El Negro's Italuba

[Elissa]

Anyone heard this? Just saw this review in the Times.

Horacio (El Negro) Hernandez

The revered Cuban drummer El Negro Hernandez has become an American citizen, but his all-Cuban jazz band, Italuba, can’t play in this country because of United States sanctions against Cuba. So unless you can see the band in Italy, where it is based, you’ll have to make do with its albums. The second, “Italuba II,” is athletic, sentimental and modern, with complex rhythmic latticework and some intriguing lines; aside from Mr. Hernandez’s hard and impressive performance, the young trumpeter Amik Guerra stands out as a musician to watch. Italuba’s record is one of several releases from the new Venezuelan label Cacao Música, founded by the drummer and broadcaster Omar Jeantón, as well as a more surprising supporter of Latin jazz: Bobby Abreu of the New York Yankees.

He's always down at the Zinc Monday nights when he's in town and though he doesn't really play jazz, he's never dull.