San Francisco/Bay Area Salsa & Latin Jazz: Reviews

March 4, 2005

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
San Francisco, CA

To inaugurate the International Center for the Arts at SFSU, ‘To Cuba, With Love’ opened with a concert to honor Cuban maestro Israel ‘Cachao’ Lopez at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Present to accept the first George & Judy Marcus Prize for Lifetime Achievement, the recent Grammy winner Cachao, in his 8th decade and no stopping insight, accepted the plaque and honorarium of $25, 000 with his usual grace. ‘Sin ustedes, no hay Cachao, con ustedes, hay Cachao’, he humbly stated.

Ushered in by a conga dance line of dancers and musicians who circled around the audience, Cachao and family took seats as Dean Keith Morrison of the College of Creative Arts welcomed everyone. For the first half of the evening’s program, the SFUS AfroCuban Alumni Ensemble took the stage. Directed and with arrangements by John Calloway, the ensemble featured vocalists and musicians, who combined Afro-Cuban songs to the Orishas and both Latin jazz and salsa dance tunes. The set included a beautiful rendition of ‘Dos Gardeñas’ and ‘Lenguasa’, a tune talking about a gossiper with words to the late Pancho Quinto, maestro of percussion and polyrhythmic rhythms.

After words from Cachao, ‘And only 14 more years until I’m 100’, which Andy Garcia translated, the second half got off to a late start as Garcia spoke of how Cachao and his music have helped him find solace in his own life. He also gave credit to John Santos and the Machete Ensemble for introducing him to Cachao’s danzones, played during a previous visit to San Francisco.

The West Coast AfroCuban All-Stars took the stage with a who’s-who list of Bay Area greats: John Santos, John Calloway, Mark Levine, Wayne Wallace, Melecio Magdaluya, Michael Spiro, Jesus Diaz, Carlos Caro, David Belove, Marco Diaz, Javier Navarette, and Mike Olmos. Guests included maestro Orestes Vilato, Karl Perrazo and Greg Landau and vocalists Fito Reynoso, Orlando Torriente, and Barbara Valladares.

The Ensemble included brilliant solos by all of the percussionists, sonereo Reynoso and sones in his tune ‘San Francisco Tiene Su Propio Son’ and a high-energy ‘Guaguanco Pa’Gozar’, which Andy Garcia joined in on campana. Orestes Vilato, true to form, played an inspiring and energetic timable solo in which he jumped up in the air to come down and hit the last note!

Maestro Cachao joined the ensemble for the last two tunes including his famous ‘Con mi ritmo hay dos’. It was wonderful to watch and hear the call and response he played with keyboardist Marco Diaz. Cachao loves to play with the bass and the audience, as he would bow silly tunes recognizable to all. Still agile, he loving bent over the bass neck as he bowed even below the bride of the bass, transformed into a young man once again as he played.

It was hard to sit still to the energetic music filling the room, as attested to by dancers taking advantage of floor space by the front of the stage. An appreciative audience stood to applaud and did not want the wonderful evening to end.

¡Con mucho respeto! to SFSU, for in spite of the anti-Cuba political climate of the present US administration, inaugurated the new international Arts Center with music, film and artwork of Cuban artists. We look forward to more such programs.

March 5, 2005

Bimbo’s 365 Club
San Francisco, CA

Closing out two days of ‘To Cuba, With Love’, the new center featured a glimpse into life in Cuba for a budding music group with the film, ‘Paraiso’ and a concert with Israel Cachao Lopez and the Cineson All Stars.

‘Paraiso’ portrayed the lives of a young hip-hip/changüi group, Madera Limpia, from Guantanamo and is one of the best films made to date depicting life in Cuba. Future hopes, the importance of family ties and community, the struggles without extra income and necessities, and the trials of love and relationships, ‘Pariso’ offers no glossy or Hollywood tricks to make life look other than what it is for these young people: a bit of a struggle but they keep going anyway, filled with faith and hope for the future. They practice on out-of-tune instruments, in leaky rooms, and the taxi driver who hooks up with them struggles with his 1957 car that lacks parts and of course, gas. But even he triumphs and walks up the last hill, when his car will not make it. The young musicians and all those around them do the same: they keep moving forward and never give up on their dreams and hopes.

Director Alina Teodorescu, residing in Germany, chronicled an authentic story, with true images and words. An interesting part was when the musicians headed out to the hills and were in the company of Taino and Siboney Indian descendents, one of the few times these people have been depicted on film, considering most were wiped out by the early arrivals of the Spanish over a century ago.

A few of the English subtitles were translated incorrectly, but the message was clear: there is always hope and Paradise is just on the other side of the hill. ¡Bravo!

Maestro Cachao took the stage next with his Cineson All Stars. Throughout the program, actor Andy Garcia would introduce each tune and the musicians playing. Joining Cachao for the evening were Alfredo Valdés Jr. (piano), Orestes Vilató (timbales), Lázaro Galarraga (vocals), Federico Britos (violin), Luis Conte (congas), Tata Palau and Justo Almario (saxes), Danilo Lozano (flute), Wayne Wallace (trombone) and Kiwzo Fumero (trumpet).

The tables set up for the earlier film and had been removed and the audience was at the stage front for the rest of the evening, or a at least as close as they could get. Due to a huge, overhead crane and moving dolly and cameras, used to film a documentary about the weekend’s events, people had to be careful to duck lest they get hit. But this did not deter anyone from dancing to the music of the legendary Cachao!

The evening’s program included a danzon by Cachao in the form of a descarga, which really swung as Cachao and violinist Federico Britos went at it. From their latest CD, the Cineson Allstars played ‘Guajuira Classica’, with piano solos by Alfredo Valdés Jr. Soulful sax was added by Justo Almarino and each of the brass section in turn, took a solo.

They also played ‘Si Me Puedes Querer’ as an instrumental. Written by Bola de Nieve, Britos on violin played beautifully, with Maestro Cachao and his dexterous bowing. The rumba ‘Linda Yambu, written by Ignacio Piñera, featured the wonderful vocals of Lazaro Galarraga, who broke out to sing ‘Ave Maria Morena’ and drove the crowd wild.

A guest appearance by Walfredo de los Reyes, sharing the timbales with Vilato was mesmerizing. The evening ended with a call for more and the band obliged with Cachao first bowing ‘La Cucaracha’ and then breaking into ‘Juana la Coja’, another descarga from his recording’ Master Sessions Vol. II" album. As usual, the crowed called for even more. But it was an exhilarating ending to a weekend of tributes to both Cachao and other artists of Cuba.