Orquesta La Moderna Tradición – Highlights
I am a founding member of Orquesta La Moderna Tradición. I have played flute with the ensemble since its first steps in 1997. The group was one of the most significant charanga ensembles, at the turn of the twenty first century, during early stages of the movement to recover and modernize the Cuban Danzón and Cha-cha-chá.
Orquesta la Moderna Tradición is a unique ensemble dedicated to the performance of classic Cuban dance music, especially the lilting grooves of the danzón. A legendary ballroom style that developed from the syncretization of the African and European music in Cuba, danzón blends the grooves of the Afro-Cuban drums with the refined riffs of the flute and violins. One of the most popular styles at the turn of the twentieth century, danzón led to the development of the cha-cha-cha and Argentinean Tango. Orquesta La Moderna Tradición performs classics of the genre along with original compositions and the modern Cuban highly syncopated grooves.
“Their sensual danzónes and swinging cha-cha-chas transport you back to the Social Clubs of 1950s Havana, and their upbeat charanga music makes you want to get up and dance.”
“With three critically acclaimed recordings and performances at festivals across the country, La Moderna Tradición delights listeners and dancers alike with infectious grooves, lyrical melodies, and dazzling improvisations.”
Orquesta La Moderna Tradición Performance Highlights
March 9, 1997— Premiere at La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
July 6, 1997— Kimball’s, Emeryville, CA
December 13, 1997— “Danzonemos” CD release party at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Danzonemos
1. Tema
2. El Bombín de Barretto (Danzón)
3. Su Majestad el Danzón (Danzón-Cha)
4. Los Sitios Llaman (Danzn-Cha)
5. S Envidia (Danzón-Cha)
6. Que se Fuñan (Montuno-Cha)
7. Cuerdas de Amor (Danzn-Cha)
8. Casablanca (Danzón-Cha)
9. Clavelitos (Danzón-Cha)
10. Circunstancia (Danzón-Cha)
11. Recreo Estudiantil (Danzón-Cha)
12. Barco Velero (Danzón-Cha)
February 22, 1998— Kimball’s, Emeryville, CA
April 15, 1998— Interview and live performance at KPFA radio station in Berkeley, CA
July 10, 1998— Washington DC
July 13, 1998— S.O.B.’s, New York City
July 14, 1998— Midsummer’s Night Swing Festival, Lincoln Center, New York City
January 15, 1999— De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
May 6, 1999— San Francisco International Film Festival, SF, CA
June 18, 1999— Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
July 21, 1999— Glenwood Springs True Jazz Festival, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
July 22, 1999— Breckenridge Jazz Festival, Breckenridge, Colorado
October 10, 1999— San Francisco Jazz Festival, Bimbo’s, San Francisco, CA
Nov 13, 1999— Community Music Center, a collaboration project with Potaje, San Francisco, CA
Nov 20, 1999— La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, a collaboration project with Potaje, San Francisco, CA
Dec 31, 1999— City of San Rafael Millennium Celebration, San Rafael, CA
August 13, 2000— San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose, CA
August 3, 2000— Telluride Jazz Festival, Telluride, Colorado
August 7, 2000— The 11th Annual Eddie Moore Jazz Festival, with Cuban master trumpet player Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, Yoshi’s Jazz Club Oakland, Oakland, CA 
Photos by Aengus McGuiffin
Nov 2, 2000— An evening of Contemporary Flamenco and Cuban Music, a collaboration project with Potaje, La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
Nov 4, 2000— An evening of Contemporary Flamenco and Cuban Music, a collaboration project with Potaje, Community Music Center in San Francisco, CA
March 17, 2001— “Goza Conmigo”, CD release party
Goza Conmigo
1. Mi Cha cha chá
2. Popurrí a Francia
3. Mayeya, no Juegues con los Santos
4. Goza Conmigo
5. Compay, ven a Guarachar
6. Los Tres Bailadores
7. Canta la Ceiba
8. Sol de Verdad
9. Juarez
10. Sociedad Antonio Maceo de Camagüey
August 2, 2001— North Beach Jazz Festival, San Francisco, CA
August 25, 2001— Free Music Cuban Style: A Celebration of Cuban Arts and Culture, sponsored by Mother Jones Magazine, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
September 16—October 8, 2001— Tour of Spain with Sexteto de la Moderna Tradición/Potaje: Teatro Principal de Zamora, Antilla (Barcelona), Taller de Musics (Barcelona), Fonte Sequelo (Santiago de Compostela, Galicia), and Club El Guajiro (Boiro, Galicia)
April 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2002— Musica Cubana: Roots to Timba, SOMarts, San Francisco, CA. Master percussionist and dancer Roberto Borrell, from Havana, Cuba, and Orquesta la Moderna Tradición received a Creative Work Fund Project grant to produce a show about the evolution of Cuban music and dance. In addition to Orquesta la Moderna Tradición, the production included other local renowned musicians such as Bill Ortiz and a group of Cuban master folk musicians directed by Gregorio Hernandez who traveled from Cuba. The performance incorporated folkloric and popular Afro-Cuban as well as Spanish-Cuban and French-Cuban works of music and dance. The program offered a wide spectrum of styles: Spanish “jota”), Afro-Cuban “Abakuá” music, country music (“tonada,” “punto guajiro” and “zapateo”), “trova,” “bolero,” “son,” “son montuno,” “conga,” “guaguancó,” “contradanza,” “danza,” “danzón,” “chachachá,” “guaracha,” “Mozambique,” and “timba.”
