Juan de Marcos & The Afro-Cuban Allstars

VIDEO: NPR – Afro-Cuban Allstars Dig That ‘Dundunbanza’

Video Interview by Abe Beeson (Jazz24/NPR)

Many music lovers know Juan de Marcos González as the man who teamed up with guitarist Ry Cooder to create Buena Vista Social Club. But González was busy celebrating the history of Cuban music long before Cooder arrived on the scene. Concurrently with the Buena Vista project, González was recording an album with his own band, The Afro-Cuban All Stars. The orchestra now contains expatriate Cuban musicians, young and old alike, from around the world.During a recent visit to Seattle, the orchestra stopped by for a three-song studio session at Jazz24 — and, as host Abe Beeson says, “If this music doesn’t move you, you’ve got no place to go.” (03/02/2013)

SET LIST
“Dundunbanza” (Arsenio Rodriguez)
“El Son de Baloy” (Felix Baloy)
“El Cuarto de Tula” (Sergio Siaba)

CREDITS
Interviewer: Abe Beeson
Photos: Justin Steyer
Video: KCTS 9 for Jazz24

Click here to watch the full video

Afro-Cuban Allstars on TKA

FEATURE: Afro-Cuban All Stars: Growing from Roots

“It’s a project. It’s not a band,” González says of his group. “I bring together really great musicians from different generations. I rehearse for about 15 days, and then we go on tour.” While the All Stars employ elements of jazz and occasional rock guitar solos, the Cuban danzón style that began developing during the late 19th century remains at the core of their sound. “What I do,” González says, “is play to the future by standing on the roots.”

Read the full article on SFGATE
Afro-Cuban All Stars on TKA