TIMELY To Yesterday’s News Of Expanded Travel To Cuba…
Groundbreaking & Influential Afro-Latin (Urbano) Fusion Collective
YERBA BUENA Returns With Long-Awaited
New Music This Friday, May 20
First Single: “The Man with the Hat and the Tan” (ManHatTan) is a Musical Love Letter To The Shared Cultures of New York And Havana
With Special Guests Jon Batiste, Pedrito Martínez, Dayme Arocena, Alain Perez and Ron Blake Set For May 20th Release
“a musicologist’s dream… a revolving crew, packed with guests [create] a joyful, ever-evolving, border-hopping groove… of funk, hip-hop, jazz, [Caribbean] and African Music… something serious gained for pop music” – NEW YORK TIMES
“Producer-composer-guitarist Andres Levin is a master chef of urban fusion… The vanguard of Latin music from New York, Yerba Buena takes Afro-Latin fusion to new heights… a roiling Caribbean caldron that blends rumba, cumbia, rap, Afrobeat and Santeria chants… They’re like a multi-ethnic gathering of friends who share one another’s music with the wonder that it all somehow synchronizes.” – L.A. TIMES
Watch First Video Trailer HERE
PRE-SAVE Song HERE & Watch For Additional Advance Singles & New Album To Follow
As the Latin-Urban fusion sound they helped pioneer and provide future influence for now dominates Latin charts and global streaming numbers, GRAMMY-winning producer, song-writer & guitarist Andres Levin is meeting long-running fan requests to reinvent his groundbreaking YERBA BUENA project. The first incarnation of Yerba Buena was a critically praised revolving collective of multicultural musicians and all-star special guests far ahead of the musical curve at the time of their debut, with a unique fusion bringing together the sounds Of Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban & wider Caribbean/LATAM rhythms, with elements of classic Funk, R&B, Hip-Hop and even Jazz influences. (See more history below). Now Yerba Buena 2.0 will emerge this year, once again as a fluid collective creating a unified voice for the Caribbean, built around select original members, standout new generation musicians that reside in and have strong ties to the region and its neighboring Latin American countries, and many more well-known special guests to be announced.
A first advance single will arrive with the May 20th release of “Man with the Hat and the Tan” (ManHatTan) – featuring Jon Batiste, Pedrito Martínez, Dayme Arocena, Alain Perez and Ron Blake. The song is a loosely autobiographical tale about Levin’s travels around the Caribbean after many decades in New York City. The track will launch with an official music video, directed by Levin and Wes Walker and filmed on location in New York City and the Caribbean. The song was mixed by Mario Caldato Jr. (aka Mario C.) of Beastie Boys and Jack Johnson fame. “The Man with the Hat and the Tan,” additional advance singles to follow shortly, and a planned fall album are being released by Levin’s new label venture Andres’ new label venture & lifestyle platform Tribe Caribe.
“I feel the fusion of the Caribbean and Latin American cultures is a necessary musical exploration for me and hopefully many others. The album will feature artists from countries like Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and more. We’re calling it Tríbe Caríbe,” says Levin of the project and movement.
“Smoking Hot… Resistance is futile. Dance you must, and dance you will” – Washington Post
“a gorgeous synthesis of Afro-Cuban grooves, banging hip-hop, fiery salsa and all-out funk. ” –NY Daily News
“an entirely new form of Latin music. … a dizzying stew of African rhythms, and pop sensibilities” – Newsday
“massive doses of Afro-Cuban beatdowns that massage the soul and blister the feet. Yerba Buena may well ignite the first U.S. urban Latino music revolution since the 1970s.”-Village Voice
“a rollicking fusion of rumba, cumbia, boogaloo, Afrobeat and Nuyorican soul.
