Decades before Juan de Marcos Gonzalez served as music director and guiding spirit behind the Buena Vista Social Club, he founded Sierra Maestra, a Cuban roots band dedicated to the Afro-Cuban son style that influenced musicians around the world. Along with trumpeter Jesús Alemañy, a Cuban child prodigy, De Marcos went on to form the popular band Cubanismo!, modernizing the classic instrumentation. With brisker tempos, Sierra Maestra added a jolt of new energy to the sensuous guaracha rhythms, a sound that seized the imaginations of a new Cuban generation. Hugely popular at home, the band gradually built up an international following with a series of celebrated albums, culminating in 2010’s World Village release, Sonando Ya. U.S. and Cuban relations have presented few opportunities for stateside performances, and this is the band’s first American tour in several years.
