Stuart Ashman, the current president and CEO of Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art, grew up in Cuba. The experience has always stuck with him, as all feelings of home and origin do. And on his last trip back to Cuba two years ago with his wife Peggy, he witnessed a part of Cuban culture at La Bodeguita del Medio, the famous Havana restaurant that was patronized by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Allende, and Pablo Naruda. And he had to bring it back home with him.
That part of culture was music and what he brought back home was the house band of the restaurant, TradiSón.
While in Santa Fe, Ashman brought them to perform at the International Folk Art Market. The “authenticity of the music and the sheer virtuosity of the musicians,” as he puts it, was so impressive for Ashman that he wants them right here at MOLAA, accompanied with a cigar lounge, mojitos, and the scenery of the museums sculpture garden.
The band, whose focus and speciality is the musical form son–a combination of Afro-Cuban rhythms with Spanish melodies—will be making their only Southern Californian appearance tomorrow night at MOLAA. Having been together for 16 years, they also perform and experiment in other styles of music, including guaracha, guajira, and bolero.
TradiSón consists of Gilberto Noriega on maracas and lead vocals; Guillermo Linares on stand-up bass; Amaury Rodriguez on percussion and vocals; band director Benito Torres on guitar; and José Miguel Delgado on the Cuban tres.
Cocktails will begin being served at 7PM, followed by a performance by singer Margarita Luna at 7:30PM. TradiSón will begin performing at 8PM.
Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for non-members. The show will occur August 18, at MOLAA, located at 628 Alamitos Avenue. For more information, call 562-437-1689 or visit www.molaa.org.