Caña Son, named after sugarcane, caña – pronounced cahnya, is a tribute to an integral part of Cuba’s history and culture, and the birthplace of son.
Juanito Maribona formed Caña Son in 2003 to revive son’s rich traditions, and honor the great composers of the genre. The band plays lesser-known son classics alongside legendary tunes from the early 1900s to the 1950s. Caña Son is part of a wave of young musicians world-wide re-introducing this style into the Latin mainstream. