Chucho, Gonzalo, Michel-Once In A Lifetime Concert – Great new recording!
History was made on June 21st when Chucho Valdes, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Michel Camilo graced Davies Symphony Hall for their tribute to Cuban composer/pianist Ernesto Lecuona presented by SF Jazz. This once in a lifetime show featuring all three pianists in solo, duo and trio settings playing grand pianos. In the trio setting, they were trading places on the same piano bench playing the same piano! What jaw dropping, incredible piano virtuosity was displayed by these three incredible pianists. It was a mesmerizing, spellbinding and wonderful concert. A new recording has just been released entitled “Playing Lecuona” which features these three greats which happens to be a soundtrack of a new movie featuring these giants. The format of the recording is different from the concert since the recording features these artists contributing their interpretations of Lecuona’s work but no collaborations. It’s still quite a recording to add to your collection. I can’t wait to see the movie! However, if you did see the show, you were treated to one of those great shows that you will be remembering for quite a while! Gracias...
Read MoreRandom Notes 7/29/15
It’s been a while so let’s catch up! The list of performers that have visited the Bay Area has included Dafnis Prieto, Grupo Niche, Charanga Habanera, Viti Ruiz, Renzo Padilla and the incredible comeback performance of Jesus Alemany’s Cubanismo after a 12 year absence. So what does August hold in store? Check out the San Jose Jazz Summerfest which promises to be a feast for Latin music aficionados as well as for jazzistas, blues, rnb and funk fans on the weekend of August 7 thru the 9th. An All star lineup featuring Eddie Palmieri’s Latin Jazz Septet, Doug Beavers’ Titanes Del Trombon, Bombay Jazz w/Larry Coryell, Tower Of Power, Ernesto Oviedo with the John Santos Sextet, Louie Romero’s Mazacote and a whole slew of great bands will be gracing the streets of San Jose that weekend. I’m joining the party as guest MC/DJ for Doug Beavers party on Friday night and MC for the Salsa Stage all day Saturday! Go to sanjosejazz.org for more information. And if you want to keep the fun going strong on Sunday, you may want to check out Koketos Sundays at St. James Gate in Belmont with special appearances by Doug Beavers’ Conjunto Rovira with special guests from NYC and yours truly, Luis Medina as guest DJ and MC. There will be a special benefit for the family of KPFA DJ Wesley Burton who was killed in a tragic hit and run accident also on Sunday, August 9th at the Seahorse in Sausalito. Pacific Mambo Orchestra will be the featured band. The show starts at 4 pm. And don’t forget that SF Jazz is presenting the iconic Cuban superstars Los Van Van paying tribute to their late leader Juan Formell at SF’s Davies Symphony Hall on Friday, August 14 at 8 pm. Info: sfjazz.org. If that wasn’t enough, the annual Festival De La Isla Puerto Rican festival on Saturday, August 22nd will feature Salsa singing star Frankie Negron along with Grammy Award Winners Pacific Mambo Orchestra, Orquesta Saboricua, Orquesta Borinquen and DJ Tony O at Pena Adobe Park in Vacaville from 11 am to 7 pm. For more information, visit...
Read MoreFather’s Day: Stern Grove, The Sun and PMO
Fathers Day was a great day for Salsa, Mambo and Latin Jazz lovers. 2014 Grammy Award winners Pacific Mambo Orchestra presented a great afternoon of music with special guest stars the one and only Sheila E., 2013 Grammy winner Marlow Rosado and the Salsamania Dance Company. The band was in fine form as they played selections from their explosive repertoire featuring classic big band salsa and an original new takes on Salsa en English and Bachata. The 21 piece PMO also shined on a Stern Grove commissioned suite combining Afro-Cuban folklore, Brazilian and Timba which showcased the exciting Salsamania dance company led by champion dancers John Narvaez and Liz Rojas. Guest pianist Marlow Rosado added to the fireworks with his dynamic piano playing and showmanship during his segment of the show. Sheila E. ended the show playing 2 numbers with plenty of show biz glitz, superstar attitude and incredible percussion chops. At the end of the day, it was PMO who pulled off a spectacular performance that clearly showed that they were worthy of winning a Grammy and much more!! Our joint pre-concert talk that I hosted with PMO leaders Christian Tumalan and Steffen Kuehn was attended by a full house of fans. The talk turned out to be an informative, witty and inspiring talk for all involved. A huge thanks to Judy Tsang and Monica Ware of Stern Grove for the invitation to host this special...
Read MorePMO Mania at Stern Grove 6/21/15
I will be the host of a pre-concert talk with Pacific Mambo Orchestra prior to their appearance at the Stern Grove Festival on Sunday, June 21st at 12 Noon. The location will be the Stern Grove Trocadero Clubhouse. We will be talking about PMO’s new music, mambo and direction after their celebrated 2014 Grammy Award. The concert will start at 2 pm where they will be joined by the electrifying Sheila E. and 2013 Grammy Award winner Marlow Rosado. The amazing Salsamania Dance Company will open up the show. So come down early, save your space, check out the talk and get ready to mambo!!...
Read MoreRIP Johnny Polanco
I received the sad news late last week that Los Angeles based multi instrumentalist and bandleader Johnny Polanco died of a heart attack. Polanco was an amazing musician who excelled on trombone, tres, vibes, violin and practically whatever instrument he would get his hands on. He also led a crack band which featured the legendary Artie Webb on flute and the talented Manny Silviera on bass. He was introduced to me by his then manager, empresario Albert Torres in the late 1990’s and I had the pleasure of working as DJ to his first gigs in the SF Bay Area. Due to the power and swing of Polanco’s music, he became a frequent visitor to the SF Bay Area. He last visited SF when his band backed up Jose Alberto “El Canario” at Roccapulco in a recent visit. I was fortunate enough to catch up with Johnny when I last visited L.A. in early January. A gentleman, a true professional and a nice guy are the memories that I have of Johnny Polanco. He now joins the big descarga in the heavens. Fortunately, we have 3 recordings with his Conjunto Amistad and I have memories of past good times....
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