Orquesta Aragon Brings Cuban Music to U.S.

Orquesta Aragón has been one of the premier musical groups in Cuba for 73 years. No, that’s not a typo. Founded in 1939, they have maintained a surprisingly pure traditional Cuban musical sound through all these years.

When you see and hear the Orquesta Aragón, you experience Cuban music as it’s played by some of the best musicians in the island (many with classical backgrounds) and performed as it was done way before Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. They preferred not to evolve the sound of the orchestra, and thus maintain its traditional essence.

Because of the top-notch quality of musicians, the Orquesta Aragón can play anything form a classical piece with a Cuban tinge, which will leave you in a trance in your seat, to a “Cha-cha” that will drive you to dance even if you were born with two left feet.

The “Charanga” Orquesta Aragon

The Orquesta Aragón is considered a “Charanga”, an ensemble that distinguishes itself for the use of violins and a flute as their musical cornerstone. The “charanga” format is completed by the use of piano, timbales, conga, bass, and guiro. With this format, the Orquesta Aragón played several types of Cuban rhythms, mostly “Danzon”, “Danzonete”, “Bolero”, and starting in the 1950’s, “Cha-cha-cha”. Because the flute is the only wind in the “charanga” in addition to the use of 3 violins, the “charanga” is a tempered-sound and vastly melodic ensemble; great for music lovers and dancers alike.

When the “charanga” formed by Orestes Aragón in the Cuban town of Cienfuegos began to play “cha-cha’s”, it’s surge in popularity was such that the demand for their services made them relocate to Havana. With their popularity and exposure in the Cuban capital, the Orquesta Aragón began to travel in the mid-1960s to many parts of the world, including North and South America, Europe, and even Africa.

Orquesta Aragón U.S. Tour 2012

Spreading their beautiful Cuban musical styles around the world has been another tradition that Orquesta Aragón has kept to this day. They are now touring the United States, and after a stop in Las Vegas, they are now touring the west coast.

The Orquesta Aragón will be playing for 2 nights at Seattle’s Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley on October 30th and 31st (so if you don’t have plans for Halloween, you can make some now), from where they will continue down the coast with stops in Portland, OR (Nov 1st @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom), San Francisco, as part of SFJazz (Nov 4th @ Palace of Fine Arts Theater), and Santa Cruz (Nov 5th @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center).

 

If you are in the U.S. west coast; enjoy!