This week’s guest is Ivan Llanes. In an ever-expanding and increasingly globalized music industry, Cuban American percussionist and singer Ivan Llanes stands out as one of the most exciting musicians of his generation. Originally hailing from Camaguey, Cuba, Ivan has earned himself a top tier reputation in New York City for both his broad range of percussion skills as well as his distinctive voice and song writing style. Ivan is currently a member of jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker’s quintet, with whom he has performed in notable jazz festivals throughout the United States and has been featured on TV shows including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Ivan is also lead vocalist with latin supergroup People of Earth, with whom he has performed alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New World Symphony, among others. Prior to relocating to the United States in 2011, Ivan toured Cuba, Europe and the United States with legendary Cuban flutist Maraca. Since moving to the United States, Ivan has performed and/or recorded with Grammy-winners Arturo O’Farrill, Nella, Carlinhos Brown, Descemer Bueno as well as with Emmy award winning composer Katreese Barnes. As a prolific and creative composer, Ivan has led collaborative projects on Congahead, the premiere latin music youtube channel, with over 250k views across his various productions. He also leads his own project, Ivan Llanes and The Cuban Way, which has performed in some of NYC’s most prestigious venues including National Sawdust, Bonafide, Fat Cat, the Bronx Museum, and at the Havana Film Festival. Currently, the group is completing its first album entitled “La Vida Misma”, scheduled for release in 2023. On the educational side of his career, Ivan has collaborated with organizations including 92Y, Carnegie Hall, and Marquis Studios to share his passion and knowledge with young people throughout New York and New Jersey. In Ivan’s words: “I play all Cuban music genres, as well as styles from the United States and beyond. There is always a message of love, peace, joy and acceptance in my playing and I believe that when I share my music, art and culture with the world I can make an impact”.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Hal Rosenfeld! Hal Rosenfeld is equal-parts composer, music producer, percussionist, and orchestrator whose work can be heard in nearly 250 films, television shows, and video games.

Hailed for his extreme versatility, creativity, and expansive production across all genres, Hal has been involved with projects that have garnered Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony recognition, including The Greatest Showman, Fosse/Verdon, In the Heights, Only Murders in the Building, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023), and Laufey's sophomore album Bewitched.

He recently co-scored NBC’s highly-acclaimed primetime sitcom American Auto and produced songs for Paramount’s upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Better Man (directed by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey). In March 2024, Hal was appointed by the U.S. Embassy of Egypt as musical director for their 2024 Egyptian International Women’s Day Concert and has music-directed acts for Junior Eurovision, Lollapalooza, and international stadium tours, including Rosa Linn's opening spot on Ed Sheeran's 2024 Mathematics Tour. In 2019, he co-produced the music for FX’s Emmy-winning miniseries Fosse/Verdon, starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, under Hamilton music director Alex Lacamoire.

He is prominently featured on blockbuster soundtracks such as Top Gun: Maverick, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Chicken Run 2, Fortnite, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and groundbreaking Netflix series The Witcher.

Working outside of film and television, Hal has appeared with Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Hozier, Yoko Ono, Kanye West, Jonas Brothers, Hans Zimmer, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Sting, Imogen Heap, Cuco, and Rosa Linn, as well as on albums that total millions of unit sales and over 1 billion Spotify streams, globally. His orchestrations have been performed by symphonic orchestras worldwide, including the LA Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; he is a recurring musical guest on Sweden’s TV variety show Bingolotto.

Aside from music, he actively raises funds and awareness to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Hal currently lives in Los Angeles, where he once made prolonged eye contact with Emma Watson at a party.

Happy Birthday to Mike Robinson! Mike is a Los Angeles Based drummer with years of touring and recording experience. He has performed live and/or on record with K.Flay, Del Water Gap, JOSEPH, Blame My Youth, morgxn, The Chain Gang of 1974 and many more. He also host’s the podcast and instagram page, Food on Tour.

Happy Birthday to Camilo Molina! Camilo is a thirty-two year old accomplished percussionist from New York City. At the age of two, Camilo began studying with Los Pleneros de la 21 – a community based group dedicated to playing folkloric Puerto Rican music – in their children’s workshop. It was as a student in the workshops where Camilo met his first teachers: Alberto “Tito” Cepeda and Juan Gutierrez. Advancing in skill through the years, Camilo has progressed from a student to a teacher for the community workshops offered by Los Pleneros de la 21. At the age of Four, also Camilo began to study at Boys Harbor Conservatory of Latin Music with renowned percussionists Johnny Almendra and Louie Bauzó. Camilo is also a graduate of The Julliard School of Music (2003) under the MAP/PATH programs.

In the fall of 2000, Camilo had the honor of being selected as one of ten semifinalists to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Afro-Latin Hand Drum Competition. He went on to become a finalist and was selected as the third place winner, who, at age ten was the youngest finalist in the 14-year history of the competition. That year, Camilo received a proclamation from the City Council of New York honoring him for his musical talents and achievements. He was also the recipient of the Celia Cruz Scholarship (2004) and The Harbor Achievement Award (2001). Camilo has recorded on 3 Grammy Award Nominated albums (Eddie Palmieri’s “Rumbero de Piano”, Los Pleneros de la 21’s “Para Todos Ustedes” and Papo Vazquez’s “Marooned/Aislado”) and contributed his talents to an Emmy Award winning documentary, Banco Populars “Sono, Sono: Tribute to Tite Curet”.