June 23, 2002— Stern Grove Music Festival, San Francisco, CA
July 18, 2002— Harrah’s Casino Plaza, Reno, Nevada
September 27, 2002— The Fillmore with Poncho Sanchez, San Francisco, CA
October 19, 2002— Morrison Planetarium at the Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
November 22, 2002— The Smith Opera House, Geneva Concerts, Geneva, NY
July 5, 2003— The Ahwahnee Lodge, Yosemite Valley, CA
July 31, 2003— San Francisco Jazz Festival, Union Square, SF, CA
August 2, 2003— The Smithsonian Institution, Música de las Americas Festival, Washington DC
August 7, 2003— The Ford Theater, Hollywood, CA
August 20, 2003— Bill Graham Center, SF, CA
Sept 7, 2003— Russian River Jazz Festival, Healdsburg, CA
Jan 24, 2004— Fallon, Nevada
February 6, 2004— Atwood Concert Hall, Anchorage, Alaska.
June 6, 2004— Concert at the Chamizal National Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas; part of the Music Under the Stars — The summer concert series presented by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department with an audience of over 6000 people
August 29, 2004— The Ford Theater, Hollywood, CA
Oct 30, 2004— Marin Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin, CA
May 8, 2005— Pier 39, San Francisco, CA
July 12, 2005— Sonoma Square Summer Jazz Series, Sonoma, CA
August 14, 2005— San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose, CA
September 17, 2005— Pier 39 Latin Music Festival, San Francisco, CA
February, 17, 2006— La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
June 11, 2006— Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA
June 16, 2006— “En Canto” CD Release Party, CMC, San Francisco, CA
En Canto
1. Cenizas
2. Rumba pa’ Changó
3. En el Tiempo de la Colonia
4. Soy Matancero
5. Canta la Ceiba, Baila la Palma Real
6. Contrólate
7. Carnegie Hall
8. Amor Fugaz
9. Compay
10. Te Llevo Bajo mi Piel
July 1, 2006— Fillmore Jazz Festival, San Francisco, CA
February 9, 2007— La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
August 9, 2007— The San Francisco Jazz Festival, San Francisco, CA
August 12, 2007— San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose, CA
October 26, 2007— “Friday Nights at the de Young” concert series, De Young Museum, SF, CA
November 5, 2007— Monday night dance series, Yoshi’s Jazz Club Oakland, Oakland, CA
February 9, 2008— Santa Clara University World Music Festival, De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA
May 26, 2008— Yoshi’s Jazz Club San Francisco, SF, CA
August, 2, 2008— Gala San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose, CA
October 31, 2008— Yoshi’s Jazz Club Oakland, Oakland, CA
November 14, 2008— Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA
December 31, 2008— La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
April 17, 2009— La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
June 5, 2009— “Live at the Landmark” concert series, Landmark Ballroom at the San Jose Women’s Club, San Jose, CA
July 12, 2009— Jelly’s San Francisco, CA
August 9, 2009— San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose, CA
October 30, 2009— Yoshi’s Jazz Club San Francisco, SF, CA
December 31, 2009— La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
February 10, 2010— Yoshi’s Jazz Club Oakland, Oakland, CA
February 27, 2010— Dance Palace, Point Reyes Station, CA
June 17, 2010— SFJazz Summerfest concert series, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA
June 19, 2010— Pickleweed Community Center, San Rafael, CA
July 21, 2010— Google, Mountain View, CA
October 31, 2010— Yoshi’s Jazz Club Oakland, Oakland, CA
December 31, 2010— La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
February 18, 2011— De Young Museum, SF, CA
April 3, 2011— Festival de la Familia, Sacramento, CA
April 13, 2011— Yoshi’s Jazz Club Oakland, Oakland, CA
May 27, 2011— The 4th Annual Red Wood City Salsa Festival, Redwood City, CA
May 29, 2011— Carnaval, San Francisco, CA
July 9, 2011— Dance Palace, Point Reyes Station, CA
October 1, 2011— Celebrating ‘American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music’ a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution and the Experience Music Project, Mission Branch Library, SF, CA
October 23, 2011— Community Celebration for Days of the Dead, Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
November 19, 2011— Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, SF, CA
December 22, 2011— George’s Nightclub, San Rafael, CA
March 7, 2012— Yoshi’s Jazz Club San Francisco, SF, CA
September 22, 2012— Wedding of Jesse Wolff and Angela Carrier, Dance Palace, Point Reyes Station, CA
September 29, 2012— Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California, Sacramento, CA
December 31, 2012— Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
July 18, 2013— Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, San Francisco, CA
August 11, 2013— Napa Town and County Fair, Napa, CA
October 20, 2013— SFMusic Day at SF Conservatory of Music, San Francisco, CA
October 27, 2013— 19th Annual Days of the Dead Community Celebration at the Oakland Museum
November 2, 2013— Dallas Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas
December 31, 2013— Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
July 4, 2014— World One Radio + Festival at Cerrito Vista Park, El Cerrito, CA
September 3, 2014— Music in the Park at Memorial Park in Albany, CA
December 31, 2014— Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
June 20, 2015— Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA
June 26, 2015— Reforma Educacional Foundation, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts,
September 10, 2015— The City Club of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
October 17, 2015— De Young Museum, Wilsey Court, San Francisco, CA
October 28, 2015— Bently Reserve Building, Banking Hall, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
January 9, 2016— El Patio Andaluz, San Francisco, CA
Monthly performances at the Seahorse in Sausalito from 2011 to 2016
