group and Ricky Aguilar’s Grupo Afro Nativo. I will be the Master of Ceremonies and DJ playing in-between the sets. Go visit wwwbayarealatinjazzfestival.com. for tickets and information. Listen to Con Sabor Saturday nights 9-11 PM PST on KPFA 94.1 FM or streaming on the internet at www.kpfa.org for your chance to win tickets!

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is presenting free shows at their location on Mission Street between 3rd and 4th Streets in downtown San Francisco. Coming up to the festival: LoCura on July 29th, The Cabanijazz Project on Aug. 19th and renowned vocalist Claudia Villela with the Brazil Camp All-Stars on Aug. 21st. For more information, visit www.ybgfestival.org.

The recent surge of the Delta variant of the Coronavirus is now impacting life as we know it just when live music venues have started to open up again. I would suggest to everyone that is going out to see a live act or a DJ to please take and use a mask especially at indoor venues where people tend to crowd around each other. Hopefully this surge will subside quickly. Please stay safe and get vaccinated if you haven’t done so by now. All politics set aside, that’s the only way that we can be sure that we can beat this pesky pandemic.

New music to look out for: Tito Puente Jr’s all star tribute to his legendary father Tito Puente, “The King And I”. Joining Puente is Sheila E, Pete Escovedo, Jose Alberto “El Canario”, Monique, Domingo Quiñones, Tony Vega, Yolanda Duke, Michael Stuart, Humberto Ramirez and Ronnie Puente. This recording features remakes of Puente classics such as Para Los Rumberos, Oye Como Va and El Rey Del Timbal!……Another star studded affair is Puerto Rican trumpeter/bandleader/composer Julito Alvarado’s new recording Lo Que No Se Escucha (Descarga De Soneros) which features a who’s who of star soneros. 23 soneros to be exact including the likes of veteran soneros Tito Nieves, Luisito Carrion, Domingo Quiñones and Frankie Vasquez to contemporary soneros such as Wilito Otero, Kayvan Vega, Norbert and Gerardo Rivas to name a few.