Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars
Juan de Marcos brings his sensational Afro-Cuban All Stars - featuring former members of the Buena Vista Social Club - to Dominican University in this special co-presented concert.
After gaining international fame for reviving the classic sound of Cuban son, tres master Juan de Marcos turned the Afro-Cuban All Stars into a sensational showcase for Cuba’s most prodigious young musicians. Long revered in Latin America and Europe as a founding member of Cuba’s great son revival band Sierra Maestra, de Marcos first gained notice in the US as founder of the now legendary Buena Vista Social Club.
Co-presented with the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago
About the Artists
Juan de Marcos González is a Cuban musician and bandleader best known for his work with the Grammy Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro-Cuban All Stars. The music he produces combines a number of styles, including classic son montuno, contemporary timba, swinging big band guarjira, Afro-Cuban jazz danzon, and the tribal rhythms of abakua bolero. In addition to his ensembles’ work, González has served as a musical arranger and producer for a number of other artists, including Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González.
Afro-Cuban All Stars is a unique orchestra devoted to promoting the full range of Cuban music, one that embraces several generations and all musical styles. Over the years many of the band’s musicians have become international stars, including such brilliant performers as Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Guillermo Rubalcaba, Amadito Valdés and Manuel “The Guajiro” Mirabal. Led by Juan de Marcos, the project was born as a result of his work with the acclaimed Cuban “son” band Sierra Maestra. Receiving the go-ahead from World Music Records president Nick Gol, to produce an album celebrating the classic Cuban sound of the ‘50s featuring a multigenerational group of musicians, Juan de Marcos recorded A toda Cuba le gusta in 2006 featuring nearly 60 performers. Then, alongside American guitarist Ry Cooder, he produced the first Buena Vista Social Club album. And the rest, as they say, is history. After several years of success – including four Grammy nominations, being the subject of several documentaries and films, and recipients of many other distinctions – the Afro-Cuban All Stars is today, alongside Los Van Van and Irakere, one of the best-known and most successful Cuban orchestras in the world.