Music
Sierra Maestra: Masters of Cuban Son!
Direct from Cuba
Fri April 20 / 9pm pre-show with DJ La Reyna;; 10pm main show
$25; $22 student/senior/military
Ballroom
“Music doesn’t come more energizing than Havana’s
glorious Sierra Maestra, who sparked the revival that led to Buena Vista
Social Club’s music sweeping the globe.” — The List (UK)
“If
son is indeed the soul of Cuba, then Sierra Maestra are the heartbeat at
the center of that soul.” — World Music Central (USA)
Stars of
Cuban music ever since they formed in the late 1970s and nominated for a
2010 Latin Grammy, Sierra Maestra is now celebrating 34 years since its
formation. Sierra Maestra was
the first, and remains the best, of the modern-era groups to play in
the old-style son line-up: tres, guitar, one trumpet, bongo, güiro and
vocals — as during the style’s golden age of the 1920s and ’30s. They
have been the pioneers in reviving this style for new generations and
reintroducing it into the Cuban mainstream and named themselves after
the mountain range in the eastern part of Cuba as a tribute to the
birthplace of son.
With five of the original band members still playing, the
group has played a key part in the recent worldwide boom in Cuban
traditional music. In 1995, its tres player Juan de Marcos González
conceived the idea that led to the recording of the famous Buena Vista
Social Club, in which four members of Sierra Maestra performed. González now performs with the Afro-Cuban All Stars.
DJ La Reyna will spin Cuban timba and salsa from 9-10pm and in between Sierra Maestra's sets.
Please note that there will be two 50-minute sets and one intermission. This event will be in the Ballroom which has limited general admission seating and is primarily standing room only.