“…delirious brass, trance piano patterns and irresistible rhythms which got the entire audience dancing. Suddenly a warmly received gig turned triumphant, almost transcendent. Half the band with slightly crumpled white suits conga-ed through the crowd. At its best, as on those tracks, it’s actually hard to beat this kind of music – soulful, technically brilliant, sexy and uplifting.” – The ArtsDesk
“González has probably done more than any other person to bring traditional Cuban music to audiences outside the island.” – Miami Herald
“Whenever musicologists study the colorful sounds of the Cuban diaspora, it’s nearly impossible for them not to mention Juan de Marcos González and his Afro-Cuban All Stars” – Village Voice
The Shedd Institute welcomes Juan de Marcos and Afro-Cuban All Stars back to Jaqua Concert Hall. After gaining international fame for reviving the classic sound of Cuban son, tres master Juan de Marcos turned the Afro-Cuban All Stars into a sensational showcase for Cuba’s most prodigious young musicians. While long revered in Latin America and Europe as a founding member of Cuba’s great son revival band Sierra Maestra, de Marcos first gained notice in the US as founder of the Buena Vista Social Club. Afro-Cuban All Stars not only features a rotating, multi-generational cast; the group draws on both classic Cuban styles, like son and danzón, and contemporary dance rhythms like timba. “What I’m trying to do is create a bridge between contemporary and traditional Cuban music,” de Marcos says. “I’m trying to mix both things so people can realize that Cuban music didn’t stop in time, that it developed in this long period when Cuban music disappeared from the market.”