Jane Onojafe
925.931.4855
jonojafe@cityofpleasantonca.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release
Tito Y Su Son De Cuba: “An Afternoon in Old Havana”
Cuban Singer Tito Gonzalez and his 6-piece band celebrate
Pleasanton, Calif. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Firehouse Arts Center presents TITO Y SU SON DE CUBA: “An Afternoon in Old Havana,” on Sunday, October 25, at 2:00 p.m.
Tito Y Su Son De Cuba creates rich, high energy Cuban music at its finest, with all the authentic rhythms including rumba, guaracha, son, boleros and son montuno, among many others. Heriberto “Tito” Gonzalez and his band celebrate music pioneered by greats like Arsenio Rodriguez and later, of course, the Buena Vista Social Club.
The Cuban “Son” (“Sound”) is the root of most Salsa music today. “Son cubano” is a style of music and dance that originated in Cuba and gained worldwide popularity during the 1930s, and remains one of the most influential and widespread forms of Latin American music.
Tito sings and plays the Tres guitar (which originated in Cuba) that drives this glorious music and brings it to life. He is a flawless and engaging showman, with an energy that is totally contagious. With his storied past as a wanderer and fisherman, yet always with music in his heart, fate grabbed hold of Tito at age 40, and catapulted him from cabbie to celebrity and star of the Cuban music scene.
He studied with Tres master Papi Oviedo of the Buena Vista Social Club and then with the greatest guitarist in Cuba, Octavio Sanchez Cotán. He has played with such famous Cuban groups as Conjunto Estrellas de Chocolate, Aribu Quartet and Chapotin y sus estrellas, all from Havana. Before leaving Cuba, “Tito” founded and played with the Nuevo Conjunto de Arsenio Rodriguez, a group carefully structured to represent the music of the famous Cuban tresero Arsenio Rodriguez. This group was assembled by Arsenio’s daugther, Regla Rodriguez Travieso. She thought long and hard as to who should represent and play her father’s music. She chose Heriberto “Tito” Gonzalez, a great honor.
Since 2000, “Tito” is teaching, playing and jamming in the Bay Area “Cuban Son” scene. He has had the honor of playing with such greats as Oscar De Leon, Larry Harlow and Orestes Vilato to name a few, and is a regular at Yoshis SF and Oakland. He was even invited recently to play for the Kings Coronation on the Island of Tonga!
Reserved seating tickets for “An Afternoon in Old Havana” are $15.00 – $25.00, and can be purchased online at www.firehousearts.org, by calling 925-931-4848, and in person at the Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton. Box Office hours are Wednesday – Friday 12:00 noon-6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., and two hours prior to performances.
The Firehouse Arts Center is dedicated to inspiring passion through the arts. The center is comprised of the 227-seat Firehouse Theater, the 2000 square foot Harrington Gallery, classrooms and rehearsal space, the grand atrium lobby, and the famous interior glass bridge. With world-class performing and visual arts, exciting interactive programs for all ages, and a state-of-the-art venue which opened in 2010, we combine the sophistication of the culturally rich Bay Area arts landscape with the hospitality and intimacy of our own home town. The Firehouse Arts Center is located at 4444 Railroad Avenue in downtown Pleasanton. Media: Jane Onojafe, jonojafe@cityofpleasantonca.gov, or 925-931-4855
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