Latin jazz legends Francisco Aguabella (featured left) and Chuchito Valdes (featured right)performed at Crash Mansion on Friday night in a concert tribute to Fania records, the now over 40 year old record company that drove the popularity and success of salsa and other Latin music in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.
The show opened with Aguabella, a legendary conguero who has played with Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente and now teaches his craft at UCLA, performing with a full band and Valdes sitting off stage. Aguabella’s band played wonderfully, beginning with a song that got the crowd up and moving, capping it off with a solo by Aguabella.
Chuchito Valdes is the third generation in a line of Cuban piano legends, following his grandfather Bebo and father Chucho. He made his first appearance mid-way through the first set, replacing the pianist who had been playing previously mid-song. He thrilled the crowd with a series of flashy maneuvers on the piano, but then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, being replaced again by the original pianist. Valdes returned shortly thereafter, but would continue to rotate with the other pianist all night in a somewhat strange arrangement.
After an excellent first set, the musicians told the crowd that there would be a 15-minute intermission before they began the second set. 15 minutes turned into 30, turned into 45, as the crowd grew restless despite the best efforts of the DJ responsible for entertaining during the hiatus. When the band finally did return, we were more than ready for more of what we had heard earlier, and they didn’t disappoint.
Aguabella started into his best-known song, Alaumba Chemaché, a song made most famous by Tito Puente, late in the second set. The crowd, which had been animated all night, grew even more excited upon hearing the song.
Alaumba Chemaché got the crowd into a wonderful mood for the rest of the show, ended only when it ended rather abruptly at 1 AM. Without any sort of winding down from the artists, the lights were turned on and we were told that the show had to end because of curfew regulations. Calls for an encore were greeted by security telling us to leave.
Thank you to Crash Mansion, Francisco Aguabella, Chuchito Valdes, and the other band members for an excellent show. I was treated to hours of superb music that really got the feet moving from a couple of artists, about whom, frankly, I knew almost nothing going into the show. Check out Francisco Aguabella, perhaps the biggest name in Latin jazz resident in Los Angeles, which tends to be dominated by the East Coast, should you ever get the chance.
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