Los Van Van: Juan Formell (vocals, bass); Roberto Hernandez (vocals, congas); Pedro "Pedrito" Calvo, Mario "Mayito" Rivera (vocals); Gerardo Miro, Pedro Cesar Fajardo (violin); Jorge Leliebre (flute, maracas, background vocals); Hugo Morejon (trombone, organ, synthesizer); Edmundo Pina (trombone, percussion); Alvaro Collado (trombone); Cesar "Pupi" Pedroso (piano); Boris Luna (keyboards); Samuel Formell (drums, timbales, cambana); Manuel Navarrera (tumbadora); Julio Norna (guiro).
Additional personnel: Angel Bonne (vocals); Dagoberto Gonzalez (conductor); Jose Antonio Perez Fuentes, Irving Frontela Risco, Silvio Desquesne, Hugo Cruz, Julio Cesar Garcia Dominguez, Joe Ihosvany Conyedo (violin); Adel Gonzalez Gomez (tumbadora, quinto); Julio Cesar Lemoines (tumbadora); Geovani Del Pinto Rodriguez (campanita); Francisco "Pancho" Terry (chekere).
Producers: Charlie Dos Santos, Juan Formell.
Recorded at Adbala Studios, Mirimar, La Habana, Cuba.
LLEGO...VAN VAN: VAN VAN IS HERE won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Salsa Performance.
LLEGO...VAN VAN: VAN VAN IS HERE was nominated for the 2000 Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Performance.
Los Van Van's Llegó Van Van shows off their diverse, energetic sound once more. Produced by group leader Juan Formell and engineer Charlie Dos Santos, the band's first release on Havana Caliente features their spicy mix of timba, songo, charanga, salsa, jazz, and rock, and songs like "Permiso Que Llego Van Van" explain why they are still Cuba's most popular dance band. ~ Heather Phares
A rich and raw ensemble of horns, vocals, violins, and congas make the point that this album is strictly intended to generate the movement of one and only one body part: the hips. It is no wonder that the Yoruba gods make an appearance in the lyrics of the opening track, "Permiso Que Llego Van Van"--Chango and others step up to the mic to personally sing praise to the legacy that is Van Van. Traditional drumbeats like these return on "Consuelate Come Yo," where Mario "Mayiuto" Rivera laments ardently over a broken heart. But Van Van next adds a dash of sugar to the mix, slipping into the cheerful salsa sound of "Temba, Timba, Tumba." Flute-driven rhythms support this sassy, Sunday-afternoon tune. But beware: the mood swings radically toward something dark and edgy when Mayuito sings again in the hard-hitting mix of vocals and conga beats that is "La Bomba Soy Yo." Van Van has three decades of strength and experience under its belt and this album proves that the band has enough vision and talent to drive itself even deeper into the heart and soul of Cuban sound. minimize