Cuban
style Salsa in NY, Timba in NY - Is there such a thing?
By
, New York
Yes, Yes,
Yes! There is Cuban style Salsa in NY
and there is Timba in NY!
True,
they are not as big as in San Francisco or Miami, but they are growing.
The latest
addition to the Cuban dance and music community is
the Rueda gatherings
on the pier facing the Hudson River. With an I-Pod and a boom box, the
Ruederos of NY spend their Sunday afternoons dancing and playing music,
filling up NYC’s air with the great sounds of Cuban
bands, such as Manolito y su Trabuco, la Charanga
Habanera, Los Van Van and others. They are
having a blast dancing and, even more importantly, they are showing
NY what Rueda looks like!
There are
also live Cuban and Timba
groups here in NY. There are four great bands in the New York/New Jersey
area which play Timba in addition to the old
style Son (which we call here “Buena
Vista” style, named after Wim Wenders and Ry Cooder’s movie,
“Buena Vista Social Club”).
Admittedly,
playing Timba in NY is a struggle. More than
a few times I have heard people saying, “This is not Cuban
music”, while the band is playing excellent Timba.
The NY audience has a long way to go when it comes to knowing Cuban
music. Sadly, for now, musicians need to choose between playing Timba
(and hardly getting any gigs to play) or playing mainly Son
(and being able to pay their bills).
These musicians
used to be on the top of the music world in Cuba. Just to name a few
- The singer Martin Vicente from the NY based band
“Rico Tumbao” shared the stage
in Cuba with Irakere, Los Van Van
and Orquestra Aragón. The Trombonist, Alexis
Llerena played with the band Danden,
the Drummer, Mauricio Herrera, played with Paolito
FG and Pachito Alonso and Lisandro
Arias from the NY-based band “Lisandro y su Tratando”
played with Orquesta Revé.
But…
there is a glimmer of hope! The more people who travel to the west coast,
to FL, or to Europe, the more there are who have learned about both
Cuban contemporary dance and music. The Casino-style salsa teachers
in NY do their share by playing Timba during
classes, and therefore familiarizing their students with the distinctive
Timba sound.
With the
support of the growing audience, hopefully this style will grow in the
Big Apple.
For more
information about Cuban style Salsa (Casino),
Rueda de Casino and Timba in NY please
e-mail
.
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editorials HERE!
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This page last updated
on:
31-Dec-2007
