Afro-Cuban All Stars

Led by an ex member of Sierra Maestra, Juan de Marcos González, this band has been one of the foundation stones of the increasing popularity of Afro-Cuban music in the world. Their 1997 record, "A Toda Cuba le gusta" (All of Cuba likes it), was the first to be recorded during the mythical Buena Vista Social Club sessions.

It is a multi-generational band, where age among members ranges from 13 to 81 and which covers all Latin music registers and styles: mambo, chachachá, rumba, merengue, son montuno, timba, guajira, danzón, abakuá and bolero. According to González, the band’s aim is to use "the whole inheritance of Cuban music to create the sounds of the future."

González, with a degree in hydraulic engineering and working as an adviser/consultant for the Instituto de Ciencias Agronómicas de La Habana, formed Afro Cuban All Stars shortly after having separated from Sierra Maestra, a group that captured the world’s attention since 1978. The Afro Cuban All Stars musicians represent the Island’s musical elite, from the pianist Rubén González and the trumpeter Yanko Pisaco as well as the singers Pio Leyva, Raul Planas and Manuel "Puntilita" Licea. Toward the end of 2000 some of the Van Van singers Pedro Calvo and Caridad Hierrezuelo joined the ranks.

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