08 December 2012
Newsdesk
La Linea, the London Latin Music Festival, returns for its 13th year. Taking place in central London venues in April 2013, the first six shows have just been announced.
Opening the festival and making their UK debut will be HAVANA D'PRIMERA, the most popular group in Cuba. Led by trumpet player, songwriter and singer Alexander Abreu they have been creating the soundtrack to Cuban life over the last five years.
A CURVA DA CINTURA is a collaboration between Malian kora star Toumani Diabaté and Brazilian songwriter and poet Arnaldo Antunes and guitar-hero Edgard Scandurra which began at the 2010 Back2Black festival in Rio de Janeiro, and resulted in a recording session in Mali where Brazilian songs were combined with rock 'n' roll, African roots and blues to create an uplifting Afro-Brazilian fusion.
Two super heavyweight enormous brass bands go head to head, mano a mano on the same stage to decide whether it’s Mexico or the Balkans that can blow up the biggest storm. BRASS BAND BATTLE - MEXICO vs. BALKANS will feature Banda Estrellas de Sinaloa de Gérman Lizarraga from Mexico and the Boban & Marko Markovic Orkestar from Serbia.
Contemporary flamenco star BUIKA is the daughter of political refugees from Equatorial Guinea and grew up in a gypsy neighbourhood in Majorca. Since is her last headline show in London in 2008, she has won a Latin Grammy for her 2010 album El Ultimo Trago, a collaboration with the great Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes, and amongst her fans she can now count luminaries such as Alejandro Sanz, Gloria Estefan, Nelly Furtado and Portuguese fado star Mariza (both of whom she recorded duets with), director Pedro Almodóvar in whose film The Skin I Live In she performed, fashion photographer Bruce Weber, and the late great iconic Mexican singer Chavela Vargas.
Making a very rare London appearance is MALA RODRIGUEZ from Spain, one of the most inventive and popular artists in Latin hip-hop with a string of awards to her name and a series of ground-breaking collaborations with artists like Calle 13 and Nelly Furtado.
ANA MOURA, the acclaimed new voice of Fado from Portugal, is back with a new sound and look. For her stunning fifth album DesFado (to be released early 2013) she has been working with Herbie Hancock and producer Larry Klein on new material written for her by songwriters from outside the Fado zone.
HAVANA D'PRIMERA - 12 April @ Electric Brixton
A CURVA DA CINTURA: Toumani Diabaté, Arnaldo Antunes & Edgard Scandurra - 12 April @ Union Chapel
BRASS BAND BATTLE - MEXICO vs. BALKANS:
Banda Estrellas de Sinaloa de Gérman Lizarraga vs. Boban & Marko Markovic Orkestar - 14 April @ Barbican Hall
BUIKA - 18 April @ Union Chapel
MALA RODRIGUEZ - 18 April @ Village Underground
ANA MOURA - 20 April @ Barbican Hall
LA LINEA 13 - The London Latin Music Festival
April 2013, various London venues
http://www.comono.co.uk/la-linea/
http://www.facebook.com/LaLineaFestival
All of the shows below will be on sale from 10am Friday, 7 December 2012.
