The Mambo Kings of Orquesta Akokan. Pepito Gomez and Jacob Plasse are second and third from left, back row. Credit: Photo by Adrien H. Tillmann/Courtesy of JP Cutler Media If you ever want a test of ...

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 ...

Listening to this recording is similar to having a knowledgeable friend spin some tunes that fit together in many likely though not necessarily expected ways. It is a “mix tape” of sorts that features ...

Latin music is one of music’s most diverse, influential, and exciting genres. Its roots come from traditional African music that, along with its people, made its way to Havana, New Orleans, and ...

Cuban bassist and composer Israel "Cachao" Lopez, who is credited with pioneering the mambo styleof music, died Saturday. He was 89. Known simply as Cachao, the Grammy-winning musician had fallen ill ...

I started to seriously listen to music around 1972, when I became an active rather than passive listener, constantly searching for songs I'd never heard before. It was a great time to do it, because ...

Why are we asking for donations? Why are we asking for donations? This site is free thanks to our community of supporters. Voluntary donations from readers like you keep our news accessible for ...

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 ...

Jazz musicians have long mined Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and even pop music for material. Here are five Latin interpretations of... Jazz musicians have long mined Broadway, the Great ...

There are unlimited reasons to love Cuban music, but what draws me the most is the relentless, resilient joy at its heart. The island’s grooves have a century-long history of sparking international ...

SARAH WILLIS first visited Havana in February 2017. She was working in Miami with the New World Symphony Orchestra and figured she may as well take the hour-long flight across the Strait of Florida, ...

The passing of Israel López “Cachao,” the great Cuban bassist, composer, and bandleader who passed away in Miami on March 22 at age 89 from kidney complications, was well reported by the Spanish media ...