#Jorge Luis Lagarza

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Eleggua by Daymé Arocena from the album Cubafonía - Director: Savanah Leaf

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Swinging and Singing Summits Highlight SMF Jazz Week

Swinging and Singing Summits Highlight SMF Jazz Week

Review:  Savannah Music Festival’s annual Jazz Week By Perry Tannenbaum

  Call it the Jazz at Lincoln Center influence, but the Savannah Music Festival’s annual Jazz Week had a little bit more of an educational tinge this year. Not only was the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Big Band one of 12 finalists in the annual Swing Central playoffs, SMF’s nationwide high school big band competition, some…

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As the U.S. and Cuba normalize relations politically, the musical effects of the thaw are already being felt. Singer Daymé Arocena invokes the orishas as she and bandmates Rafael Aldama and Jorge Luis Lagarza Perez set out to draw connections between the music of the two countries. Arocena's voice is a deft combination of Aretha Franklin's soul and the sabor of Cuban music queen Celia Cruz.

As you'll see in the video, Arocena's performances are fueled by her surprisingly mature songwriting (she's only 24), as well as an irrepressible personality that projects warmth and fun, not to mention a million-watt smile. The level of musicianship on display here provides an extraordinary window into the talent waiting to be discovered in Cuba. It's fun to imagine what other joys await.

Nueva Era is available now: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nue... Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nueva-Era-Dayme...

SET LIST: "Madres" "Crystal" "El Ruso"

CREDITS: Producers: Felix Contreras, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Kara Frame; Production Assistant: Jackson Sinnenberg; Photo: Brandon Chew/NPR.