The Heineken TransAtlantic Festival Prepares to Wreak Havoc on Miami

Miami's The Rhythm Foundation is gearing up for its 6th annual Heineken TransAtlantic Festival, offering an exciting line up that features artists from Europe and South America. The four-concert series kicks off April 11 with Spanish cantaor Antonio Carmona. But this year's highlights are Brazilian baile funk art-schoolers Bonde do Role and Catalonian electronic music mavens The Pinker Tones. These buzz-worthy acts are hugely popular with cool kids on a global scale for their mutant, cross-pollinations on disc and their whirling mutiny onstage. Bonde do Role is touring for the first time since MC Marina Ribatski called it quits, forcing the band to cancel its Australian dates last year. They went from being a trio to a quartet as remaining members Gorky and Pedro recruited two female singers chosen via televised auditions in conjunction with MTV Brasil. Marina is a hard act to follow, which is why I'm sure it took two girls to replace her. Newbies Ana Bernardino and Laura Taylor will join the band for a ramped up set featuring new songs, covers, and old Bonde classics. They follow the announcement of their Heineken Festival gig with an 18-date run that includes a performance at Coachella. Look out for my live concert review of the show for the dish on how well Bonde's new members live up to Marina's legacy. Meanwhile The Pinker Tones are also using the Heineken gig as a launching pad for their massive 42-city Vans Warped tour across the U.S. this summer. The Barcelona latintronica duo's new album Wild Animals (Nacional) drops April 29th. Visit their MySpace for tour dates (www.myspace.com/thepinkertones). Below are Bonde's dates followed by the complete Heineken Fest. line up.

4/24 - MIAMI, FL STUDIO A

4/26 - INDIO, CA COACHELLA FESTIVAL

4/28 - TUCSON, AZ PLUSH

4/30 - AUSTIN, TX EMOS JR.

5/1 - DALLAS, TX PALLADIUM LOFT

5/2 - BATON ROUGE, LA SPANISH MOON

5/3 - TALLAHASSEE, FL THE BETA BAR

5/5 - GAINESVILLE, FL COMMON GROUNDS

5/7 - JACKSONVILLE, FL TSI

5/8 - ORLANDO, FL THE CLUB AT FIRESTONE

5/9 - ATLANTA, GA DRUNKEN UNICORN

5/10 - CHAPEL HILL, NC LOCAL 506

5/12 - BALTIMORE, MD SONAR

5/13 - PHILADELPHIA, PA JOHNNY BRENDAS

5/14 - BROOKLYN, NY EUROPA NIGHTCLUB

5/15 - NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM

5/16 - MONTREAL, QC LES SAINTS

5/18 - TORONTO, ON THE SOCIAL

Heineken TransAtlantic Festival Miami

April 11 Antonio Carmona

April 24 Bonde do Role

April 26 Babylon Circus and Rootz Underground

May 3 The Pinker Tones

The Heineken TransAtlantic Festival Prepares to Wreak Havoc on Miami

Miami's The Rhythm Foundation is gearing up for its 6th annual Heineken TransAtlantic Festival, offering an exciting line up that features artists from Europe and South America. The four-concert series kicks off April 11 with Spanish cantaor Antonio Carmona. But this year's highlights are Brazilian baile funk art-schoolers Bonde do Role and Catalonian electronic music mavens The Pinker Tones. These buzz-worthy acts are hugely popular with cool kids on a global scale for their mutant, cross-pollinations on disc and their whirling mutiny onstage. Bonde do Role is touring for the first time since MC Marina Ribatski called it quits, forcing the band to cancel its Australian dates last year. They went from being a trio to a quartet as remaining members Gorky and Pedro recruited two female singers chosen via televised auditions in conjunction with MTV Brasil. Marina is a hard act to follow, which is why I'm sure it took two girls to replace her. Newbies Ana Bernardino and Laura Taylor will join the band for a ramped up set featuring new songs, covers, and old Bonde classics. They follow the announcement of their Heineken Festival gig with an 18-date run that includes a performance at Coachella. Look out for my live concert review of the show for the dish on how well Bonde's new members live up to Marina's legacy. Meanwhile The Pinker Tones are also using the Heineken gig as a launching pad for their massive 42-city Vans Warped tour across the U.S. this summer. The Barcelona latintronica duo's new album Wild Animals (Nacional) drops April 29th. Visit their MySpace for tour dates (www.myspace.com/thepinkertones). Below are Bonde's dates followed by the complete Heineken Fest. line up.

