finetune artist: Conjunto Cespedes

A Latin/Cuban group based in Oakland, California, USA, Conjunto Cspedes are rated as one of the Bay Area's strongest live attractions, proffering son, mambo, guaguanco and jazz-descarga. They were founded in 1981 by Gladys "Bobi" and her brother Luis Cspedes with their nephew, pianist and guitarist Guillermo. In the intervening decade and a half it grew from that trio to a seven-piece group and then its present 12-piece formation. It currently includes brass, layered percussion and various stringed instruments, usually led by Bobi's spiritually-inspired vocals (she is an advocate of Afrocentric Iucumi beliefs). Many of their compositions are original, while others are fresh readings of traditional Afro-Cuban sources - such as the poetry of Nicol s Guilln or son composer Miguel Metamoros. As Guillermo, the group's musical mainstay since the departure of Luis, notes: "I think we've managed to maintain the traditional sound of the son, with the tres (Cuban guitar), and we're using other influences, more jazz-chord structures." Nowadays the group includes several musicians drawn from outside of Cuban-American heritage, meaning the group's sound has had to be broad enough to accommodate their input. This helps differentiate them from several similar but more traditional groups operating in the expatriate Cuban community in Miami. Each member of the band is involved in various community teaching and workshop projects, while their lyrics, such as "Respeto A La Tierra" (Respect For The Earth), written in the aftermath of the Gulf War, resonate with a global social consciousness befitting the group's varied backgrounds.

Listen to Conjunto Cespedes at Finetune.

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