…the most smoking Afro-Latin groove since the Fania All Stars”- Timeout
“an astonishing, sexy and whimsical Latin/urban fusion project [that has] created breathtaking records… Yerba Buena has a command over Latin forms that erases national boundaries and pulverizes time constraints — moving deftly from guajira to salsa to son, they’re also perfectly adept at incorporating the music of the American street…The band is a powerhouse unit, while the roster of guests is startling in its variety — Celia Cruz, Carlinhos Brown, John Leguizamo, Les Nubians, Bobby Valentin, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, Money Mark, Marc Ribot, and Roy Hargrove, among many others” – ALL MUSIC
About YERBA BUENA
Founded and led by Grammy winning producer Andres Levin, YERBA BUENA was an innovative collective of Latin, Afro-Caribbean and New York musicians, far ahead of the musical curve at the time of their debut, with their unique multicultural fusion bringing together the sounds Of Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban & wider Caribbean/LATAM rhythms, with elements of classic Funk, R&B, hip-hop and even Jazz influences from their New York City homebase. Layered on top of that foundation was a multiple vocalist & rapper presentation ranging from Spanish, Spanglish, English, Yoruba chants and more. Upon the release of their debut album President Alien, and a string of ‘fast-spreading word of mouth introductory concerts across Lower Manhattan. Yerba Buena was quickly embraced by young multinational fans across the city – who heard both the rhythms of their heritage and their new urban home calling them to the dance floor. The fast-rising buzz did not take long to reach New York’s music critics, with The New York Times quickly declaring Yerba Buena as ” a musicologist’s dream… a joyful, ever-evolving, border-hopping groove… something serious gained for [popular music].” Interview Magazine was even more prophetic, when they declared Yerba Buena as: “…the future sound of Afro-Latin Urban America” – proving true in that the influence of the band can still be easily heard in Latin music’s now once-again skyrocketing embrace of Caribbean and Urban fusions.
Within months, the excitement about Yerba Buena had also reached the ears of other musicians and show bookers around the country. Dave Matthews, embraced their sound, and elevated Yerba Buena from the New York Club scene to the opening slot of several arena shows across the country, they also opened for Juanes (a passionate supporter of their sound) at Madison Square Garden, opened multiple Midwest shows for Ray Charles, made multiple appearances at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, performed a bilingual Cumbia inspired version of the National Anthem for the Red Sox at Fenway Park and had the privilege to open the last-ever New York City performance of Celia Cruz at Central Park SummerStage, It was not long before Yerba Buena also reached National TV visibility, as they performed a tribute to Celia at The Kennedy Center for PBS’ Hispanic Heritage Awards, and then appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien – which could arguably be the first Latin Urbano appearance on U.S. Late Night TV.
While it is usually difficult to hold together large ensemble collectives for long periods of time, Yerba Buena burned bright across several years of touring and two groundbreaking albums – their GRAMMY-nominated debut “President Alien” and critically-praised follow-up “Island Life.” Even after the original band foundation disbanded, its legacy continued to grow, as members went on to win Grammy Awards, co-write record-breaking Latin chart hits, appear on Broadway, become a permanent member of The Dave Matthews Band, and a regular member of the Saturday Night live house band. Now, as the Latin-Urban sound they helped pioneer dominates Latin charts and global streaming, a Yerba Buena 2.0 collective is set to return once again helmed by Andres Levin, with a combination of original and exciting new musicians… and of course prominent special guests once again. A first taste of this new chapter will arrive in May with the upcoming first single release of “Man-hat-tan” featuring Jon Batiste, Pedrito Martínez, Dayme Arocena, Alain Perez and Ron Blake.
About TRIBE CARIBE
Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/composer/artist Andres Levin brings the latest and greatest in Latin and Caribbean sounds with his new music and lifestyle venture, Tríbe Caríbe. The brand endeavors to bridge the gap between greater Latin America and English, Spanish and French-speaking Caribbean countries. From Afro Cuban to Cumbia, Reggae and Reggaeton, Salsa, Soca, Latin Trap and beyond, Tríbe Caríbe is set on fostering creative collaborations and pushing the progressive sounds of these markets and genres globally.
For More Information on ANDRES LEVIN, YERBA BUENA & TRIBE CARIBE,
News Source: John Reilly / jreilly@jrprmusic.com
