CUBAN BIG BAND SON AT ITS MOST EXPLOSIVE
The biggest band to be performing at the Genting International Jazz Festival is ˇCUBANISMO!
Fifteen of them are flying in from Havana plus with an extra seat for their baby bass.
This is big band 1940’s style with its voice in the driving horns which alternate between melting sweet sounds and attention grabbing fanfares, irresistible Cuban percussion and rhythms, sexy vocals and ultimate dance music.
They do this on trumpet, piano, tres, saxophones, bass, flute and percussions.
The band is led by the charismatic Jesús Alemańy who is himself a fantastic trumpeter (listen out for his to-die-for solos), arranger and composer.
To listen to them is to hear a basic son heartbeat with mixtures of New Orleans jazz and a journey through all the wonderful dances of Cuba – the mambo, rumba, cha-cha, pilon, danzon, pa’ca, merengue, montuno – the list is endless!
Jesús Alemańy has programmed their sets to include, what he terms descargas – a structure that enables each musician to improvise freely and take turns grabbing the front spot, while the pulse of the music goes on.
This creates a perfect marriage of their performance being a stage show plus a vehicle for dance at the same time.
The improvisations are so dazzlingly done that the layers of polyrhythms and cross rhythms piled on top of each other is an art form just by itself.
In 1996, one of their albums reached the top ten lists of Billboard, Latin Beat and Afropop Worldwide.
Sharing the stage with ˇCubanismo! will be Hazmat Modine with urban blues from America, Cape Jazz of South Africa, Welsh vocalist Lleuwen Steffan with her band Acoustique, The Funk Mob from Malaysia, Gangbe Brass Band from West Africa, and many more.
Contrast and variety is the name of the game at Genting’s first jazz festival.
The dates are 8th – 9th June.
Tickets for a one day Adult pass is priced at RM100 while a 2-day pass is available at RM150.
They can be bought online at www.genting.com.my or call 03-2718 1118 from April onwards.
The website will also have information on packages that have been tailored for the event.
ˇCubanismo! will close the festival on the Saturday night. Nobody knows how to party more than the Cubans!
Evening shows will start at 7.00 pm. The Genting International Showroom will be transformed into a huge but intimate jazz club setting. There’s standing room and there’s casual high stools. Nobody is expected to be sitting very still once the bands start.
