After gaining international fame for reviving the classic sound of Cuban son, tres master Juan de Marcos turned the Afro-Cuban All Stars into a sensational showcase for Cuba’s most prodigious young musicians.

While long revered in Latin America and Europe as a founding member of Cuba’s great son revival band Sierra Maestra, de Marcos first gained notice in the US as founder of the Buena Vista Social Club. It was de Marcos who assembled Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, Ruben Gonzalez and the rest of the crew for Ry Cooder when he came to Havana looking for illustrious old timers. But de Marcos is just as interested in promoting Cuba’s brilliant young musicians as in highlighting Cuba’s senior talent. The Afro-Cuban All Stars not only features a multi-generational cast, but the group also draws on both classic Cuban styles like son and danzón and contemporary dance rhythms like timba. “What I’m trying to do is create a bridge between contemporary and traditional Cuban music,” de Marcos says. “I’m trying to mix both things so people can realize that Cuban music didn’t stop in time, that it developed in this long period when Cuban music disappeared from the market.”

PERSONNEL:
Juan De Marcos Gonzalez: tres, vocals
Jorge Brauet: saxophone
Thommy Lowry Garcia: trumpet & flugelhorn
Luis Chavez: trumpet & flugelhorn
Orlando Fraga: trumpet & flugelhorn
Orlando cardoso: piano
Yorgis Goiricelaya: bass
Asley Rosell: bongo & cowbell
Tany Allende: congas
Caleb Michel: timbale
Alberto Alberto: lead vocals
Ramon Alvarez: vocals
Emilio Lluveras: vocals