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Tiempo Libre

Hartford Courant

Tiempo Libre At Ridgefield Playhouse

Hartford Courant

Saturday, January 21, 2017

by JOHN ADAMIAN

Afro-Cuban rhythms and pan-Latin musical variations are at the heart of Tiempo Libre's music. The band makes musical and cultural connections between the Caribbean, Central and South America, Miami, New York and beyond. They reach across the ocean and back to 18th-century Germany as well: The group released a record called "Bach in Havana" in 2009, which took familiar pieces by J.S. Bach and set them against conga patterns, cow bells, rhythmic claves and horn blasts.

But Tiempo Libre isn't entirely focused on making genre-spanning efforts to give classical music fans a taste for salsa. The group is just as likely to blend contemporary hip-hop-inflected pop styles as they are to play powdered-wig music. The versatility, percussive interplay, strong group vocals, bright horns, and impressive piano skills of band leader and founder Jorge Gomez are the things that make the group worth catching.

Tiempo Libre performs at Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25. 203-438-5795, or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.


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