Issac Delgado In Concert
Saturday, June 23, 2007
James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida
By Diane Padró

TIMBA REIGNS!

Ok - I'll admit it - I'm one of those long-time traditional Salsa fans who occasionally listen and dance to Timba, but it's not really my "thing", so I'm probably one of the contributing reasons why this style of Cuban music has not yet hit it really big in this country. And true to my Puerto Rican/New York style Salsa roots, I was looking forward on the way to this concert, to hearing and seeing a live performance of Issac Delgado's "Mujer que mas te duele", one of the tracks on his first U.S. released CD, "En Primera Plana" (La Calle Records, May 2007.) It's a fine salsa tune - a catchy duet with salsa great Víctor Manuelle - and has been getting a lot of play on the local radio stations.

Little did I know, that by the end of the evening, it wouldn't even matter to me that Issac did not perform this song last night. I was too busy enjoying every moment of his Timba!

It was a triumphant night for the former lead singer of NG La Banda. Issac, after years of much success and popularity in his native Cuba, and in Europe (and up to now, marginally in the U.S.), quietly defected this past year. Saturday's concert was in stark contrast to some former appearances, which were marred by protests against Cuban musicians being permitted to perform here. Last night the support and adoration of the local Cuban community for it's newly exiled star was so palpable, you could practically touch it in the air.

The Knight Center was packed solid, but there were plenty of empty seats - their occupants were all standing, dancing, singing, waving their arms, and cheering Issac on, with every song Issac chose to sing.

He chose them well. Let me explain:

Thanks to the definitive salsa hit-maker, producer Sergio George, "En Primera Plana" is already on it's way, I believe, to becoming another possible Grammy nomination for Delgado. It was, of course, a wise decision to cater to mass appeal by including some great songs (and some great names), in the traditional Salsa style in this CD.

But the heart of Issac Delgado is Timba, and Timba was mostly what he performed.

Kind of a really cool bait and switch scheme - sell them Salsa, but give them Timba LIVE!

And it is surely through his live performances, that Issac will win over the hard-core salsa public to include and support this genre more than ever before.

He's just so GOOD at it. Issac has such a way with the audience. He's gracious, personal, and inviting. Last night he easily acquired nearly 4500 more back-up singers, as he invited his fans to join in. They didn't need much encouraging - they sang loudly, clearly, in tune, and on clave, to every Timba selection. It was quite amazing to experience this sea of people moving and singing in unison with Issac.

To my surprise, during some of the digressions from Timba - ballads interspersed with (sometimes too long) commentary, I found myself counting the minutes to the next Timba song. Obviously, so was the rest of the audience, because, without fail, it was the driving Timba rhythms and infectious lyrics that kept the place really jumping.

There were also some nice surprises, such as:

The renowned and immensely talented Amaury Gutiérrez and his powerful acoustic guitar, accompanied by Issac, in Gutiérrez's hit, "Yo sé que es mentira".

Sergio George, called to the stage to play the piano, in all of Sergio George flashy style, to Issac's vocals in "Soñé" (one of the songs in "Primera Plana").

...and the great "Cachao"...(what more can I say?), playing "Cemento, ladrillo y arena" (also on the CD).

Last night, Issac Delgado took Miami, and me, by storm. Future Timba storms are predicted for the following cities and dates (check your local listings). If you are lucky enough to be in these cities, don't miss Issac!

July 5 Brooklyn, NY Prospect Park Bandshell
July 6 New York, NY SOB's
Aug 24 Tampa Indian Cultural Center
Sept 21 Monterey, CA Monterey Jazz Festival
Oct. 20 San Francisco Bimbo's 365 Club