Daymé Arocena
Cimafunk
Saturday, March 30th
North Beach Bandshell
7275 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33141
UNDarte, Miami Light Project and The Rhythm Foundation present Global Cuba Fest 2019 featuring Daymé Arocena and CIMAFUNK in Concert.
With her captivating charisma and radiant spirit, Daymé Arocena effortlessly blends traditional Santeria chant, jazz stylings, contemporary R&B influences, and Afro-Cuban rhythmic complexity for audiences worldwide. Her passion for the musical traditions of her homeland is boundless – “reigniting the Cuban soundtrack wherever she plays” (NPR). At every performance, Daymé coaxes her audiences into lively call-and-response chants with an irrepressible smile on her face, enamoring the whole audience in her charm. “Scat-singing over her trio’s swaying rhumbas and cha-cha-chas,” (DownBeat), Daymé’s impact upon the history of Cuban music is undeniable.
Erik Alejandro Rodriguez—known as Cimafunk—is the latest and hottest addition to Havana’s melting pot music scene. Born in Cuba’s rural province of Pinar del Rio, Erik sang at his church on Sundays before working odd jobs and eventually deciding to study medicine. After two years, he realized his calling was to create music, so he dropped out of school, moved to Havana, and began his journey as Cimafunk. In 2018, he saw record numbers of concert-goers at Cuba’s hottest cultural space, the Fábrica de Arte, which has launched his fanbase on and off the island. Cimafunk’s music blends a range of explosive funk and Afro-Cuban rhythms and rituals. Unlike anything happening in the world today, Cimafunk’s sounds are a sped up, highly danceable and Caribbean injected reckoning of “Brick House.” It’s unlike anything happening in the music world today.