Music News: RIP Pablo Milanés & Johnny Almendra; Music Notes 11/21/2022

The legendary Cuban Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Pablo Milanés died of cancer in Madrid on Monday, November 21st at the age of 79. Milanés was a monumental figure in music who recorded more than 40 albums in his career. Milanés came out of the Cuban Nueva Trova movement in the 1960’s with fellow singer-songwriters Silvio Rodriguez and Noel Nicola who joined Milanés in the Grupo Experimentación Sonora ICAIC. Milanés was best known for the songs “Yolanda”, “El Guerrero”, “Yo Me Quedo”, “Comienzo Y Final De Una Verde Manaña” and many others. He incorporated Nueva Trova, Son and other traditional styles of 20th Century Cuban music set him apart of his contemporaries. Milanés emigrated to Spain in 2003 where he was living with his Spanish wife and two sons at the time of his death.

The esteemed Puerto Rican timbalero and percussionist by way of Brooklyn, Johnny Almendra passed away at the age of 70. He was a member of Orchestra Dicupe, Charanga ’76, Tipica Novel, Orquesta Broadway, Tipica Ideal, and most notably with Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and Mongo Santamaria. In the 1990s he led his own critically acclaimed charanga band “Los Jovenes Del Barrio” who recorded three cds with RMM Records then later recorded a fourth cd with Shanchie Records before they broke up in the early 2000s. Los Jovenes Del Barrio blended RnB into their diverse charango sound resulting in their first big hit “Telephone” featuring their dynamic vocalist, Jillian Armsbury who was Almendra’s wife at the time. Johnny and Jillian parted ways both professionally and personally after Los Jovenes broke up. Tragically, Jillian was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2009. Almendra continued to teach music to future generations of musicians at the Boys & Girls Harbor Conservatory in New York but disappeared from recording and performing. RIP Johnny Almendra as he joins the big descarga in the heavens!

The John Santos Sextet will be debuting their new work “Filosofía Caribeña Vol. 3” at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley on Friday, December 2nd at 8 pm. Better get your tickets now before they’re all sold out! The Freight will also be hosting a pre-New Years Eve celebration with Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz/Salsa band plus DJ Walt Digz on Friday, Dec. 30th. Tickets for both shows available at www.thefreight.org. ……The three original singers of Venezuela’s Los Adolescentes will be appearing Saturday, December 17th at El Toro Nightclub, 2470 San Bruno Avenue in SF. They will be performing “Persona Ideal”, “Me Tengo Que Ir”, “Aquel Lugar” and other Los Adolescentes hits at the venue. Tickets available at www.tickeri.com. For more info, call 925-752-3864.….conguero/bandleader Javier Navarette and his all-star Socially Distant Friends band will be having an End Of The Year Blow-Out Party at the hot new relocated Bissap Baobab in SF on Friday, December 30th at 8 pm. Stay tuned for more details coming up!

That’s it for this time! Ciao 4 Now!