An exciting and truly new sound is coming out of Chicago. Cuban-born composer/director and performer Waldo Ocaña brings a contemporary body of work to life with authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms and concepts in the form of a Timba (Cuban Salsa) orchestra. Songs of love, life, and dreams are made accessible to a broad spectrum of listeners and dancers alike through lyrics sung in English.
Instead of traditional horns for the mambo sections, the arrangements call for singers, harmonizing beautiful melodies that dance over the searing rhythms of Cuba and the New World to produce the unique and luscious sounds of CUBAN ESSENCE.
Even though Waldo Ocaña left Cuba long ago, his passion remains deeply rooted in the tradition that has given us so much joy and fulfillment through its music and dance.
The Cuba Is tour
The 2011 Season saw Cuban Essence tour, under the auspices of Quad city Arts, artist outreach program, which reached over 100,000 enthusiastic listeners, dancers, and patrons of the arts, in concert halls, schools, museums and performing arts centers.
Currently we are in the final stages of completing a CD/DVD set of the Cuba is Tour, titled: Cuban Essence - Live at Wallenberg Hall
The 2012 Season will find Cuban Essence in New York. Dates and venues will be posted as soon as they have been determined.
Cuban Essence will also be Performing in Chicago at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and other Performing Arts Centers throughout the country and beyond.
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Timba [Teem’- bah] n.
Cuban Essence plays, among other afro-cuban rhythms, timba. Timba is the Cuban counterpart of Salsa. The incorporation of several different styles and genres including Latin Jazz, Pop, Funk and Hip hop.
Though Timba is considered to be a form of popular music, the technical mastery of Timba is only possible through highly trained musicians who have solid theoretical backgrounds in Classical music, Jazz, Traditional Cuban music, as well as other international genres.
An exciting and truly new sound is coming out of Chicago. Cuban-born composer/director and performer Waldo Ocaña brings a contemporary body of work to life with authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms and concepts in the form of a Timba (Cuban Salsa) orchestra. Songs of love, life, and dreams are made accessible to a broad spectrum of listeners and dancers alike through lyrics sung in English.