4/24 - MIAMI, FL STUDIO A

4/26 - INDIO, CA COACHELLA FESTIVAL

4/28 - TUCSON, AZ PLUSH

4/30 - AUSTIN, TX EMOS JR.

5/1 - DALLAS, TX PALLADIUM LOFT

5/2 - BATON ROUGE, LA SPANISH MOON

5/3 - TALLAHASSEE, FL THE BETA BAR

5/5 - GAINESVILLE, FL COMMON GROUNDS

5/7 - JACKSONVILLE, FL TSI

5/8 - ORLANDO, FL THE CLUB AT FIRESTONE

5/9 - ATLANTA, GA DRUNKEN UNICORN

5/10 - CHAPEL HILL, NC LOCAL 506

5/12 - BALTIMORE, MD SONAR

5/13 - PHILADELPHIA, PA JOHNNY BRENDAS

5/14 - BROOKLYN, NY EUROPA NIGHTCLUB

5/15 - NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM

5/16 - MONTREAL, QC LES SAINTS

5/18 - TORONTO, ON THE SOCIAL

Heineken TransAtlantic Festival Miami

April 11 Antonio Carmona

April 24 Bonde do Role

April 26 Babylon Circus and Rootz Underground

May 3 The Pinker Tones

Alex Cuba Denconstructs Cuban Music Clichés

This year's SXSW featured some of the hottest Latin acts ever to play at Austin's four-day indie music fest. Bands and DJs from Mexico City to Buenos Aires invaded the Lone Star State's hippest burg. One of those performers was an upstart Cuban rockero based in Canada who deftly melds traditional Cuban music with classic rock sensibilities, funk, and the sentimental lyricism and verve of 50s Cuban fílin. Alex Cuba is huge in Canada. His solo debut, Humo de Tabaco, netted him the coveted Juno Award -- Canada's version of the Grammys. Now he's poised to become Cuba's biggest musical export --albeit via Canada -- since the Buena Vista Social Club in the 90s. Of course the difference here is that Cuba offers a contemporary sound along with his youth. His recent stateside release Agua del Pozo (Caracol), is precisely what the title hints at, a refreshingly cool, sonic infusion. There are still some vestiges of Cuban music to be found, especially in the rhythmic structures of some of the songs, but Cuba’s genre-bending fusions and his un-Cuban voice, understated yet warm, soar above the formulas of the past. If you missed him at SXSW you can still catch up with him on some upcoming dates. I recommend not skipping out. After all, a bell-bottom clad Cuban musician donning a mushrooming 'fro while tearing it up on a vintage Gibson is a once in a lifetime musical experience.

May 5 Ohio State University Lima, Ohio

May 7 Regatta Bar Boston

May 9 Joe's Pub NYC

May 17 Philadelphia Book Fest

Alex Cuba Denconstructs Cuban Music Clichés

This year's SXSW featured some of the hottest Latin acts ever to play at Austin's four-day indie music fest. Bands and DJs from Mexico City to Buenos Aires invaded the Lone Star State's hippest burg. One of those performers was an upstart Cuban rockero based in Canada who deftly melds traditional Cuban music with classic rock sensibilities, funk, and the sentimental lyricism and verve of 50s Cuban fílin. Alex Cuba is huge in Canada. His solo debut, Humo de Tabaco, netted him the coveted Juno Award -- Canada's version of the Grammys. Now he's poised to become Cuba's biggest musical export --albeit via Canada -- since the Buena Vista Social Club in the 90s. Of course the difference here is that Cuba offers a contemporary sound along with his youth. His recent stateside release Agua del Pozo (Caracol), is precisely what the title hints at, a refreshingly cool, sonic infusion. There are still some vestiges of Cuban music to be found, especially in the rhythmic structures of some of the songs, but Cuba’s genre-bending fusions and his un-Cuban voice, understated yet warm, soar above the formulas of the past. If you missed him at SXSW you can still catch up with him on some upcoming dates. I recommend not skipping out. After all, a bell-bottom clad Cuban musician donning a mushrooming 'fro while tearing it up on a vintage Gibson is a once in a lifetime musical experience.

