CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS

Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 8pm Zellerbach Hall Afro-Cuban All Stars Juan de Marcos González, director

Gliceria Abreu Caron Afro-Cuban percussion Gliceria González Abreu keyboards, vocals Laura Lydia González Abreu bass clarinet, vocals Calixto Oviedo Mulens timbale set José Espinosa Martínez congas José Antonio Moreaux Charon bongos, cowbell Gabriel Hernández Cadenas piano Alberto Pantaleon Loran bass Evelio Galan Castellanos lead singer Emilio Suarez Martínez lead singer Jose Gil Piñera Leygoniel lead singer Alberto Inocente Martínez trumpet, flugelhorn Miguel Angel Valdes de la Hoz trumpet, flugelhorn Yoanny Pino Facenda trumpet, flugelhorn Juan de Marcos González tres, guitar, vocals

This performance is made possible, in part, by Patron Sponsors Dayna and John Ziegler.

Cal Performances’ 2010–2011 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

8 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 9 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS

he afro-cuban all stars is a unique López (bass), Amadito Valdés (timbale), Carlos for which he has gathered the most remarkable congas and a trumpet section. It was a tribute Torchestra that is devoted to promoting the González and Roberto Valdés (bongos), Ángel expatriate Cuban musicians from around the to the legendary Arsenio Rodríguez, whose style full range of Cuban music, one that embraces Terry (congas), Daniel Ramos, Alejandro world. This new version of the Afro-Cuban All dominated the 1940s and 1950s. Following on several generations and all musical styles. Over Pichardo and “Guajiro” Mirabal (trumpets), Stars began touring internationally in February this success, Mr. de Marcos made a big-band the years, many of the band’s musicians have Alberto “Molote” Martínez and Jesús “Aguaje” 2009, first in the United States, and then in recording in that featured neglected become international stars, including such bril- Ramos (trombones), and Raúl Planas, Manuel Singapore and Canada. stars from the “golden age” of Cuban music. liant performers as Rubén González, Ibrahim Licea, Pío Leiva, and Félix Baloy Things really took off when Mr. de Marco’s Ferrer, Guillermo Rubalcava and Manuel “The (lead singers). Juan de Marcos González, a central figure in signature group, the Afro-Cuban All Stars, Guajiro” Mirabal. After several years of tremendous and Cuban music for three decades, has set himself released A toda le gusta (Grammy- The genesis of the Afro-Cuban All Stars has unexpected success—including receiving four a lifetime mission: to show the wealth, diversity nominated in 1998). This was the first album to its roots early in the 1990s. At that time the son Grammy nominations, being the subject of and vitality of Cuban music to the world. His come out of the legendary Buena Vista Social ensemble Sierra Maestra, headed by Juan de several documentaries and films, and being work with supergroups and incredible artists Club sessions, and Mr. de Marcos’s band proved Marcos González, was receiving international recipients of many other distinctions—the All such as the Afro-Cuban All Stars, the Buena to be a springboard for the success that followed. exposure. Mr. de Marcos was introduced to Stars are certainly the best known and successful Vista Social Club, Ruben González, Ibrahim Following the album’s release, Mr. de Marcos Nick Gold, president of World Music Records Cuban orchestra after and Irakere. Ferrer, Sierra Maestra and others has had led the Afro-Cuban All Stars and the Ruben (then a small, independent world music label). The Afro-Cuban All Stars has also opened extraordinary success in introducing the whole González Ensemble on their debut European That encounter led to several very successful the doors to a new generation by bringing young range of Cuban music around the globe. and U.S. tours, and directed the Buena Vista tours in Europe. Later the group went to London musicians into the band. With the Afro-Cuban Juan de Marcos was born in Havana in 1954 Social Club during the only concerts of the and recorded Dundumbanza, considered one of All Stars, Mr. de Marcos has developed a concept and grew up surrounded by music. (His father original line-up at such theaters as Le Carré in the jewels of the world music scene of the early more than simply creating a band. His approach was a singer and worked with the great Arsenio Amsterdam, New York’s Carnegie Hall and, 1990s. (In retrospect, this recording opened the has allowed him to expand its creative range by Rodríguez, among others.) He studied classical more recently, Mexico’s Auditorio Nacional. doors to the boom in traditional Cuban music incorporating contemporary styles of Cuban guitar at