Conjunto 23

Dave Garlitz - Cuban tres & vocals

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:47:39 +0000

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.

Scott MacDonald - bongó & vocals

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:45:51 +0000

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.

Jim Jordan - bass & vocals

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:43:13 +0000

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.

Robin Moore - trumpet, percussion, guitar & vocals

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:39:20 +0000

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.

Roots and rhythm, Cuban style

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:35:09 +0000

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.

Booking Info:

admin — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:56:56 +0000

Conjunto 23 is available for all your private events, as a quartet, quintet, or sextet.

For bookings in the United States, contact:

Jim Jordan
(610) 896-1571
(267) 257-5117
soundsabound78@yahoo.com

For bookings in Europe, contact:

David Garlitz
01.40.59.98.30
06.08.00.51.95
dgarlitz@wesleyan.edu

RUBA Hall

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:56:49 +0000

The Conjunto 23 quartet returns to RUBA Hall on Friday, June 27th, 2008. As usual, the band will get the dance floor nice and hot with a Cuban-style rueda dance lesson, so get there early if you want to learn the steps! The doors open at 9pm, and the party goes until 3am!

RUBA Hall is located at 414 Green St. in Philadelphia (around the block from the old Silk City). To stay abreast of the latest info, get on the mailing list.

Gordon-Zolov Wedding

admin — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:11:19 +0000

June 29, 2008 - 1:00 pm -

June 29th Brooklyn, NY Private Event

Bios

admin — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:10:19 +0000

Soon you’ll be able to find out all about the band here.

New Tracks from the Sextet

admin — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:08:38 +0000

Maria Teresa - an original arrangement of an obscure son from the 1920’s, this track has fast become one of the favorites in the Conjunto 23 repertoire. The lyrics and rough melodic structure come from Sexteto Boloña’s “A La Cuata Co y Co,” among the first sones to be recorded. This version features [...]