May 5 Ohio State University Lima, Ohio

May 7 Regatta Bar Boston

May 9 Joe's Pub NYC

May 17 Philadelphia Book Fest

MySpace Latino to Launch in April

Fresh from performing at SXSW, Puerto Rico's most revered Electro-pop outfit Circo is scheduled to play the MySpace Latino official launch party in Miami April 11. The lineup also includes Reggaeton godfather Tego Calderón and Miami multi-culti funksters Locos Por Juana, which by the way drops its major label debut, La Verdad, May 13.

MySpace Latino to Launch in April

Fresh from performing at SXSW, Puerto Rico's most revered Electro-pop outfit Circo is scheduled to play the MySpace Latino official launch party in Miami April 11. The lineup also includes Reggaeton godfather Tego Calderón and Miami multi-culti funksters Locos Por Juana, which by the way drops its major label debut, La Verdad, May 13.

Vancouver Trio Pacifika Debuts With "Asunción"

Peruvian-born, Vancouver-raised siren Silvana Kane has come a long way since her days as a bubblegum pop princess. Back in the 90s she belonged to an all-girl trio called West End Girls. These days she finds herself in another trio called Pacifika, flanked by musicians of the opposite sex however -- guitarist Adam Popowitz and bassist Toby Peter. Together they've crafted a pop record of global dimensions sung mostly in Spanish. Kane, who's the lead singer/songwriter, puts her mellifluous cooing to good use. Pacifika's debut "Asunción" (Six Degrees) comes off easy without ever getting boring, offering an eclectic palette of pristine sonic textures awash in deep grooves and lilting melodies. Peter's dubwise inflections and Popowitz's deft new wave nuances goad Kane as she navigates through converging streams of neo-flamenco, drum 'n' bass, South American folkloric sounds, dancehall-inspired drum loops, and the occasional exhilarating stab of Popowitz's electric guitar. The album drops April 8th; Pacifika's first live, stateside show is on July 20th at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl.

Vancouver Trio Pacifika Debuts With "Asunción"

Peruvian-born, Vancouver-raised siren Silvana Kane has come a long way since her days as a bubblegum pop princess. Back in the 90s she belonged to an all-girl trio called West End Girls. These days she finds herself in another trio called Pacifika, flanked by musicians of the opposite sex however -- guitarist Adam Popowitz and bassist Toby Peter. Together they've crafted a pop record of global dimensions sung mostly in Spanish. Kane, who's the lead singer/songwriter, puts her mellifluous cooing to good use. Pacifika's debut "Asunción" (Six Degrees) comes off easy without ever getting boring, offering an eclectic palette of pristine sonic textures awash in deep grooves and lilting melodies. Peter's dubwise inflections and Popowitz's deft new wave nuances goad Kane as she navigates through converging streams of neo-flamenco, drum 'n' bass, South American folkloric sounds, dancehall-inspired drum loops, and the occasional exhilarating stab of Popowitz's electric guitar. The album drops April 8th; Pacifika's first live, stateside show is on July 20th at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl.

Chicha Libre Brings Amazonian Grooves To A Concrete Jungle Near You

Chicha Libre is a Brooklyn-based band that's revived a bewitching brew of psychedelic music, Amazonian soundscapes, and a kind of Cumbia called Chicha. This little-known hybrid was once popular in the Amazonian frontier towns of Peru and quickly spread to the capital of Lima where it became the music of choice for the mostly indigenous migrant population of the 1970s. Chicha Libra has transcended locality by stretching the limits of this rare Cumbia off-shoot. And why not? It's part of the original Chicha's DNA. On the band's debut Sonido Amazonico (Barbés Records), released March 25th, there's a cross-pollination of instruments that include wah-wah guitars, a rare Hohner Electravox which has a lo-fi sound similar to that of the Farfisa organs favored in the '70s, the ukulele-like Venezuelan cuatro, Brazilian percussion, and a "baby bass" -- the popular electric upright preferred by many Latin dance bands. It's the Amazonian jungle filtered through a NYC urban jungle and you can catch the latest metamorphosis live at DROM Nightclub on 8th Ave. A (b/w 5th and 6th) on April 4th. Other live dates will follow:

04/19/2008, Sat
Brooklyn, NY
Glasslands Gallery, 146 Kent bet 1st and 2d.
Tix: $10, Doors Open: 9 pm,
For more information please call 718 599-1450

