Charanga del Norte release new tracks from their forthcoming LP and CD releases: Album Havanaise and EP Caballo Charanguero and will be touring the new material in 2027.
Available on Bandcamp: https://charangadelnorte.bandcamp.com/music
Charanga del Norte release new tracks from their forthcoming LP and CD releases: Album Havanaise and EP Caballo Charanguero and will be touring the new material in 2027.
Available on Bandcamp: https://charangadelnorte.bandcamp.com/music
For this special performance at Leeds City Varieties on Thursday 18 June the band perform reworkings of Serge Gainsbourg’s Latin music from the 1950s and early 1960s alongside their new original material and Cuban charanga classics from both Havana and New York. They launch their new singles ‘Caballo Charanguero’ and ‘Pa’ La Escuelita’ alongside their new Serge Gainsbourg-inspired album ‘Havanaise’ exclusively at Leeds City Varieties. Book your tickets now!
The new Yorkshire Tango Quintet has been set up by Sue Miller to play the music of Astor Piazzolla.
It features:
Sue Miller on piano
José Canha on double bass
Bob Davis on accordion
Jiannis Pavlidis on guitar
Nick Williams on violin
The quintet will be performing in 2026 – contact Sue for more information and bookings.
“Latin” Gainsbourg and the Parisian Nightclub Scene
Sue Miller (Leeds Becket University)
That Serge Gainsbourg made use of Cuban music on recordings such as “Mambo Miam Miam” (mambo/chachachá), “L’Eau à la Bouche” and “Cha cha cha du Loup” (chachachá), and “Couleur Café” (Cuban son), is well known. Perhaps less explored, at least in terms of musical influence, is Gainsbourg’s background as a performer and musical director within the 1950s Paris nightclub scene and the important role his father Joseph Ginsburg had on his musical development. Both Joseph and Serge (Lucien) Ginsburg worked in Paris cabarets and the history of live music in Paris therefore holds a key to understanding Gainsbourg’s eclectic artistic output.
Animation by Ged Haney of Charanga del Norte’s track ‘Los Problemas de Atilana’ based on research by Prof. Sue Miller, Dr Sarah Bowen and Cuban dancer Guillermo Davis on the televised version of ‘Los Problemas de Atilana’ by Orquesta Aragón in 1965. The flute solo by Sue Miller is a development of the solo by flute player Richard Egües which was danced by Rafael Bacallao. The animated Rafael here reflects the dance moves and musical gestures of Egües and Bacallao with a few new references and dance moves included for good measure!
“With its gorgeous retro cover art and deliberate golden age smarts Pachanga Time feels like a crate-digger’s rare find… it ‘manages to bottle the fun and liveliness of a genre with tongue-in-cheek flare.” Jane Cornwell.
This practice research by Prof. Sue Miller, Guillermo Davis and Dr Sarah Bowen is based on the analysis of a live performance on Cuban television of ‘Los Problemas de Atilana’ by Orquesta Aragón in the early 1960s, where musical gestures are shown to be embodied in the flute and dance solo ‘duet’ performed by Cuban flautist Richard Egües and dancer Rafael Bacallao. Through re-performance and re-presentation in the form of a recording and short animations, the many meanings embodied in the original performance are examined through analytical text, musical notation, visuals, recordings and animation film. The article will be published soon in the British Forum for Ethnomusicology Journal and below are some of the animations made to go with this article. Animations are by Cuban dancer-animator Guillermo Davis and the music is recorded by Sue Miller (flute) and her band Charanga del Norte.
Sue Miller was interviewed on the radio programme Tropicana Musical in Brazil by ethnomusicologist and broadcaster Edwin Pitre and is now available as a podcast.The interview on the history of Cuban charanga is mostly in Spanish and features music from Orquesta Tata Peireira, Arcano y sus Maravillas, Fajardo y sus Estrellas, Orquesta Aragon, Orquesta Belisario Lopez, Orquesta Broadway, Charlie Palmieri y su Charanga Duboney, Johnny Pacheco y su Charanga, Estrellas Cubanas, Orquesta Sublime and Charanga Rubalcaba.
Kiko Helguera of Radio 3 de España features Charanga del Norte’s new track ‘Mack the Knife’ from their new album Pachanga Time.
DJ Irfan Rainy features Charanga del Norte’s new track ‘Bronx Pachanga’ from their new album Pachanga Time on his global Soul radio.