Tiempo Libre

As teenagers in Cuba, Tiempo Libre’s members studied classical music by day at Havana’s rigorous Russian-style conservatory La ENA.  At night they met up to play the traditional music of their island. After emigrating to the United States, the men formed Tiempo Libre, a band that has become known around the world for its sophisticated, dance-inducing concerts of a Cuban style of music called timba – a joyful combination of Latin jazz, traditional Cuban “son,” and other musical elements. Since their inception, they have garnered three Grammy nominations, the most recent for their album Bach in Havana, which melds classical tunes by Johann Sebastian Bach with the soul-stirring rhythms of salsa, merengue, and cha-cha.