04/25/2008, Fri
Washington DC
The Velvet Lounge, 915 U Street
Tix: $8.00, Doors Open: 9 pm, Show: 10 pm
Ages 21+ Call 202-462-3213 for more information

04/26/2008, Sat
Richmond, Virginia
Capital Ale House Music Hall, 623 East Main Street
Tix: $10.00 - 12.00, Doors Open: 9 pm, Show: 10:15 pm
Call 804-780-2537 for more information

05/23/2008, Fri
New York City, NY
Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St
Tix: $15.00, Show: 7 pm
Also performing Les Sans Culottes -For more information please call Joe's Pub at 212-539-8777.

07/02/2008, Wed
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal Jazz Festival
Check website for more information

Chicha Libre Brings Amazonian Grooves To A Concrete Jungle Near You

Chicha Libre is a Brooklyn-based band that's revived a bewitching brew of psychedelic music, Amazonian soundscapes, and a kind of Cumbia called Chicha. This little-known hybrid was once popular in the Amazonian frontier towns of Peru and quickly spread to the capital of Lima where it became the music of choice for the mostly indigenous migrant population of the 1970s. Chicha Libra has transcended locality by stretching the limits of this rare Cumbia off-shoot. And why not? It's part of the original Chicha's DNA. On the band's debut Sonido Amazonico (Barbés Records), released March 25th, there's a cross-pollination of instruments that include wah-wah guitars, a rare Hohner Electravox which has a lo-fi sound similar to that of the Farfisa organs favored in the '70s, the ukulele-like Venezuelan cuatro, Brazilian percussion, and a "baby bass" -- the popular electric upright preferred by many Latin dance bands. It's the Amazonian jungle filtered through a NYC urban jungle and you can catch the latest metamorphosis live at DROM Nightclub on 8th Ave. A (b/w 5th and 6th) on April 4th. Other live dates will follow:

04/19/2008, Sat
Brooklyn, NY
Glasslands Gallery, 146 Kent bet 1st and 2d.
Tix: $10, Doors Open: 9 pm,
For more information please call 718 599-1450

04/25/2008, Fri
Washington DC
The Velvet Lounge, 915 U Street
Tix: $8.00, Doors Open: 9 pm, Show: 10 pm
Ages 21+ Call 202-462-3213 for more information

04/26/2008, Sat
Richmond, Virginia
Capital Ale House Music Hall, 623 East Main Street
Tix: $10.00 - 12.00, Doors Open: 9 pm, Show: 10:15 pm
Call 804-780-2537 for more information

05/23/2008, Fri
New York City, NY
Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St
Tix: $15.00, Show: 7 pm
Also performing Les Sans Culottes -For more information please call Joe's Pub at 212-539-8777.

07/02/2008, Wed
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal Jazz Festival
Check website for more information

Nortec Collective DJs Bostich and Fussible Hit the Road and Drop a New Disc, Or Is It the Other Way Around?

Nortec Collective's Ramón "Bostich" Amezcua and Pepe "Fussible" Mogt have just announced a brief West Coast tour on the heels of their new album's digital release. Tijuana Sound Machine (Nacional Records) will be available at digital outlets starting April 29th; the disc drops in stores on May 6th. The Tijuana-based DJs/producers, who will play just three dates in California and Nevada, are taking their show on the road for a test run of what Fussible calls an interactive experience.

In keeping with Nortec's layered approach to making and marketing their music, the shows, CD, and cover art are part of a total vision that reflects the chaos, contradictions, and kitschy indulgences of their native metropolis. Likewise, the upcoming full-length continues to navigate hybrid soundcapes and expands the horizon by adding alt rock stylings and experimental music forays along the way.

"The album is also based on the show," explained Mogt on the horn from Tijuana, hinting that the inverse could also be the case. But instead of going into which came first, the chicken or the egg, Mogt proceeded to wax artsy on their live, like-no-other, norteño-meets-electronic music set. Here's the road map: "It's a conceptual trip conjugated by the images of places that have influenced us in some way," Mogt said. "And so when you go to the concert, the car that you see on the CD cover, is the same one you will see at the show, and that car is going to be moving along in that world full of objects and landscapes that we see."

