Trivia on Latin Big Bands - the Golden Age of Mambo

Mac Gollehon  is an American trumpet player who has played on over two hundred gold and platinum records and remixes. He is especially noted for his performances on  David Bowie 's  Let's Dance ,  Duran Duran 's records,  Notorious  and  Skin Trade ,  Billy Ocean 's  Get Out Of My Dreams ,  and  Grace Jones   Inside Story .  Down Beat  called Gollehon's latest record, " A Molotov cocktail of electronic clave   Bitches Brew   funk and flat out brass playing is intelligent disco " EVENT DETAILS: July 4th, 2018 11 am &  2 pm 31 Midland Ave Montclair NJ 07042 23 Piece Star-Studded Mambo Big Band - AfroCuba Mac started out by playing with country bands at the age of 10 in his home of North Carolina. By age 13 he played the circus with bandleader  Merle Evans . In high school, he played with a variety of bands, as well as the  Roanoke Symphony Orchestra . At age 18 he...

Local Celebrity from New Jersey Travels to Join AfroCuba Faith Krausman – Saxophone Faiths saxophone  is going to be SMOKIN in Montclair on July 4th @ 11am!!!!!!!    Faith has been playing piano since the age of 5, then violin and clarinet.  At 15yrs she started playing the Sax. She has played endless amounts of jazz bands, a few prominent big bands  and  two select trios. Faith currently plays in the Lynette Sheard band, Jazz House Kids quintet and big band. She enjoys playing jazz standards, Brazilian and Latin Jazz, and bebop. When she is not playing sax she works as a veterinarian doing house calls and working  part time  in an animal hospital.   Follow @Afrocubaband        

Itinerary for July 4th  with Stage charts: 11AM - 12:30    AfroCuba Latin Big Band  (during parade) Back Yard Festivities: 12:30-1:30       R&B / Funk Band 2 PM - 3 PM    AfroCuba Latin Big Band 3 PM - 5 PM    JAZZ JAM 5 PM -  6 PM  COMPASS 6 PM - 8 PM   Latin Jazz / Salsa Jam

23 Piece Mambo Big Band - July 4th  Montclair 11AM 31 Midland Ave Montclair, NJ 07042 RSVP What an incredibly unrepeatable history of cross-pollination between Jazz and Cuban music that occurred right there on 53rd St along 7, Broadway, and 6th streets with Birdland and the Palladium Nightclub in the 40s, 50s & 60s. Palladium and surrounding clubs were the heart of Mambo from a musician's perspective and also from a dancing perspective. The only venue in the city that was NOT segregated. It was the Studio 54 of music and culture (i mean that in a good way). So many legends were formed there, Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Machito and his "Afro-Cubans". Back in those days, having the word "Afro" was not the thing to do and Machito didn't give a hoot because black is beautiful, not only visually but also, most importantly black was beautiful musically. The tremendous African influence that the Cuban and Puerto Ricans brough...

The great Mike Mullan will join us July 4th.  Mike Mullan is a very respected saxaphone player in NJ and NYC.  His talent and love of Big Band events will shine through this July 4th with the Latin Big Band, AfroCuba, led by John Acevedo. Mike studied  Music Education/Jazz and Classical Performance at  New Jersey City University   23 Piece Latin Big Band  July 4th 31 Midland Ave Montclair, NJ 07042 11am-12:30pm & 2pm-3pm $25 cash donation & bring a potluck RSVP This is the potluck party of the year! Its like the heart of Montclair converges for an explosion of floats,and marching bands, food, neighbors, Friends and of course a huge 23 piece Latin Big Band - AFROCUBA Band on my front porch playing tunes from Tito Puente, Machito and more. We will also be raising donations for the Kessler Foundation that was instrumental in my wife's (Gisella Millan's) recovery.. Yep its a concentration of the euphoria of the p...

Gina Maria Paoli  Gina Maria Paoli  was born and raised in Puerto Rico.  She studied  voice technique at the  University of Puerto Rico . and moved to New York City where she received her  Master’s Degree  in  Voice Performance  from  New York University . Gina Maria has always been passionate about cultures and countries.  She has been studying at the  Boys and Girls Harbor Conservatory of Music  in East Harlem and sings with the  Louie Bauzo Big Band. Now she joins AfroCuba Band on July 4th as a singer to put all her years of experience to work raising money for the Kessler Foundation which has helped countless of people recuperate from serious health challenges including brain trauma/cancer, burn victims and accident victims that rely on their research. Come to this historic Mambo Big Band event and bring your dancing shoes (and your donation) July 4th at 11am..    Eve...

First rehearsal on June 5th 6pm-8:30pm.  (31 Midland Ave, Montclair NJ 07042)  Come rehearsed and knowing the music.   Very important to have the music down prior to the first rehearsal. a very prominent set of Latin musicians from NYC/NJ including Miguelo Valdez (Bongos) Tito Rivera (Coro) Ricky Rosa (Timbales) and Carlos Mena (Bass)will be there and we gotta all be just workin out kinks, not learning scores We have hundreds of people that are coming to this event and I know we are going to raise some nice dough for the Kessler Foundation (they helped my wife during her stage 3 Brain cancer 5yrs ago) Rehearsals: Tuesday June 5th, 6PM -8:30PM Montclair (31 Midland Ave, Montclair NJ 07042) Tuesday June 19th, 6-8:30pm  Montclair Tuesday  July 3rd, 6PM -8:30PM Montclair  (final rehearsal night before the event) Event details and charts/music links all below: Date of event:    July 4th from  11am to 12:30pm. ...