Camilo continues to make a name for himself early in his career, performing with acts varying in musical genres and styles. He is currently on tour as a member of Eddie Palmieri’s Orchestra. In addition, he has toured, recorded and performed with artists such as Santana, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Grusin, Los Pleneros de la 21, Miguel Zenón, Elio Villafranca, Teatro Pregones, Viento de Agua, John Santos, The Pimps of Joytime, Adonis Puentes, Iffy the Badman, Angel "Papo" Vasquez, Tato Torres y Yerbabuena, The Curtis Brothers, Sonido Solar, Jeremy Bosch, and many more.

Happy Birthday to Bobby Allende! Bobby Allende is one of the first call-session percussionists who have grown beyond his core specialty of salsa. His versatile style has led him to work with the likes of David Byme, Grover Washington, Jr., and Gato Barbieri. Allende is currently performing and recording with Marc Anthony. In the Afro-Cuban arena, Allende is one of the few percussionists that is equally adept on conga, bongo, or timbale. Having moved into a larger area of music, he has embraced a broader spectrum of percussion to not only color the music, but to propel it using his aggressive style of New York playing. -Read More

Happy Birthday to Sarah Gallo! She is a travel blogger, social media expert and owns a consulting company. This is her bio so you can learn more about her…..

Hi, I’m Sarah, The Five Foot Traveler, and I choose to dream out loud. After conquering a crippling fear of flying, I’ve developed an unquenchable passion for traveling. Since my newfound freedom, I have set foot on all seven continents, explored 112 countries, and continue to strive to live life to the fullest. My highlights include paragliding through the Swiss Alps, ringing in the New Year on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, jumping off the world's highest bungee bridge in South Africa, trekking through Patagonia, seeing sea lions bathe their newborn pups in the Galapagos Islands, hiking from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee in Israel, bushcamping in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and polar plunging in Antarctica on Christmas Day.

The reality is that I hunger for more. I want to eliminate the stereotype and prove that women can hang with the guys, even someone only five feet tall! Because of my size and gender, people are concerned for me when I travel. No, I won’t get kidnapped in Brazil or sold as a sex slave in Thailand or become infected with Ebola in Africa – I refuse to live my life in fear. I will not shy away from anyone, anything or anyplace. I have been chased by Jordanian thugs, unceremoniously dumped from a bus in the middle of the Argentinean desert, eaten caterpillars with African tribes, and swam in the icy waters of Antarctica on Christmas Day.

I want to leave my footprint on the world, all while smiling, laughing, and discovering our extraordinary planet. More than anything in my life, traveling has prepared me for adult independence. From planning trips, to navigating foreign cities, to fostering international friendships, I've learned more about myself than I ever did in University. It's forced me to put myself out there, to figure out the answers to my own questions, to manage my own finances, and to be creative when confronted with unexpected roadblocks. It's taught me to appreciate the life that I've been given by opening my eyes to various cultures and customs worldwide.

Gig Alerts

The Dead and Company have a residency in Las Vegas at The Sphere. New dates have just been added!

Ivan Llanes has his album release show at Joe’s Pub in NYC on Friday May 31st at 9.30pm. Tickets are $25.

Damon will be playing with Billy Ruegger at Cisco Brewery on Nantucket, Boston, and Portsmouth, NH as well as the Brotherhood of Thieves this week.

Educational Spotlight

In collaboration with Drum Corps International, the College Band Directors National Association, Fran Kick, The Midwest Clinic, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the National Band Association, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the Percussive Arts Society, and Winter Guard International, offers future music educators the opportunity to learn outside of their normal university curriculum and provides a platform to ask questions to those who have been in their shoes through a variety of interactive sessions and activities. -Read More

Iconic Recording

The iconic recording was picked by Ivan and is from his new release, “La Vida Misma”. The song is called “Soy Yo”.

Music News

Friend of the show, Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez needs some help with the recovery of his health. If you are able, you can DONATE HERE.

Motown founder Berry Gordy donates $5 million to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center.

Berry Gordy, the founder of the iconic Motown Records, has pledged a $5 million donation to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The new center, launching in the 2024-25 academic year, will position the school’s new music industry degree program as a national leader. -Article

After years of speculation, the Justice Department and 30 state attorneys general have officially filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, seeking, among other things, the split of the promoter from its Ticketmaster subsidiary.

The DOJ submitted that all-encompassing suit to a New York federal court today, accusing the defendants of “monopolizing markets across the live concert industry.” Live Nation has already fired back against the corresponding press conference and the long-expected complaint itself, which is spurring a number of comments from both in and beyond the music industry. -Article

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sheila E. (@sheilaedrummer)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Robert Reich (@rbreich)

Ivan Llanes Interview

The song leading into the interview is, “Habana - New York” from Ivan’s new album.

Last time Ivan was on, he was singing with P.O.E. (People of Earth) and also playing with Matthew Whitaker.

Ivan talks about his new album, “La Vida Misma”. He co-wrote half of the album and had other writers for the rest of the album.

Ivan writes his music with the rhythms and beat first.

Ivan talks about the lyric writing process and inspirations.

He sings on the entire album. He also filmed videos at the same time as recording the track.

Ivan talks about the personnel on the album.

Shout-out to Marcos Torres and Javier Raez for their help on this album.

Ivan has his album release party at Joe’s Pub on Friday May 31st.

Ivan and his group will also play in Times Square on July 11th at 5pm.

Ivan talks about the evolution of his ideas/voice note snippets.

Ivan talks about Timba.

Ivan is on tour with Matthew Whitaker doing masterclasses and performances.

Ivan talks about balance and dividing up his time between the different things he is involved in and his family.

Ivan has a production group with his wife, Tainnã Chagas, called Aiale Productions. They do everything from planning events to children’s clinics and more.

Damon brings up NACA. He also mentions WOMEX.