The ride, Mogt explained, goes from symbolic -- visuals of familiar streets and bars -- to outright cinematic. "Suddenly you see a yellow submarine, but it's from Tijuana, pues. You will see characters that are very emblematic of the city. And we will continue to move from one place to another in conjunction with the songs that we'll be playing until the car stops and the show is over."

Bostich and Fussible hit Glass House in Pomona, CA (May 1st), L.A.'s The Echo (May 3rd), and Dos Caminos at the Palazzo in Las Vegas (May 5th).

Nortec Collective DJs Bostich and Fussible Hit the Road and Drop a New Disc, Or Is It the Other Way Around?

Nortec Collective's Ramón "Bostich" Amezcua and Pepe "Fussible" Mogt have just announced a brief West Coast tour on the heels of their new album's digital release. Tijuana Sound Machine (Nacional Records) will be available at digital outlets starting April 29th; the disc drops in stores on May 6th. The Tijuana-based DJs/producers, who will play just three dates in California and Nevada, are taking their show on the road for a test run of what Fussible calls an interactive experience.

In keeping with Nortec's layered approach to making and marketing their music, the shows, CD, and cover art are part of a total vision that reflects the chaos, contradictions, and kitschy indulgences of their native metropolis. Likewise, the upcoming full-length continues to navigate hybrid soundcapes and expands the horizon by adding alt rock stylings and experimental music forays along the way.

"The album is also based on the show," explained Mogt on the horn from Tijuana, hinting that the inverse could also be the case. But instead of going into which came first, the chicken or the egg, Mogt proceeded to wax artsy on their live, like-no-other, norteño-meets-electronic music set. Here's the road map: "It's a conceptual trip conjugated by the images of places that have influenced us in some way," Mogt said. "And so when you go to the concert, the car that you see on the CD cover, is the same one you will see at the show, and that car is going to be moving along in that world full of objects and landscapes that we see."

The ride, Mogt explained, goes from symbolic -- visuals of familiar streets and bars -- to outright cinematic. "Suddenly you see a yellow submarine, but it's from Tijuana, pues. You will see characters that are very emblematic of the city. And we will continue to move from one place to another in conjunction with the songs that we'll be playing until the car stops and the show is over."

Bostich and Fussible hit Glass House in Pomona, CA (May 1st), L.A.'s The Echo (May 3rd), and Dos Caminos at the Palazzo in Las Vegas (May 5th).

The Legendary Cachao died Saturday

World renowned bassist, composer, bandleader and mambo king, Israel López "Cachao" died Saturday morning at Coral Gables Hospital near Miami of complications resulting from kidney failure. He was 89.

Cachao was one of the last living legends who belonged to Cuba's musical Golden Age. During the pre-Castro decades of the 30s, 40s, and 50s Havana was a hotbed of rhythmic intensity, high musical standards, and showmanship nurtured by the vibrant nightlife of the cabaret era.

Classically trained, Cachao began playing with the Havana Philharmonic by the time he was thirteen. What he lacked in stature -- he had to stand on a box to reach the strings of the contrabass -- he made up for with musical perception wise beyond his years, playing under the baton of guest conductors like Herbert von Karajan, Igor Stravinsky and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Cachao made a name for himself with some of Cuba's greatest orchestras in Havana. By 1937, he and his brother Orestes, a pianist, composer and arranger, created the mambo, a faster, syncopated variation of the stately danzon. In 1957 Cachao revolutionized the way Afro-Cuban popular music was played. During spontaneous, after-hours jam sessions, master musicians would get together to let loose after playing in the highly structured and hierarchical nightclub settings. Under Cachao's direction the casual musical interactions developed into free-flowing improvisations in the tradition of American jazz, but with distinct Cuban idioms. Known as descargas, the fabled sessions were recorded and became the backbone for how Latin jazz and salsa would be played live.

In 1962, just three years after Fidel Castro took power, Cachao left the island. He lived in Spain for one year and then headed for New York, where he went on to anchor some of the great bands in Latin music at the time, including those of Tito Rodriguez, Jose Fajardo and Eddie Palmieri.

Eventually Cachao faded out of the New York salsa scene and survived as an anonymous working musician playing quinceañera parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs, or with back up dance bands in the notorious Miami Latin nightclubs of the 80s.

