Lashing back at this year’s dismal spring weather, Saugatuck Center for the Arts will crank the heat and serve up a little Latin flavor on the main stage. The Bertha Krueger Reid Theatre at Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver Street, Saugatuck, will host Tumbao Bravo, a lively six-piece Cuban jazz band from the Ann Arbor area, on Saturday, May 21 at 8 p.m.
Paul VornHagen, co-leader of Tumbao Bravo, says the band performs authentic Cuban poly-rhythms, including mambo, cha-cha, rhumba, bolero and danzon, all based on the Cuban montuno. Most of their dynamic songs are originals and leave lots of room for creative improvisation.
“If you haven’t already been exposed to the Cuban rhythms it’s a very lively, upbeat, positive kind of a sound. It really just makes you feel good and, if nothing else makes you want to dance,” VornHagen says.
If you’ve already decided that jazz music isn’t your thing, Kristin Armstrong, Executive Director at Saugatuck Center for the Arts, urges you to reconsider.
“I know people have strong opinions about jazz, but I don’t want the word ‘jazz’ to scare them away,” she says. “We wanted something that was fun and easy, and Cuban jazz is very accessible. It’s sunny, bright, and we thought, ‘This would be a great way to roll from spring into summer.’ Cuban jazz is really just Latin summer party music.”
Tumbao Bravo has released three critically-acclaimed records to date. In 2005 the band was honored with Best Jazz Recording at the Detroit Music Awards for its debut album, Montuno Salad. Its 2007 sophomore effort, Amigos: From Our Hands brought home Best World Music Recording from the DMAs, and the 2009 followup, Un Sistema Para Todo, earned award nominations in three different categories.
Tumbao Bravo played at SCA four years ago, and Armstrong recalls the event as, “one of those performances where you can’t sit still or keep your toe from tapping. Tumbao Bravo is really active; they bring a big percussion section and lots of horns.”
Paul VornHagen, co-leader of Tumbao Bravo, says he is also excited for the band to make its return to SCA.
“Last time we played at Saugatuck Cetner for the Arts the show sold out really quickly, and we got just a tremendous response. People tend to walk out of our shows feeling better than they did when they came in,” VornHagen says, “and I think that speaks to the kind of experience we try to create.”
As a flautist, VornHagen became intoxicated by Latin rhythms very early in his music career. “Almost from the beginning I was drawn to Latin, Cuban and Brazilian music. I find poly-rhythms very interesting, and really early in my career I started playing Afro-Cuban rhythms with conga drummers. They are a great vehicle for the flute,” he says.
In addition to the flute, the band’s co-founder will play saxophone, piccolo, clave and guiro during Tumbao Bravo’s performance at SCA.
VornHagen and conga drummer Alberto Nacif met each other nearly a decade ago while sitting in on various Latin groups in the Ann Arbor area music scene. Nacif suggested that they start a group of their own, and in August 2003 the duo came together to form Tumbao Bravo.
Lead by VornHagen and Nacif, the band’s performance at SCA will also feature band members Bob Mojica on trumpet, John Barron on bass, keyboardist Brian DiBlassio and Javier Barrios on timbales.
The Bertha Krueger Reid Theatre’s stunning light display, intimate size and captive audience make it the ideal venue for an energetic group like Tumbao Bravo to jam, says Armstrong.
“A lot of bands call spaces like this ‘listening rooms’ because the person comes to do just that: listen. I think you get a higher level of energy (at the Reid Theatre) from the artists because they know that they don’t have to compete for your attention, and it just makes for a great performance experience,” she says.
For ticketing information visit www.sc4a.org
Tyler DeJong is a competitive lawn-jartist and contributor for BlueStarHighway.com
