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Tiempo Libre

Broward Palm Beach New Times

They're Havana Party

Broward Palm Beach New Times

Thursday, November 26, 2009

by Bob Weinberg

In Miami, you know you've arrived when your band's photo is featured on a Café Bustelo espresso can. That honor was bestowed on Tiempo Libre, a highly caffeinated septet whose members were conservatory-trained in Havana, but met on the sly to play Latin jazz, timba and Santería music. Now headquartered in Miami, Tiempo Libre has done pretty well: El grupo has earned two Grammy nominations, recorded an album with master flutist James Galway, and performed with violinst Joshua Bell on The Tonight Show. Last month, Tiempo sexed up a segment of Dancing With the Stars, performing the brass-fueled "Tu Conga Bach" from its recording Bach in Havana. The album, which features a library of Latin rhythms, puts Johann Sebastian in a guayabara and struts him down Calle Ocho for an exhilarating blend of classical and modern forms. Tiempo Libre takes the stage of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale) Friday at 8:30 p.m., giving audiences a chance to timba away their Thanksgiving turkey.

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