Cuban-American actor and music aficionado Andy Garcia rediscovered Cachao in 1989 and resurrected his prolific music career as the legendary master he was. In the '90s, García produced the recordings known as Master Sessions, accompanied by a documentary and tribute concerts honoring Cachao's legacy. In 1994, Cachao's "Master Sessions Vol. 1" netted a Grammy, and a year later he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts at a White House ceremony.

Cachao's star continued to rise in the twilight of his life, collaborating and playing with artists like violinist Federico Britos, octogenarian pianist Bebo Valdés, the late salsa icon Celia Cruz, Cuban jazz saxophonist Paquito D' Rivera, salsa singer Willy Chirino, and trombone player Willie Colon. He won a Latin Grammy in 2003 together with Bebo and the late conguero Patato Valdés for "El Arte del Sabor." Another Grammy followed in 2005 for his solo project "¡Ahora Sí!"

Just days before he was hospitalized, Cachao was in the Dominican Republic receiving a lifetime achievement award. He was planning a European tour in August with Britos. Together they were in the pre-production stage for a CD of new compositions.

Cachao’s wife of 58 years, Ester Buenaventura López, died in 2004. Their daughter, María Elena López, a grandson, Hector Luis Vega, and his nephew, Daniel Palacio, survive him.

The Legendary Cachao died Saturday

World renowned bassist, composer, bandleader and mambo king, Israel López "Cachao" died Saturday morning at Coral Gables Hospital near Miami of complications resulting from kidney failure. He was 89.

Cachao was one of the last living legends who belonged to Cuba's musical Golden Age. During the pre-Castro decades of the 30s, 40s, and 50s Havana was a hotbed of rhythmic intensity, high musical standards, and showmanship nurtured by the vibrant nightlife of the cabaret era.

Classically trained, Cachao began playing with the Havana Philharmonic by the time he was thirteen. What he lacked in stature -- he had to stand on a box to reach the strings of the contrabass -- he made up for with musical perception wise beyond his years, playing under the baton of guest conductors like Herbert von Karajan, Igor Stravinsky and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Cachao made a name for himself with some of Cuba's greatest orchestras in Havana. By 1937, he and his brother Orestes, a pianist, composer and arranger, created the mambo, a faster, syncopated variation of the stately danzon. In 1957 Cachao revolutionized the way Afro-Cuban popular music was played. During spontaneous, after-hours jam sessions, master musicians would get together to let loose after playing in the highly structured and hierarchical nightclub settings. Under Cachao's direction the casual musical interactions developed into free-flowing improvisations in the tradition of American jazz, but with distinct Cuban idioms. Known as descargas, the fabled sessions were recorded and became the backbone for how Latin jazz and salsa would be played live.

In 1962, just three years after Fidel Castro took power, Cachao left the island. He lived in Spain for one year and then headed for New York, where he went on to anchor some of the great bands in Latin music at the time, including those of Tito Rodriguez, Jose Fajardo and Eddie Palmieri.

Eventually Cachao faded out of the New York salsa scene and survived as an anonymous working musician playing quinceañera parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs, or with back up dance bands in the notorious Miami Latin nightclubs of the 80s.

Cuban-American actor and music aficionado Andy Garcia rediscovered Cachao in 1989 and resurrected his prolific music career as the legendary master he was. In the '90s, García produced the recordings known as Master Sessions, accompanied by a documentary and tribute concerts honoring Cachao's legacy. In 1994, Cachao's "Master Sessions Vol. 1" netted a Grammy, and a year later he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts at a White House ceremony.

Cachao's star continued to rise in the twilight of his life, collaborating and playing with artists like violinist Federico Britos, octogenarian pianist Bebo Valdés, the late salsa icon Celia Cruz, Cuban jazz saxophonist Paquito D' Rivera, salsa singer Willy Chirino, and trombone player Willie Colon. He won a Latin Grammy in 2003 together with Bebo and the late conguero Patato Valdés for "El Arte del Sabor." Another Grammy followed in 2005 for his solo project "¡Ahora Sí!"

Just days before he was hospitalized, Cachao was in the Dominican Republic receiving a lifetime achievement award. He was planning a European tour in August with Britos. Together they were in the pre-production stage for a CD of new compositions.

Cachao’s wife of 58 years, Ester Buenaventura López, died in 2004. Their daughter, María Elena López, a grandson, Hector Luis Vega, and his nephew, Daniel Palacio, survive him.