Buena Vista All Stars
The Getdown

It is the fastest way to go to Havana without taking the plane! With Buena Vista All Stars, the Cuban culture comes to us: music, language, dance and art of living. "Una Noche en La Habana” is much more than a concert, it is a cultural immersion. The band does not only interpret a repertoire, but it also shares a living heritage of music which continues to evolve across generations. Since the Cuban sound conquered the public worldwide a few decades ago, this genre has always been transforming, while remaining deeply rooted in tradition. This is the aim of this evening: revisiting classics of the genre, like “Chan Chan” or “El Cuarto de Tula”, presented with the authenticity of a repertoire which keeps on evolving, being enhanced and circulating. Travelling the world tirelessly, this transgenerational band is co-managed by the trombonist Demetrio Muñiz and the bandurria master Barbarito Torres, who are original members of the legendary Cuban Buena Vista Social Club. It also gathers the trumpet player Manuel Machado, but also the singers Ángel Aguiar and Amanda Gaviria. When on stage, today, Buena Vista All Stars embodies the soul of an Afro-Cuban music which travels through the ages, the borders and the generations.

Line-up :

• Demetrio Muñiz (musical direction, vocals)
• Manuel Machado (trumpet)
• Barbarito Torres (lute)
• Ángel Aguiar (vocals)
• Amanda Gaviria (vocals)
• Juan Luis de la Torre Moral (trumpet)
• Santiago Cañada (trombone)
• Álvaro Zarzuela (trombone)
• Daniel Amat (piano)
• Rainer Pérez (bass)
• Pedro Moisés Porro Oduardo (percussion)
• Ramón “El León” González (percussion)

With percussive keyboards and melodious drums, the Caribbean groove of The Getdown is contagious. This collective project which was created on stage was named after the expression used by musicians from New York. It refers to this suspended moment in time, right in the middle of a concert, when the energy reaches a climax: the music goes faster, the enthusiasm settles in and the artists, as well as the public, get enthusiastic in a shared and irresistible pleasure. This is where The Getdown was born: on stage, during a carte blanche given to Laurent Coulondre in a Parisian club. Behind his Hammond organ, the artist from Nîmes has invited two long-standing partners, the drummer Arnaud Dolmen and the pianist Grégory Privat, who share the same language: Michel Petrucciani’s heritage and Caribbean music, from the French West Indies to Cuba. After a first album recorded immediately after, as a trio, the adventure takes on a new dimension. At Jazz à Vienne, this variable-geometry band becomes a septet with high energy, gathering Rolando Luna, a Cuban pianist among the fieriest ones of his generation, and Mario Canonge, one of the most talented West Indian pianists. The organist, the two pianists and the drummer were joined by the saxophonist Ferdi, the Cuban trumpet player Yasek Manzano as well as the Cuban flautist and singer Melodie Spartacus. The Getdown is a unique ensemble: seven instrumentalists share a taste for stages, friendships and parties.

Line-up :

• Laurent Coulondre (organ)
• Arnaud Dolmen (drums)
• Melodie Spartacus (flute, vocals)
• Ferdi (alto saxophone)
• Yasek Manzano (trumpet)
• Rolando Luna (piano, keyboards)
• Mario Canonge (piano, keyboards)