Havana Mambo were formed in Havana in 1994 by seven members of the New Perez Prado Orchestra. This was part of a variety show which in 1993 took by storm the famous Tropicana night club in Havana, and then moved across the Atlantic to pay tribute to the King of Mambo across Europe. Here the Orchestra performed to ecstatic audiences at places such as the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, and got a particularly warm reception in Italy, where they played in some of the best venues of the country and were televised by RAI (the Italian national broadcasting corporation).

With their new line-up and a new home in Turin, Italy, during the last decade Havana Mambo have been acclaimed by the fast-growing and demanding Euro-Latin scene, playing in clubs and festivals across Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland and Austria, and taking their music to countries such as Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Turkey and Tunisia.

Unlike many pan-Latin bands playing in Europe nowadays, Havana Mambo are 100% Cuban, and take to the dancing crowds the authentic Cuban sound with its rousing melodies, jazzy horns and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Alongside highly danceable originals and new renditions of classics, their repertoire draws on the great tradition of Cuban dance music featuring sones, mambos and boleros. The band pay as well their tribute to the popularity of Dominican music on European dance-floors by including into their shows romantic bachatas and ultra-fast merengues played with a genuine Caribbean drive.

With Cuban music, standing there just listening and watching is not an easy task. But for those who are not acquainted with the intricacies of Latin dance, Havana Mambo has a bonus. In their performances, the band have developed an easy-to-learn visual presentation through which newcomers can share the pleasure of dancing to the Cuban and Latin classics.
 

A bit of history
In 1996, Havana Mambo took residence for several months at Sabor Latino in Turin, one of the most authentic and well-known Latin clubs in Northern Italy, a place where the dancing crowds have hailed names such as La India, Adalberto Alvarez and Willie Colón. In 1997 they took part in Umbria Jazz, the most important Italian jazz festival, sharing the stage with names of the calibre of Celia Cruz, Los Van Van, Manolín ‘El Medico de la Salsa’, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and José Alberto ‘El Canario’. They toured Italy and Spain with the great Tito Gomez, had their performance at the Sanremo Festival in Italy televised live by RAI, and took part in several European festivals alongside Latin stars such as Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Eddie Palmieri and La Charanga Habanera.

Year 1998 confirmed their popularity with a concert in downtown Milan attended by 150.000 people, a summer tour including gigs at the three major Italian Latinoamericando festivals, and a performance for the opening night of the Vienna Jazz Festival alongside Gilberto Gil, Oscar d’León and Sampling. The band was also repeatedly featured in several prime-time RAI TV programs, including the new-year’s eve concert from Paestum in 1998, and various editions of Domenica In.

While keeping alive in Europe the Cuban tradition of dancing to live music, Havana Mambo have maintained strong ties with their own country. In 1999, on invitation of singer Issac Delgado, they have returned to Cuba to take part in the national Benny Moré Festival. Meanwhile they have produced a string of albums catering to their expanding audiences. In 1997, they launched their first CD ULA ULA. In 1998, after the remix of the title track as a single (ULA ULA REMIX), the album [lo stesso?] was presented at MIDEM in Miami, and subsequently released in the US by Max Music with the distribution of Universal Music.

At the turn of the millennium, without losing touch with the dancing crowds, the work of Havana Mambo has increasingly concentrated on the recording studio, often with the contribution of other Cuban musicians. In 1998, the band launched their third CD HAVANA MAMBO NIGHT, containing their version of the Conga Cubana (a dance traditionally featured in the carnival celebrations of Havana and Santiago). The album was followed by their single ‘Tipitón’, hit of the summer 1999. Selections of their hits were re-issued in 2000 in MAMBO, a promotional CD produced for the Mondadori magazine PANORAMA TRAVEL and distributed in 130.000 copies, and CUBALIBRE, a compilation produced by MULTIMODA ACTIVE SPA. Their album ROMANCE (2001), a homage to the Cuban bolero, was followed by HASTA EL AMANECER (2002), and by the single ‘Se formó la gozadera’, a lively rapped tune that has been included in 8 different European compilations. Another Havana Mambo’s song has been included in SALSA TIMBA, a compilation by UK label Manteca featuring the crème of contemporary Cuban dance music bands, such as La Charanga Habanera, Bamboleo, Manolíto y su Trabuco and Klimax.

Their latest two CDs - LA MECANIQUITA and CUBA TU ISLA / INSTRUMENTAL, both produced in 2003 with the contribution of excellent Cuban musicians - show a varied and refreshing approach to Latin music presenting, together with Cuban son, rumba and funky timba, Domincan bachata and Colombian vallenato. Both CDs have been released by TAURI and presented at Midem 2003.

VINCENZO PERNA, music journalist and author of the book TIMBA. IL SUONO DELLA CRISI CUBANA. Arcana, Roma 2003. E-mail: vp2@libero.it
 

CONTACTS: ROMEO FERRERO (MOB) +39 335 6107140  TAURI S.R.L. STRADA SETTIMO N. 13 - 10154 TORINO – ITALY. TEL.+39 011 2424316 - FAX +39011 2424315 – MAIL: TAURI@TAURI.IT