Cubanismo

¡Cubanismo! now celebrating its 20^th anniversary, brings the sizzling touch of Havana and colorful Latin beats to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. The band’s leader, trumpeter Jesús Alemañy, has been hailed as “a precise and charismatic trumpeter with the regal bearing of Miles Davis and the funky precise flow of Fats Navarro” (Village Voice). The pre-show MAC Chat will be provided by WDCB Radio Station manager Dan Bindert and Victor Parra, host of WDCB radio show, “Mambo Express.

Under Alemañy’s direction, the evening will feature a rousing selection of up-tempo tunes, including traditional Rumba, Cha-Cha, Afro Cuban rhythms and more. Works scheduled to be performed include “Calor en Santiago,” “Rumba el solarImágenes,” “Descarga caliente,” “Estiro Bastidores,” “Remolino,” “El Paso de encarnación,” “El sabor de la manzana,” “Mi proposición,” “No te engañes,” “El perico” and “Mambo UK.”

Alemañy was a child prodigy in Cuba before joining Sierra Maestra when he was just 16. After more than a decade of playing with that group, he moved to London to pursue his own career. There he met a fellow Cuban, pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, and the two musicians organized a jam session in Paris in 1994. It was there that record producer and head of Hannibal Records Joe Boyd heard the group play and suggested the pair organize another descarga (or improvised jazz session) in Cuba with all-star musicians from all over the country and record it. The recording was such a success that the group formed a band and toured extensively.

¡Cubanismo!’s albums have made the Top Ten lists of Billboard, Latin Beat and Afropop Worldwide. Their second album, “Melembe” (1997) received critical acclaim, and combined with an historic US tour, cemented its position as one of the hottest Cuban exports out of Havana. The release of “Reencarnación” in 1998 and the World Tour that followed made the band the most prominent Latin dance band in the world. The group’s album, “Greetings from Havana,” was nominated for a Grammy in 2008.

WDCB 90.9FM is Media Sponsor for this concert.

The McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd., presents ¡Cubanismo! Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $44 – $52. For tickets or more information visit AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000.

The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 236-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Art Gallery, classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information visit AtTheMAC.org, facebook.com/AtTheMAC or twitter.com/AtTheMAC.

# # #.

The MAC’s 2017-2018 Season is made possible in part with support by The DuPage Foundation, Hilton Lisle/Naperville, WDCB 90.9 FM and the College of DuPage Foundation.

Established as a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.

Programs at the MAC are partially supported through a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.