2010 is going to be a great year for music. Los Van Van, the Cuban empresarios of Timba, are touring again. Although it will be spectacular to hear them play in Vienna and Berlin, cities which are known for a population with excellent taste in music (if we leave out Falco), it’s something else entirely to hear them play in Miami. Luxury hotels will likely be hosting lots of their fans, and if you’re in Miami and don’t know the group, you will soon enough.
The last time they toured here was 10 years ago, and it was a bit of a rough reception. There were protestors from the so-called Miami Mafia who obviously had not heard about how to properly treat guests, especially of musical stature as elegant as Los Van Van. This time around, there is a younger generation that will be part of the mix of fans, and it will be exciting to see the torch of inspiration passed on in a live concert. These guys are really good, and the comparison with Puerto Rico’s El Gran Combo is entirely justified.
They play a salsa that has become known as Timba. The group has been together, under the guidance of Juan Formell, for over four decades now, and they keep evolving in new directions under the vision of the leader of the band. The innovations in the musical style incorporate the spirit of improvisation from jazz, and the syncopated drum rhythms that come from African influences on the island. It’s a very local kind of music that has an absolutely resonant global appeal, and when they play, it’s sometimes difficult to remember exactly where you are. In Miami, this will be especially interesting, where their popularity has been very high but without the chance to watch diaspora work in the moment, something that only happens in the live event.
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