Got this from the promoters … and to answer the question, NO… we don’t mind promoting this band or this event.  TimbaLive is quite clearly… in the opinion of 1 admin here anyway … the VERY BEST of the Timba bands that are based outside Cuba.

Before you ask: click here to see what the trip looks like, 4.5 hours across the border:

From the promoters:

IT’S OFFICIAL:  World famous all-Cuban orchestra “TIMBALIVE”
in concert at BALLYBAY, Syracuse, for Cinco de Mayo!

After MANY months of negotiations, we finally did it…we booked TIMBALIVE! Lafamilia de la Salsa, in cooperation with AmeriCU Credit Union, are bringing one of the TOP Cuban Salsa orchestras in the WORLD to Syracuse for Cinco de Mayo!  They come to us just one day after their much anticipated concert in New York City and just prior to their European and South American tours.  
THIS IS GOING TO BE THE LATIN PARTY OF THE YEAR!
Check out TIMBALIVE’s website at www.timbalive.com.

Tickets are on sale now for $23 in advance and $33 at the door and can be purchased at the La Familia Website – homepage by scrolling down to the “Buy Now” button.  Tickets can also be purchased at any of our classes [IN SYRACUSE], or at Havana Nights or Metro in Syracuse!

Ticket sales will be limited so get yours early!  And get this: all proceeds go to the Spanish Action League of Onondaga County!

So many friends have asked me what it’s like to see a live band in Havana…WELL THIS IS IT!!!
DETAILS:
TIMBALIVE CONCERT
Saturday, May 5th … 10pm – 2am (band performs from 11pm – 1:30am)
Location: Ballybay Pub/Nightclub, 550 Richmond Ave, Syracuse, NY 13204
Tickets: $23 in advance, $33 at the door.

All proceeds go to the Spanish Action League of Onondaga County

Purchase tickets at the La Familia Website – homepage by scrolling down to the “Buy Now” button or at any of our events

Sponsored by our friends at AmeriCU Credit Union!

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It’s a sea change that will rock Toronto music scene, and leave a big hole behind for years to come… that Billy Bryans has died today.

Here’s an excellent tribute at CBC where there is a proper appreciation of the man and his achievements.

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New photos uploaded by the band to the Facebook page.

Check out the page.

And you DID get your tickets already I hope…

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El árbol de las fresas

(The Strawberry Tree)

Simone Rapisarda Casanova

Canada/Cuba, 2011, video, 71 min

Film screening at the Images Festival

Friday April 20, 7 PM

• Jackman Hall
• 317 Dundas Street West
• McCaul Street entrance
• Admission: $10 general/
• $5 members, students, seniors

Less than a month after Simone Rapisarda Casanova completed shooting in Juan Antonio, a village on Cuba’s North Eastern coast, the place was wiped out by a hurricane. Thus El árbol de las fresas begins with four of the now displaced former inhabitants reminiscing about their home and what they have lost. Eschewing drama and pathos, the opening sets the tone for what is an unusual documentary; the subjects often address the camera directly and even tease the filmmaker. In doing so they disrupt the usual relationship between viewer and subject in a playful way that allows both the viewer and the viewed to share equally in the filmmaking process.

The film observes two families, Silva Ocampo and Silva Vidal, as they perform daily tasks, grinding coffee, mending nets, fixing a flat tire (in a particularly unique way) as well as preparing for the start of the fishing season and the celebration of Children’s Day. Rapisarda Casanova knows how to frame a scene, and cleverly uses the limitations of his digital camera to provide a grainy sun bleached portrait of the place where Christopher Columbus is said to have first landed in the New World in 1492. Since then, the traits and traditions of the indigenous Taíno population have integrated with those of the Spanish colonizers, resulting in a culture of resourcefulness, wit and resilience. Despite the apparently modest living conditions in Juan Antonio, Rapisarda Casanova has created an enduring document of a rich and beautiful life and of a people who won’t soon be forgotten.

by Canadian director
Simone Rapisarda Casanova

Buy tickets on this web page.

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Last night as a great show, attended by one of the admins here… Rodrigo y Gabriela, with C.U.B.A.  Headed into their biggest tour yet.

Announcement of Massey Hall date

Tour ahead

Here’s a review of the new CD from The Guardian by Robin Denselow:

The Mexican guitar heroes have moved on, in style. On the last couple of occasions I’ve seen Rodrigo y Gabriela, they were technically brilliant but repetitive, relying too much on rapid-fire riffs and guitar noodling. Their last studio album, 11:11, showed them exploring added instrumentation, and now comes their most unexpected work to date, a classy, varied and upbeat set in which Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero are joined by a 13-piece Cuban orchestra featuring members of Los Van Van, and guests from around the world, including the Indian sitar star Anoushka Shankar and Palestinian oud virtuosos Le Trio Joubran.

