Afro Cuban All Stars

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 8 PM / Massey Hall
$69.50 - $39.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or online at www.masseyhall.com
Or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

Toronto, ON. Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - The Washington Post proclaims, ’ÄúThe 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.’Äù After a 3-year absence, renowned bandleader Juan de Marcos leads his four-time Grammy-nominated, multi-generational band as it serves up an authentic taste of Havana in a feast of Cuba’Äôs unique and addictive sounds at Massey Hall on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009.

The Afro Cuban All Stars were first brought together by Juan De Marcos, the leader of the son group Sierra Maestra, and original member of the Buena Vista Social Club. Determined to preserve the traditions of early Cuban music, singer-guitarist De Marcos saw this landmark project as an opportunity to invite listeners to explore the rich musical heritage of the island, by showing the world the diversity, continuity, and vitality of Cuban music. Since coming together with Nick Gold of the London-based World Circuit record label in 1997, the Afro Cuban All Stars have become an undeniable force in the global revival of Afro-Cuban music, making producer Juan De Marcos one of the most important figures in Cuban music today.

The Afro Cuban All Stars, a power-house, dream ensemble, comprised of four generations of Cuba’Äôs finest musicians not only capture the fiery big band sound of pre-Castro, 1950s Cuba, but also continue to break barriers with brand-new arrangements that celebrate Cuba’Äôs fantastic musical legacy of Latin dance music, mambo, cha cha, salsa, rumba, son montuno, timba, guajira, danzˆ„n, abakuˆ°, and bolero. The first Afro Cuban All Stars album, A Toda Cuba le Gusta, recorded shortly before the Buena Vista Social Club’Äôs groundbreaking album, with many of the same musicians in both recordings, pays homage to the legendary soneros of the 1940s and 1950s and it is through these two projects Juan de Marcos rekindled the world's fascination with traditional Cuban music.

Named the best ’ÄúBeyond Band’Äù by Jazz Magazine, members of the All Stars have garnered tremendous recognition with numerous award-winning albums, including the Grammy Award-winning The Buena Vista Social Club, which inspired an Academy Award-nominated documentary of the same name.

AFRO CUBAN ALL STARS
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 8 pm / Massey Hall
178 Victoria Street, Toronto
Tickets $69.50 - $39.50 - Call 416-872-4255
www.masseyhall.com