Havana to Maine: Things Are Heating Up At OLS With Habana Sax
by Liz Pettengill, Community Outreach Director, OLS
Habana Sax Publicity Photo
Researching and writing about Habana Sax is just about as complex and exciting as the band’s lively and unique blend of Afro-Cuban, Salsa, Latin, Jazz and Brazilian music.
This brass quintet is venturing all the way up to Maine direct from Havana and bringing with them a hot sound like this state has never heard before.
As all of their promotional materials appear to be in Spanish, this writer did the best she could to translate using her limited broken knowledge of the language, but deemed it best to paint a new picture from scratch, inspired solely by the band’s music.
Picture this, take one member of Portland Symphony Orchestra, one member of Portland Jazz Orchestra and three members of Primo Cubano. Put them into a blender and “Voila!” here you have Habana Sax.
There’s a little something for just about any genre of music lover in their mix; complex and intricate rhythms for the jazz enthusiasts, well crafted, smooth orchestral transitions for the symphony lovers and just the right mix of samba and salsa for the dancing crowds. Their spiced up rendition of In The Mood speaks to the swing crowds, and with some of their songs layering in a mix of rhythmic lyrics for just the right hint of hip hop, they truly are a melting pot of musical greatness.
“I’ve seriously never heard anything like it before.” said one Portland resident. “Some of the most intricate and exciting new music I’ve heard in a while.”
One Longfellow Square is the perfect venue for these various music communities to come together to experience something truly unique that’s sure to help heat up our usual grey and dreary March.
There will be limited seating for the show, so folks who want to sit back and dissect the intricate rhythms can do so, while those looking to shake their stuff will have plenty of space to show off their best dance moves.
The band makes their Maine appearance on March 19th at 8pm. As always, all shows at OLS are all ages. Tickets for what’s sure to be the hottest night in Portland are just $25 in advance and can be purchased at onelongfellowsquare.com.
