Roberto Pla & His Latin Ensamble in corcert + Right on Time! CD celebrates 20 years of recording!

Colombian percussionist Roberto Plá will be leading a 20-piece salsa orchestra performing the music of the New York Latin jazz and salsa collective the Fania All-Stars at London’s Barbican on July 16.

Plá will be leading the orchestra through the hits of the Fania All-Stars, a revolving cast of musicians from the New York-based Fania Records. The label was influential in the promotion of Latin American music in the ’60. Its modern take on traditional Afro-Caribbean music would particularly serve as the template of what soon would come to be known as the Fania Sound.

The orchestra led by Plá performing at the Barbican will include percussionist Robin Jones, the London Lucumi Choir and violinist Omar Puente.

Right on Time! celebrates 20 years of recording:

Right on Time! album for sale by Roberto Pla & His Latin Ensemble was release Aug 01, 1996 on the Tumi label. Right on Time! CD music contains a single disc with 11 songs, including valuable compositions Orlando 'Maraca' Valle and Oscar Hernandez.

Musicians: Roberto Pla (timbal, percussion); Oscar Valdez, Edgar Villarroel, Sergio Gonzalez (vocal); Lisa Graham (sax); Ray Carless (tenor sax); Gus Andrews, Noel Langley, Lance Kelly, Barbara Snow, Jesus Alemañy, Sid Gauld (trumpet), Joe de Jesus, Paul Taylor (trombone); Chucho Valdes, Alfredo Rodriguez (piano); Enrique Pla (drums) Danny Cummings, Miguel 'Anga' Diaz, Pete Eckford (congas), Dave Pattman, Thomas Dyani (percussion).

Roberto Pla is based in England where he conducts an orchestra of 20 members called the Latin Rhythm All Stars. The orchestra includes 7 percussionists and brass section 6 members and is directed by Pla from the timpani, playing a music that combines rhythms of Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Puerto Rico, with the tradition of the Big Bands Jazz.

Pla is regarded as the "Godfather of Latin Jazz in the UK". Working for several years in Colombia and then in New York before traveling to Europe, where he founded an orchestra Salsa, Valdez. Since then he has worked with very dissimilar artists like Boney M, Frank Chickens and Kate Bush. Then he participated in a tour of China with Trevor Watts' Moire Music.

Pla has also worked with the New York salsa band La Tradicion, percussionist Carlos "Patato" Valdes and singer Adalberto Santiago Fania.

¡¡Viva The Latin Jazz!!

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