the Havana Conservatory and privately Never content to rest on his laurels, Mr. de of the period.) music. His fluid approach to the orchestra’s with the Vicente González and Leopoldina Marcos continues to develop promising new Months later, Mr. de Marcos got the go- line-up, changing or adding musicians as Núñez. He also took courses in contemporary ideas for Cuban music, which is evolving in ahead to do an album celebrating the classic appropriate, has made it easier to best reflect the harmony and orchestral conducting. While at exciting ways. In 2005, he released the first Cuban sound of the 1950s and featuring many different styles and periods of music the band university in the mid-1970s, he co-founded the recordings on DM Ahora! Records and GG and of the great musicians Mr. de Marcos knew. The performs. The All Stars are the same orchestra group Sierra Maestra. Styled as a traditional LL Records: Step Forward by the Afro-Cuban plan was to prepare two projects: one featuring that can be seen in the performances captured Cuban septeto group (tres, trumpet, bass, All Stars (Grammy-nominated), Goza Pepillo a Cuban big band, the other favoring a more in the famous Oscar-nominated Buena Vista percussion, vocals), the dynamic young band by Interactivo and A Diario by Telmary are traditional sound reminiscent of the acoustic Social Club documentary by , the aimed to bring about an appreciation of the at once a snapshot of where one of Cuba’s top style of Ñico Saquito or Portabales. In March Tony Knox documentary Salon of Dreams, and Cuban son by the youth of the island, who musical creators is right now and a blueprint for 1996, they recorded the album A toda Cuba le the DVDs Live in Japan and Live in The Hague. tended to shun such “old fashioned” music. the future of Cuban music. As Mr. de Marcos Gusta, featuring nearly 60 performers. Then, In 2002, Mr. de Marcos founded his own The band achieved great success, recording 14 says: “We have to use all the heritage of Cuban with the addition of such celebrated artists as independent label, DM Ahora! Records, on albums in Cuba, Africa and Europe, touring music to create a sound of the future. It’s Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo, Eliades which he has released the Afro-Cuban All Stars’ many countries, and receiving various awards. important to have that continuity and to fight Ochoa and American guitarist Ry Cooder, albums Live in Japan and Step Forward (Grammy- Although music was a great love, Mr. de for our identity.” the legendary CD was nominated in 2006). He also released Telmary’s Marcos returned to university to study hydraulic During his career, Mr. de Marcos has recorded. Finally, with a low budget and simple A Diario and Interactivo’s Goza Pepillo, projects engineering and the Russian and English arranged, conducted, produced or coproduced orchestrations by Mr. de Marcos, they also that represent a new generation of Cuban music, languages. He worked as a professor at the more than 25 albums. His work with the Afro- recorded Introducing Ruben González, which one that fuses hip-hop with contemporary Agronomic University of Havana, earning his Cuban All Stars has been nominated for four became one of the most successful of the “Buena Cuban genres. More recently, Mr. de Marcos, doctorate in 1989. Once again, though, Mr. de Grammy Awards, and the band has been hailed Vista” series of recordings. along with his wife Gliceria Abreu, founded GG Marcos found himself drawn powerfully back to by Down Beat for its continued excellence. During spring 1997 and along with the and LL, a musical production company based the world of music. Mr. de Marcos has been responsible for creating release in Europe of the three albums, Mr. de in Mexico City that aims to create a space for In 1994, he began his association with the and producing some of the most important Marcos and a select group of stellar musicians the new Latin American Music, especially that London-based record label World Circuit, and seminal recordings of 20th-century Cuban started touring all over the continent under interpreted by songwriters. when his Sierra Maestra band recorded the music. No one has done more to invigorate the the banner of a band christened the “Afro- Current plans for the Afro-Cuban All album Dundunbanza. For this recording, the revival and growth of Cuban music than the Cuban All Stars.” The original line-up, familiar Stars include the recording this year of the group expanded its line-up to include piano, incomparable Juan de Marcos. from the records, included Ruben González album Breaking the Rules & Step Backward and Guillermo Rubalcava (piano), Orlando documentiung Mr. de Marcos’s latest project,

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