REPORT FROM CHICAGO

See our Events &  Reviews Section for an extensive Calendar of Events that shows what's happening in the Chicago area and within driving distance for Chicagoans.  

13 May 2012:

See the Calendar of Events in our Events and Reviews section for this week's items.  A few of our best local bands are playing various places. 
Last week, we checked out a very interesting group from Boston, Mango Blue. You can see our review and photos here. 

Event Alerts:

First up is the Mega Timba concert in New York on May 26.  All visas have been approved, see our De La Habana A New York page for full details.  This is going to be huge.  
Next, Cuban music is deeply rooted in Africa, and two of the best bands for experiencing the link are coming to Chicago soon:   

1.  Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca are coming to the Mayne Stage on Friday, June 29.  Born in Angola but now a Californian, Ricardo's band turns out Congolese Rumba, some smoking Afrocuban numbers and some Kizomba, which has recently been gaining popularity among dancers in Chicago.   We've seen him live a few times over the years, and his concerts are a blast.  
2.  In addition to Nigeria and the Congo, one of the most important African roots of Cuban music is the music of Benin (called Dahomey in colonial times), and T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou has arguably been Benin's best band for decades now.   It is coming to the Mayne Stage on July 11, and this is a don't-miss.   On the one hand, they are every bit as modern and funky as Irakere when they crank up the dance floor.  On the other, the rhythmic links between the music of Benin and the music of Cuba will really leap out at you. (The lyrics are usually in Fon or French - Dahomey was colonized by the French - but none of that will let you stand still.) 

6 May 2012:

This Week:   

Mango Blue at Latino Arts, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Friday, May 11 at 7:30 PM.   Mango blue is led by composer, arranger, bassist and vocalist Alex Alvear and also features multiinstrumentalist Gonzalo Grau on keyboards and percussion. This group mixes Jazz, R & B and Funk with Afro-Latin music and has been making waves out East.  
Sound clips from "Mango"

A  smaller quintet unit from Mango Blue, Manguito, will be at World Music Wednesdays at the Old Town School of Folk Music on Wednesday, May 9 at 8:30pm.   Gonzalo Grau will be part of this unit, and we recommend taking in both this show (World Music Wednesdays is a $5 suggested donation)  and the Milwaukee show (A little more expensive but features the full 9-piece band).  

Other News:  Angel d'Cuba's great new CD Heritage is getting some rotation in Chicago-area radio now, and the CD is now available on  their website at http://angeldcuba.com/buymusic.cfm  Also, we will be reviewing Rica Obsesion's new CD very soon, and local favorite Sureya has been in the studio in Miami. 
Yesterday (May 5),  we took in the late show for the Poncho Sanchez/Terence Blanchard concert.   See our review and photos here.
Finally, the Festival Cubano entertainment lineup for this August is out, and we'll be saying more about that next week.  We have been advised that it includes Isaac Delgado as well as Angel d'Cuba.   Should be a great festival!

(See the RFC Archive for earlier posts)