Which one of the following does not belong?
1) Sweaty, gyrating hip motions
2) Drum solos
3) A six-string bass
4) Conga lines
5) The music of Johann Sebastian Bach
The answer? They all belong! That was the lesson learned Tuesday night at the Tower Theatre in Bend during a performance by Miami’s Tiempo Libre.
More than once I noticed listeners slightly falter in their syncopated foot-tapping and shoulder-shaking as they looked around quizzically thinking, “Where have I heard that melody before?”
After warming us up with some “traditional” timba sound, the band started the genre-mixing with a selection from their latest album Bach in Havana. Keyboardist and musical director Jorge Gomez tickled the recognizable classical parts and the rest of the band seamlessly followed suit. Joaquin “El Kid” Diaz both ignited and hypnotized with his percussive vocal work and extremely Latin personality. By the second set, I was beginning to wonder which was a bigger fire hazard–the 100+ dancers choking the aisles of the theater or the performance itself.
It’s very easy to see why these guys are gaining such a following, and why they’ve been invited to share their sounds on The Tonight Show and Dancing with the Stars. Named “Best Latin Band 2008″ by the Miami New Times, Tiempo Libre provides an experience that can and will be enjoyed by fans of jazz, Afro-Cuban, Latin, classical, and most other types of music–all at the same time.