Performance

When Monday, 28 May 2012
Where National Concert Hall, Dublin, Main Auditorium
Presented by Waltons New School of Music
Supported by RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday Independent, Dublin Conrad Hotel

This concert was recorded for broadcast by RTÉ lyric fm.

Afro-Cuban All Stars

Juan de Marcos González • Tres, Guitar, Vocals, Bandleader
Gliceria Abreu Caron • Afro-Cuban Percussion
Antonio Juvencio Portuondo Martinez • Timbales
Rolando Salgado Palacio • Congas
José Antonio Moreaux Charon • Bongos, Cowbell
Gabriel Hernández Cadenas • Piano
Alberto Pantaleón Loran • Bass
Evelio Galán Castellanos • Lead Singer
Emilio Suárez Martínez • Lead Singer
Jose Gil Piñera Leygoniel • Lead Singer
Yaure Muñiz Rumayor • Trumpet
Igort Rivas Comas • Trumpet
Yoanny Pino Facenda • Trumpet

‘This posse of Cubans have skills to burn and turn in performances that simply dazzle. The brass section cuts like a razor while the rhythm section ticks like a Swiss watch and those singers….they are a joy to behold….packed to capacity with classics.’
– Straight No Chaser

‘The Afro-Cuban All Stars continue to meld the hard-won experience of old masters with the energy and enthusiasm of a new generation of Cuban musicians….[They play] a sizzling sonic stew laced with sleek rhythms, searing horns, sharp percussion and sensuous vocals.’
– The Washington Post

Created and directed by Juan de Marcos González, leader of the great Cuban group Sierra Maestra and original member of the Buena Vista Social Club, the Afro-Cuban All Stars is a 15-piece, power-house, dream ensemble of Cuba’s finest musicians. Their music not only captures the fiery big band sound of pre-Castro 1950s Cuba but also continues to break barriers with brand-new arrangements that celebrate Cuba’s fantastic musical legacy of Latin dance music, swinging big band, Afro-Cuban jazz and more. Together, these superb musicians have sparked a worldwide infatuation with the diversity and vitality of Cuban culture. Their music ‘can suddenly transport you with delight in a way that very little else these days is capable of’ (New Statesman).

Selected YouTube Videos