Bamboleo from Cuba at Croatian Summer Salsa Festival!

Article written by, and published with permission of Salsa Adria Produkcije d.o.o.

The Cuban band Bamboleo will open its European Tour 2010 on Croatian soil during the Croatian Summer Salsa Festival held between June 22 and June 27, 2010, in the sunny Rovinj. The story on this event can be read here.

The band will perform after the Grande Fiesta party on Friday, June 25, in the venue Adris Halls. A 20 Euros fee will be charged for those without Congress passes.

Like sweet rum and smooth cigars, Bamboleo is another one of those fine Cuban exports that, once you get a taste of it, one sampling just won't be enough. Bamboleo is one of the most important timba bands, combining innovative and extremely original arranging with an overwhelming groove which, as is the case with Manolito and Issac Delgado, has to be heard live to get the full experience! Those who did hear them live, and those who will, will never forget it!! Their name comes from the Spanish word for the movement of ocean waves but in their music, it signifies the body rhythm that is created by the sounds of tropical music.

This conjunto of 18 performers is led by the pianist, composer, arranger and writer LAZARO VALDES. This Havana native comes from a family of musicians and has studied at the Academia Alejandro Garcia Caturla in the 70s' from which he graduated. After spending time performing with other known artists such as Panchito Alonso, Bobby Carcasses and Hector Tellez, in February 1995 he finally decided to establish Bamboleo, with the aim of entering into various genres such as salsa, folkloric Afro-Cuban music, Latin jazz, boleros and ballads.

He culled musicians from the cream of the crop, incorporating into his new troupe many who had trained at Havana's National School of Arts.
Important parts of Bamboleo’s appeal were their two hot vocalists. With strikingly beautiful shaved heads, Vannia Borges with her sultry smooth singing style, and Haila Mompie who is often compared to a youthful Celia Cruz, have become two female stars in the male dominated world of salsa. Today Bamboleo features popular singer Tania Pantoja, whose voice is described as "metallic velvet" by the acclaimed novelist Ryu Murakami. Pantoja, who joined Bamboleo in 2004, has performed in a number of concerts around the world, and her beautiful voice is sure to excite the audience. This outstanding singer is also known as the "Queen of Timba" referring to a new musical genre that combines elements of traditional Cuban music, salsa, jazz, rock and hip hop.

The band went on its first tour 1996 promoting their first album „Te Gusto O Te Caigo Bien“, and their second release „Yo No Me Parezco a Nadie“ (1998) was the most anticipated record to come out of Cuba in its time. The third release „Ya No Hace Falta“ (1999) is a culmination of Bamboleo's aggressive while classy style and has become one of the most popular Cuban music albums of the all time.