I saw the future and his name is Aldo Lopez-Gavilan
Last night, I was invited to the SF Jazz Festival where my radio station is sponsoring the closing night of a four night run for Juan De Marcos and The Afro Cuban All Stars. However, I didn’t attend the second night of their run, I was invited instead to see Cuban born child prodigy and piano wunderkind Aldo Lopez-Gavilan in the intimate Joe Henderson Lab space. Lopez-Gavilan who looked like he was 22, sported long curly hair, a goatee and a boyish smile. He had an easy way of connecting with the audience with a sense of humor as he had a story for every song he introduced. He dazzled the sold out crowd with brilliant technique combined with his inventive arrangements and original ideas that revealed a fluid fusion of jazz, afro-cuban and classical music. I was mesmerized listening to every tune of his magical 85 minute set. I sensed the importance of this date as if I had discovered a young Chucho Valdes or Gonzalo Rubalcaba in a small club. I had just witnessed the future and his name is Aldo...
Read MoreHitting The Ground Running
It’s incredible how time flies by. I just returned from a family vacation in Cozumel, Mexico a week ago. Last week, the biggest decisions in my life was which beach we were going to and what are we going to eat. Vacations are wonderful if you can get away and if you can afford them in the age of Obama, global warming and dark financial realities. However, it’s been non-stop since I returned from Cozumel. I hit the ground running because of my job realities as Music Director at KPFA Radio and as Entertainment Coordinator for this year’s SF Carnaval 2012. Add to that my DJ/Host gigs at Cafe Cocomo and special events such as the upcoming Windsor Carnaval. And balancing a home life with a family and I’m smokin’ baby!!! It’s funny how much you need to push your energy level to accomplish everything that you want in life. Well I’m ready…let’s the games...
Read MoreKeeping the engine running at SXSW
I’m remembering the whirlwind that was SXSW in Austin. You have to tackle a conference and festival such as SXSW with plans A to F. You have to be ready to walk a lot if you start around 11 am and go to the late nighttime hours. My schedule included interviews meeting artists, publicists and managers on Thursday and Friday which also means that you are missing something because something is always happening at SXSW. I was also sick with a cold the entire time that I was in Austin which meant you also have to keep your energy up through attending day time scenes such as the MTV Woodie Awards to catch rising blues star Gary Clark Jr. and juggle your time to see latin alternative darlings Ximena Sarinana, Natalie LaFourcade and Javina Mena jam with Mexico’s Torreblanca. In between you make the time to catch a bit of Springsteen’s keynote address before running to meet up with Bomba Estereo at the Omni Hotel six blocks away. Then shoot back to the Austin Convention Center to pick up the ticket for the Boss’s show. I had to eat a bite at the Sounds of Spain party where I could take a breather to enjoy a little dish of paella, chorizo and ensalada and savoring a glass of Marques De Caceres. I’m just talking about a few hours into Thursday. Let alone the night time gigs where there were showcases in every part of downtown...
Read MoreMaking Kids Happy
I had a blast performing as DJ for my 9 year old son’s elementary school family dance. All the kids were happy because I played their favorite hits from Lady Gaga to Rhianna to Train, etc. The school auditorium was set up with several disco balls that were spraying spears of white light on kids and their parents. A line of anxious young girls lined up in front of my dj setup on the auditorium stage to request Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite”. I started this pre-teen anthem “I came to dance, dance, dance, dance…”and the kids screamed with delight as they jumped up and down. The 90 minutes flew by as I first played a short set of music before our dance instructor, Liza arrived. Once Liza got on stage, she led the kids on line dances such as the Chicken Dance, Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide and finally the Macarena. I played Parliament’s “Flash Light” while Liza got all the parents dancing on stage showing the kids their awesome funk moves. I finally cut loose with a set of dance music that satisfied even the most demanding 10 year olds!! My son Adrian joined me on stage. He shook it on stage with the old man while I was playing LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem”. I knew that all the kids wanted to hear “I’m Sexy And I Know It” but I knew I would be on the PTA’s blacklist if I played it. I brought too much music for the short amount of time that I played for the kids but it was worth...
Read MoreLive Appearances
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