Los Van Van

REDCAT

The Beatles of Cuba, Los Van Van (Photo by Wilson Ramirez)

By Penny Orloff

Latin Grammy Winning Cuban Group, LOS VAN VAN Kick off U.S. Tour at L. A. Live's Conga Room, Thursday and Friday, December 2 and 3

Cuba's legendary group, Los Van Van, performs at the 2nd anniversary of the World Famous Conga Room at LA Live, on Thursday, December 2. Produced by Fuego Entertainment, this rare and long-awaited performance will launch the band's first U.S. tour in years.

Los Van Van (the Go Go's) is a decades-old institution in Cuba. The band's music blares from the windows of shops, buses, and any home with a sound system. Their songs are sung by three generations of all of Cuba's mix of races. For over 40 years, Los Van Van has been the greatest Cuban dance band of the modern era. What the Wailers are to Jamaica or the Beatles were to Britain, so Van Van is to Cuba.

Their sheer longevity has led to their being called "The Rolling Stones of Salsa." Founded and led by bassist Juan Formell since 1969, Los Van Van is the most internationally recognized of post-revolution Cuban bands, and Formell, himself. has become the most important figure in contemporary Cuban music. "You start off doing what you have to do," he says, "and as time passes you realize that you're writing part of the musical history of your country."

Using a basic Cuban charanga line-up, under Formell the band added trombones and vocals, and was the first Cuban group to use synthesizers and drum machines. Their sound fused changui and son montuno with various other types of music, including afro-cuban rythms, rock, funk, disco, and hip-hop. Juan Formell contributed countless innovations to the Cuban bass and clave, paving the way for a radical new concept of rhythmic arrangements in Cuban music. The Van Van sound came to be known as songo - a style of music that incorporates elements of traditional Spanish songs with African rhythms - creating the foundation for the later timba, a new form incorporating a salsa-like rhythm.

The group has recorded more than 30 albums, including their 2000 Latin Grammy-winning "Llego Van Van" ("Here is Van Van") and the current success, "Arrasando" ("Demolish the Bad").

By consistently adapting its style to the times, reinventing its voice, the band has kept electrifying audiences at home and abroad for a remarkable four decades. "Times change very quickly in music," Formell has said. "It is too easy to get left behind. If you don't renew yourself, you die."

Their popularity in Cuba led many expatriate Cubans in the United States to equate Los Van Van with the hated Castro regime. When the band last played Miami 10 years ago, a mini-riot broke out between fans and protesters. The reaction came as a surprise to the group. "I didn't come to do anything political," bassist Juan Formell said. "We came to play music."

In a country with a state-controlled press Los Van Van's ironic and sometimes off-color lyrics function as social commentary. The songs tell stories that span several albums, about urban sprawl and overcrowding in Havana, or the impact of the Afro-Cuban Santería religion, or even witty comebacks to ongoing rumors about individual musicians. Their lyrics have worked their way into the vernacular, tapping into the Cuban ability to condense big issues into concise phrases with multiple layers of meaning. Eso que anda (What's Going On), the title of a 1980s Van Van hit, is now street slang. The band's name has become shorthand for excellence. You like it? "Si," people say. "Es van van."

"The dancers are our barometer," says Formell about the band's longevity. "I try and write music that anticipates changing dance styles. Sometimes a new musical idea takes a few years to be accepted, so we have to be patient. Which is okay," he says. "We have until the future."

Los Van Van takes the stage for The Conga Room's two-year anniversary at LA Live.

Now in its 13th year, and previously located on Wilshire Blvd, the Conga Room is a nightclub and concert venue featuring authentic Latin-style tapas cuisine, a broadcast control room, and 1,000-person capacity. The Conga Room has hosted the Gypsy Kings, Alejandro Fernandez, Black Eyed Peas, Prince, and a weekly R & B industry night with Grammy winner Jamie Foxx, called Foxxhole Live. Founded by real estate entrepreneur Brad Gluckstein, the World Famous Conga Room is co-owned by Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Rodriguez, Amaury Nolasco, Sheila E., will.i.am, and NBA player Baron Davis.

The Conga Room is located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd. Doors open at 8pm on December 3. Tickets are $40 (General Admission) and $85-$150 (VIP). For more information, call (213) 745-0162 or visit www.congaroom.com

ADVERTISEMENT