5 Questions for Tiempo Libre

According to a recent post on NY Latin Culture Magazine, “some people use the term “salsa” to mean all Latin music, but timba goes places that the salsa won’t go.” Miami-based Tiempo Libre is heading to Purchase this weekend, to introduce us to Cuban timba music, and we asked band member Jorge Gomez a few questions about what we can expect. Take a look!

Q: Where did the name “Tiempo Libre” come from?
A: The band started when in our “free time” we got together to make music together, have fun playing dominoes, and doing bbq in family, hence the name “free time.”

Q: Where does the biggest inspiration for your music come from?
A: It’s a mix between the culture of USA and CUBA…Benny More, good social club, Irakere … Earth, Wind and Fire, Chick Corea, rap, rock…we mix everything.

Q: How would you describe your performance or sound someone considering coming to a show?
A: The style that we play is called “timba.” Basically it is the mixture between traditional Cuban music and jazz, congas, guiro, checker, maracas, timbales, with drums, electric bass, and with the harmony of jazz, funk, rap, creating a richer genre in poliritmia and energy, more solo instruments. Although in the live shows we play everything – jazz, classical music, traditional Cuban, timba, etc.

Q: What do you do when you are not performing together?
A: We go to the gym, hiking, to the beach, bicycle. We also get together to compose, saimos to concerts together to grab new ideas, we also sit in the studio to record models for next songs.

Q: What has been your favorite place to perform?
A: There are many, we have been traveling all over the world! Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, The Egg in China, Macao, Jazz Cafe in England, so many.

Click here for tickets to hear Tiempo Libre live on Sunday, April 7, at 3pm, at The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College.