Rumbankete
The other great act that I caught was the Cuban timba big band Rumbankete from Los Angeles at Yoshis in Oakland this past Thursday night. This explosive band led by trombonist Denis Jiron were playing their timba drenched sounds to a packed dance floor. Made up of 2 violins, 3 trombones, bass, keyboards, drum set, timbales, congas and fronted by 3 charismatic vocalists, Rumbankete played a combination of original material and covers of tunes by Los Van Van and Elio Reve. Potent stuff! Denis told me that the band will be releasing a single in the next month and a new cd should be coming out later this year. Check them out the next time that they swing by the Bay Area…don’t sleep on this...
Read MoreOn the other end of the spectrum of music I like…
I have checked out two exciting new acts in two very distinctive scenes in the past week. British based pop soul vocalist VV Brown put on a spectacular show at Popscene at 330 Ritch last week. This tall, striking Jamaican/Puerto Rican beauty has a style all her own mixing pop, reggae, hip hop and Brazilian batucada rhythms into her catchy songs. VV came out in a Carnaval head dress, gold lame blouse and checkered pant suit-these English acts certainly have a wicked sense of style. She possess a powerful set of pipes. She tore through a cover of Drake’s “The Best I Ever Had” infusing this hit with dub and reggae. This Capitol recording artist is definitely someone to look out for…a star in the making. She’ll be at South By Southwest in Austin next...
Read MoreIssac Delgado Returns to the Bay Area
Cuban vocal superstar Issac Delgado returns to the SF Bay Area to perform at the classy 30’s style supper club Bimbos 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco on Friday, Feb. 19. These KPFA Radio sponsored shows at the SF Jazz Spring Season will take place at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Anyone who has seen Issac before know that they can expect an explosive show from Issac whose smooth vocal style fits in perfectly from salsa to cha cha to timba with more than enough charisma to melt any crowd. His orchestra is a tight, well rehearsed band with an ample horn section, two keyboards, bass, full percussion section and two background vocalists. In past shows, he has performed songs from various aspects of his noteworthy career. Be ready for fireworks and to sweat at Bimbos! I will be in the house as master of ceremonies for the...
Read MoreNew Local Gold, New Scenes, New Year
Now that we’re into 2010, I want to remind all of you that we have great musicians, singers and bands in the San Francisco Bay Area that we should all be supporting in these tough times. Even though the old saying is that the cream always rises to the top, sometimes people don’t get the props that they deserve and get sadly overlooked. So do go out, check out the local greats as well as the new local gold – don’t take the local scene for granted. Crowds came out to support events such as the recent Voices Of Latin Rock extravaganzas that showcased the finest in Latin Rock and Latin Jazz and Seaon Stylist Bristol’s ambitious latin Broadway style tribute to Michael Jackson “Rock With You” featuring Rebeca Mauleon’s powerhouse of a band. The new local gold features emerging faces that are making noise these days: Montuno Swing, the Latin Rhythm Boys, Lina G. Torio’s Mestiza, Carne Cruda and their new project with Brazilian firecracker Dandara, Santero (blowing up all over!), Saboriche, Bang Data and many others that I will bring to your attention during this year. So remember to keep your mind and ears open…porque lo que viene es...
Read MoreLive Appearances
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