Co-creator of the Buena Vista Social Club with Ry Cooder, Juan de Marcos leads this mini-orchestra in a festive exploration of all kinds of Cuban music, including bolero, rumba and salsa. Call this a much-needed heat wave. Bring your dancing shoes. -JON BREAM
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The Afro-Cuban All Stars are led by Juan de Marcos González, who’s been called the Quincy Jones of Cuban music. A musician, conductor, arranger, and composer, he was instrumental in assembling and acting as musical director of the group that became renowned as the Buena Vista Social Club, which essentially evolved in the All Stars. The current, 14-piece intergenerational orchestra exuberantly plays the full panoply of Cuba’s rich musical heritage, mixing classics with contemporary twists, last captured on 2017’s audio/video release Absolutely Live II. It’s a scintillating dose of irrepressible tropical flair. .—RICK MASON
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Led by Juan de Marcos, the Afro-Cuban All Stars became world famous in the late 1990s, thanks to a series of recordings and a film. In 1996, de Marcos and great musicians he knew recorded “A Toda Cuba le Gusta,” the Grammy-winning “Buena Vista Social Club” (produced by Ry Cooder) and “Introducing Rubén González.” Wim Wenders’ smoking documentary “Buena Vista Social Club” followed in 1999. Some older musicians have passed on and younger ones have moved in, but this is still an amazing band and thrilling to see live. -PAMELA ESPELAND
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THU JAN 30 • 7PM + 9:30PM