Afro-Cuban All Stars in Jacksonville

Afro-Cuban All Stars are a Cuban ensemble formed in 1996 by bandleader Juan de Marcos González. The group plays son cubano, mambo, cha-cha-cha, salsa and Afro-Cuban jazz, drawing on musicians from several generations. Its debut album, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta, was recorded during the Havana sessions that also produced Buena Vista Social Club. After the album appeared in 1997, the ensemble began touring internationally in theatres and at jazz and world-music festivals. The personnel has changed over the years, while the concert format has retained a large orchestra of singers, brass, piano, bass and Afro-Cuban percussion under the direction of Juan de Marcos González.