Roots and rhythm, Cuban style

Conjunto 23 (pronounced “cone-hoon-toe vain-tee-tres”) is essentially a traditional Cuban band with some special Philadelphia twists: while their old-school sound is as swinging as the likes of Compay Segundo or Ibrahim Ferrer, their interest in jazz, soul, and the more modern sounds of Cuban timba (also read: “freaky, funky, no-holds-barred Cuban salsa”) gives the group a fresh, tight sound.

Founded as a quartet in 2001 by David Garlitz (tres, vocals), Jim Jordan (bass, vocals), Robin Moore (percussion, guitar, trumpet, and vocals), and Scott MacDonald (bongó, vocals), the group has performed concerts, given masterclasses, hosted dances, and performed for private functions up and down the East Coast.

Robin Moore - trumpet, percussion, guitar & vocals

Robin Moore is an Associate Professor in the School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. He has received awards including fellowships from the Rockfeller Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National Humanities Center. His written work includes Nationalizing Blackness: afrocubanismo and artistic revolution in Havana, 1920-1940 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997) and articles in the Latin American Music Review, Cuban Studies, Ethnomusicology , Encuentro de la cultura cubana, and other journals and book anthologies. His newest book, Music and Revolution (University of California Press, 2006) concerns musical performance in Cuba after 1959.

Jim Jordan - bass & vocals

Jim Jordan has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia in jazz ensembles, salsa bands, orchestras, and chorales. In addition to his busy performance schedule, Jim is the Executive Director of the American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter, and Instrumental Music Director at Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, PA.

Scott MacDonald - bongó & vocals

In addition to his work as bongocero for Conjunto 23, Scott MacDonald lives a double-life as an avant-garde drummer, performing with such noted Philadelphia ensembles as Tintinabulus, The Edge City Collective, and Matt Davis’ Aerial Photograph. Most recently, he has sold his soul to The Satans, an original rock project led by former Tintinabulus bassist John Thomas. Scott also holds a Masters’ Degree in Music Therapy from Temple University. He works as a music therapist at Albert Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia.

Dave Garlitz - Cuban tres & vocals

Dave Garlitz has played guitar, electric bass, and tres (a Cuban guitar with strings tuned in three pairs) in performances with pianist Elio Villafranca, the grammy-award winning Relâche Ensemble, and the national touring company of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, among others. He has performed and studied with various nationally recognized musicians in Cuba, including tresero Daniel Cos of the Santiago-based group Moneda Nacional. After completing a Masters’ Degree in Ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University, he moved to Paris where he recently recorded with Parisian salsa group La Contrabanda and performs regularly with the son septet Barrio del Este. He currently teaches guitar and electric bass at Ecole Koenig, a bilingual music school on the Left Bank.