The first “Pete and Millie” Dance award to be given this July 4th in Montclair to a live 23 Piece Mambo Band Millie Donay & Pedro “Cuban Pete” Aguilar were regarded by many as the best dancers of the Palladium Club http://www.justsalsa.com/culture/mambo/history/articles/alanfeuerstein/mambolegendscubanpeteandmille/ The 150th year anniversary of Montclair will be the first year that AfroCuba will award its very first “Pete & Millie Award” for the dance pair that best represent the Mambo days at the Palladium.   Come and watch top mambo dancers compete to the sounds of John Acevedo’s 23 piece AfroCuba Latin Mambo Band   Johns Mambo band will be playing the same arrangements that the Mambo greats created and popularized like Mambo Mona, Para Los Rumberos, Machito Forever, Oye Como Va, Picadillo, Mambo Gozon, Ran Kan Kan and more. Watch how the dancers and the musicians play off each other as the songs are never danced the same way twice.   Tho...

Ben Frank Ben Frank to lead the Saxophone section of John Acevedo’s Latin Big Band - AfroCuba on July 4th , 2018 in Montclair NJ I was playing at the DLV Lounge in Montclair in early May and Band Leader, John Acevedo came in and pulled me aside, armed with his iPhone and earbuds, he stuck them in my ears and asked, "Hey listen, I'm doing a Latin Mambo Big Band project for the 4th of July in Montclair and I wanted to get your opinion on this music, would you like to be involved in the band?"    I listened for a few quick seconds - not even 5 seconds - and immediately said, yeah I'll do it." "The music", Ben goes on to say, "is a pure adrenaline rush and so cool". Come join the hundreds of people that are attending this event and listen to Ben lead the saxophone section while the dance floor gets packed. Event details here : https://www.gofundme.com/latinbigband Follow @Afrocubaba...

Miguelo Valdes - Master Percussionist from Havana, Cuba Miguelo Valdes is what happens when you combine natural born talent, the best music schools in Cuba and experience playing with a world famous Cuban band.   Born in Havana, Cuba, Miguelo graduated  from "La Escuala Nacional De Instructores De Arte De Cuba", and then "El Conservatorio de Musica Guillermo Tomas".   He has played with the world famous Afro Cuban All Stars led by Juan De Marcos and many other famous artists (too long to list here).  He currently lives in West New York. Come to Montclair at 11AM and marvel at his skills on July 4th, at 11AM-12:30pm and 2-3pm in Montclair as he joins the AfroCuba Latin Mambo Band, a 23 piece band dedicated to reviving the long gone era of the Palladium days, when Latin Legends and their big bands competed for "top dog" while mambo dancers got their fix of some of the best talents in the world including Tito Puente, Mario Bauza, Machito and Tit...

Carlos Mena is very hard to pin down.   Everyone wants him!!!!!!!!!!     But this time it was easy, just get 16 Brass players, a full scale salsa band with famous names, and Mambo charts from the old days and invite him to join us with his world renown chops.   “When John told me about this, I knew in a split second I would be rearranging my calendar to be at the three rehearsals and the show”, says Carlos.    People rarely go through all the logistics and organizing to get a big project like this off the ground.   “But John took the plunge and I couldnt let him down, its for a good cause, the cats on this gig are top-notch, oh and I frikin’ love the old Latin Big Band hits and a chance to play them is an intense rush!”, Carlos says.  Print out your invitations for the Latin Big Band below: https://www.gofundme.com/latinbigband Read about Carlos: Born and raised in Quito-Ecuador, Carlos Mena is one of the rising stars ...

Tito Rivera, Vocalist for the AfroCuba Latin Big Band Tito Rivera, a highly acclaimed vocalist in the Latin genre will be one of the singers during the July 4th performance in Montclair NJ of the 23 piece Latin Big Band.   Prepare yourself as  “la voz dulce” sounds off with the 16 piece brass section and the thunderous latin rhythms of AfroCuba Latin Big Band helps to mark the 150th anniversary of Montclair I asked Tito recently to explain to me his motivation for perfecting his craft and his answer was simple, “ Salsa is more than just a passion for me, It’s a way of life.. Dance, Smile, Rhythm, & Rumba!!” Tito has sung alongside some of the greats and will now be singing in Montclair this July 4th. Print out your invitation below: https://www.gofundme.com/latinbigband Follow @Afrocubaband        

The Golden Age of Mambo Tito Rodriguez, Machito & Tito Puente during the Mambo Golden Age 50s & 60s Trivia  - The Golden Age of Mambo:  Did you know that there were three major artists that were responsible for combining traditional big bands with latin bands.  They were Machito (with Mario Bauza), Tito Rodriguez, and Tito Puente. Although Machito, as the eldest of the three, was one of the first to combine a big band with Cuban rhythms, both Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente had an incredible influence in creating the Golden Age of Mambo during the 50s and 60s Their relentless rivalry at the famous Palladium club in NYC fueled better and better arrangements for years as each artist  vyed for the top dog at the Palladium.  The end of the Mambo Era was marked by the shuttering of the Palladium’s doors in 1966. For a brief and intense 90min, the door to the Golden Age creaks open again in Montclair NJ. This July 4th, from 11AM-12:3...