It’s a brave new approach from a duo who have enjoyed an extraordinary career, playing heavy metal in Mexico City before switching to acoustic guitars and mixing Latin, rock and jazzinfluences into their compositions, then moving to Dublin as buskers before touring the world and selling more than 1m albums. They are helped here by the veteran producer Peter Asher and pianist/arranger Alex Wilson, a specialist in Latin and African styles, who provided orchestral arrangements that still allow room for elaborate guitar solos. There is no new material, but rather a complete re-working of instrumental pieces that appeared on their first and latest studio albums. Tunes such as Tamacun may seem over-worked (after all, it appeared on their debut set, then on two of their live albums) but here it is transformed thanks to the tight, attacking brass work. Elsewhere there’s a salsa–flavoured treatment of Hanuman, and a new version of Ixtapa that eases from Spain to India (thanks to a fine solo from Shankar) and on to Cuban jazz. Then there’s the slow and drifting Logos, helped by the bass work of Spain’s flamenco and jazz virtuoso Carles Benavent, and a treatment of 11:11 that switches from Pink Floyd-influenced guitar work to Cuban folk song. An impressive departure – just when it was needed.

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Telmary (8:00PM)

Havana’s foremost female rapper and jazz poet, actress-musician Telmary Diaz began her career with the band Free Hole Negro before joining the collective Interactivo, featuring the biggest names on Cuba’s alternative music scene. Now based in Toronto, Telmary has deeply enriched the local music scene with her intoxicating blend of theatre, rap and poetry. An international headliner, she also contributed to Grammy-nominated saxophonist, flutist and bandleader Jane Bunnett’s acclaimed Global Divas and Embracing Voices projects.

David Pecault Square 55 John St.

A diario… The woman is a giant of street poetry and music… still underground, due to the  language barrier for the natives of Toronto !

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REMINDER:

What could bring acclaimed Cuban music artist Alex Cuba here to Toronto from Vancouver… to perform for free… on very short notice?

The answer is, a benefit for one of the most loved entertainment personalities in Canada.  Billy Bryans has the support of the top entertainment people in Toronto and across Canada, and he needs your support too.

Even if you wouldn’t know Billy to see him, if you have at any Cuban music based event… a little bit of the credit for all of it belongs to him.  No-one has done more to make the scene what it is today.

From his stint as drummer with Parachute Club, to Brazilian music support, to Cuban music support, and much more… Billy has done it all in this town.

All proceeds will go to help with the costs of palliative care for Bryans as he deals with cancer for the second time.

Toronto Sun:

“We’re really touched and amazed by how many musicians, dancers and producers are stepping forward to contribute — some who know Billy from 40 years ago and some from groups that Billy only started working with since his first round of cancer five years ago,” Lula Lounge’s Tracy Jenkins tells me. “The benefit is also a way for us to connect with all the other people in his world and to show him our love and appreciation.

The show is posted here, set for Lula Lounge Thursday evening April 19, 2012.

Confirmed performers include Alex Cuba, Laura Fernandez, Aline Morales, Samba Squad, Son Ache and dance troupes Bailaboogaloo and Casineros Unidos.

And if you can’t go, you can pay a little bit back to Billy for what he has done, by buying a ticket (click on the date), and sending an email to info@lula.ca… to say that you won’t be able to come to the show, but please make sure the proceeds of your tickets go to help Billy.  They’ll be able to sell the seat again to someone else who wants to help…

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We have just received notice that this concert is POSTPONED:

Due to a recent conflict with tour dates and traveling schedule, Eliades Ochoa’s upcoming shows in Canada will be postponed until late Fall, 2012.

NEW concert dates will be announced shortly in all (3) cities, Montreal, Ottawa/Gatineau and Toronto, Canada.

Full refunds are available at all Ticketmaster locations, any recent ticket purchase WILL BE HONOURED at the future show date to be announced shortly in the selected city.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Que cosas tiene la vida, amazing things happen….

Yes the song speaks for itself… si tu no bailas con esto, tu no bailas con nada! …. if you don’t dance to this, you just don’t dance  …

May 19 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre

Los que Van, Van y han ido … Pero los que Son, Son !!

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Non-Cuban event but interesting for fans of latin music:

Celebrando su Aniversario
de 25 Años de Música en Toronto

Desde Colombia:

ORQUESTA GUAYACAN

Sábado 7 de Abril, 2012

Mirage Banquet Hall & Convention Centre
1917 Albion Road.
(West of Highway 27)

Get Your Tickets Now
$46 Advance – $70 Vip

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