African groups in Cuba, which Sublette traces to four distinct regions on the dark continent, kept a lot of their culture and traditions intact through the formation of cabildos, something like 'town ...

The magic of Orquesta Akokán is almost as notable for its unlikely logistics as for its brilliant music. The band has brought together musicians from two politically divided countries — Cuba and the ...

Producer Jacob Plasse and vocalist José "Pepito" Gómez share how they recorded the band's debut in Havana's legendary Areito Studios and what... As Cuba Changes, Orquesta Akokán Revives The Golden Age ...

Ry Cooder’s 1997 collaboration with a group of septuagenarian Cuban musicians, Buena Vista Social Club, sold 8 million copies and earned a Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance. It also earned ...

Victor Parra was a Chicago-area radio host, musician and bandleader who championed Afro-Cuban jazz music as the host of his weekly radio show, “Mambo Express,” on both WBEZ-FM and WDCB-FM. Parra was ...

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As the cofounder of the important Cuban music label Qbadisc and coproducer of public radio's Afropop Worldwide, Sublette is a well-known figure among elite mambo aficionados. Still, the sheer size and ...