the hum / By Bob Doran

Traditional to Contemporary

Afro-Cuban All Stars, plus Carnaval, Potluck, Or the Whale and Cat

(Feb. 19, 2009)  One of the best concerts I ever attended was a show at the Van Duzer about 10 years ago with a stellar collection of Cuban masters on tour under the Buena Vista Social Club banner. When I mentioned how much I liked the band in a recent conversation with bandleader Juan de Marcos González, he was quick to correct me: “Buena Vista Social Club is not a band, it’s a brand,” he told me, following with a long story about how Ry Cooder ended up getting much of the credit for the success of the Cuban stars he had assembled.

González was tired; he’d spent the week rehearsing the latest line-up of the Afro-Cuban All Stars, teaching them new tunes and old ones. “As always the, Afro-Cuban All-Stars is much more than a band,” he said. “The line-up is friends who love this music; they have played with the best Cuban bands over the years. Some are young; the rest are not that young. They live all over the world. My goal this time was to make an international Afro-Cuban All Stars. The music we play is in all the different styles of Cuban music, from the traditional up to contemporary forms; that’s what we perform.”

GALLERY >

Everyone in the new lineup is a Cuban expatriate, a practical choice driven by immigration politics. Particularly since 9/11, getting Cuban musicians into the U.S. has been quite difficult; many tours have been canceled. “Your politicians have had the embargo for more than 50 years without much happening,” said González. “In fact the embargo is obsolete. But with this band it’s not a problem because they all live abroad and many have passports from other countries.”

He’s hopeful that change is coming. “I think that Obama is going to change everything,” he said, predicting an end to problems between Cuba and the U.S. “But I don’t want to be an ambassador,” he added. “I’m not a politician; I am a musician — I don’t think in political terms.”

González and the Afro-Cuban All Stars begin a two-month American tour this week; González returns to the Van Duzer Sunday night for another memorable night of music.

Arcata’s multi-culti house of dance Redwood Raks celebrates its first birthday Friday night with a party featuringtons of dancers: Ya Habibi Dance Company bellydancing(of course),burlesque/bellydance fusion by TheWidowmakers, Samba Na Chuva doing the Brazilian thing with The Janky Mallets, Humboldt Rockers breakin’, New World Ballet‘s hip hop kids, Company of African Dance Arcata, Salsa Organica and Freelove Circus (their respective names explain what they do), all capped off with a fire dance in the courtyard by Nightshade Serenade (weather permitting). Bonus: birthday cake at intermission!

You’ll also find Samba Na Chuva and Janky Mallets at Six Rivers Tuesday for a Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras/Carnaval) bash. And you can expect some of the same folks at the Red Fox Saturday for an early celebration of Carnaval with Caribbean, Brazilian and West African rhythms. Carnaval Cabaret organizers promise “drumming, dancing and debauchery” from WoMama, SambAmore and Dun Dun Faré with dance troupes: Ya Habibi, C.A.D.A., and the SambAmore dancers.

Mad saxophonist Skerik is back in town with Skerik Trio, a stripped down jazz/jam machine that includes Marco Benevento (of Benevento Russo Duo fame) on keys and a young jazz drummer from Seattle, D’Vonne Lewis. Catch them Friday at the Jambalaya.

1 2 3 NEXT PAGE >SHARE