Printemps Musical, world and jazz music festival celebrates 30 years with cuban bands and piano highlights!

This year's festival edition of Printemps Musical pays tribute to cuban music, with top bands like Los Van Van, The Afro Cuban All Stars, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Roberto Fonseca, as well as to piano masters Jason Moran, Hiromi Uehara and Les Frères). Infos and tickets here! 

Music festival Printemps Musical

Wednesday, 25.5.2011, 20h30, Den Atelier, 54 rue de Hollerich, Luxembourg
Juan de Marcos - Afro Cuban All Stars

The Afro-Cuban All Stars is a unique orchestra that has always been devoted to promoting the full range of Cuban music, one that embraces several generations and all musical styles. Over the years many of the band’s musicians have become international stars, including brilliant performers such as Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Guillermo Rubalcava, Cachaito Lopez, Manuel "The Guajiro" Mirabal, etc. The genesis of the Afro-Cuban All Stars has its roots early in the 1990s. At this time the ”son” ensemble Sierra Maestra, headed by Juan de Marcos, received a lot of international exposure.

After several years of tremendous and unexpected success – including four Grammy nominations, being the subject of several documentaries and films, and being recipients of many other distinctions – the Afro Cuban All Stars are certainly the best-known and successful Cuban orchestra after Los Van Van and Irakere. The Afro-Cuban All Stars has also opened the doors to a new generation by incorporating young musicians into the band. With The Afro Cuban All Stars, de Marcos has developed a concept more than simply creating a band. His approach has allowed him to expand its creative range by incorporating contemporary styles of Cuban music; as well, a fluid approach to adjusting the orchestra’s line-up by changing or adding musicians as appropriate has made it easier to best reflect the different styles of music from the various periods that the band features. The Afro-Cubans are the same orchestra that can be seen in those distinct performances captured in the famous Oscar-nominated ”Buena Vista Social Club” documentary by Wim Wenders, the Tony Knox documentary ”Salon of Dreams”, or the DVDs ”Live in Japan” or ”Live in The Hague”.

Juan De Marcos Gonzalez (the Quincy Jones of Cuba), a central figure in Cuban music today, has set himself a lifetime mission: to show the wealth, diversity and vitality of Cuban music to the world. His work with the Afro-Cuban All Stars, the Buena Vista Social Club, Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Sierra Maestra and others has made an extraordinary contribution to raising the profile of the music of his country throughout the world. While at university he co-founded the group Sierra Maestra in 1976. Styled as a traditional Cuban septeto group, the dynamic young band's aim was to bring about an appreciation of Cuban ”son” by the youth of the island. The band achieved great success, recording fourteen albums in Cuba, Africa and Europe, touring many countries and receiving various awards. Besides his work with the Afro Cuban All Stars Juan de Marcos led ”The Ruben Gonzalez Ensemble” on his debut European and U.S. tours and directed the Buena Vista Social Club in the only concerts of the original line up at the top theatres ‘Le Carre’ in Amsterdam, New York's Carnegie Hall and more recently at Mexico’s Auditorio Nacional.

Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, tres & band leader

Evelio Galán, lead singer

Emilio Suárez, lead singer

José Gil Piñera, lead singer

Miguelito Valdes de la Hoz, trumpet & flugelhorn (Chucho Valdes, Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo)

Yaure Muniz, trumpet & flugelhorn (Ruben Gonzalez, Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer)

Igort Rivas, trumpet & flugelhorn (Bamboleo, Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer)

Alberto ”Molote” Muñoz, trombone (Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdes, Buena Vista Social Club)

Jorge Reiner Ardiles, trombone (Rumbavana, Charangon)

Gabriel Hernández, piano (Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hargrove)

Alberto Pantaleón Hernandez, bass (Willie Colon, Chucho Valdes)

Miguelito Valdés Aballi, congas (Orquesta Filarmonica de Mexico, Celia Cruz, Elvis Crespo)

José ”Pepito” Espinosa, bongos (Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer Orchestra)

Calixto Oviedo, percussion (Arturo Sandoval, Wynton Marsalis, Sting, Chucho Valdes)

www.afrocubanallstarsonline.com

Price: 30 €, students under 27 years: 25 €

Tickets: www.luxembourgticket.lu

Org. : Luxembourg City Tourist Office, tel: (+352) 222809

Festival website: www.printempsmusical.lu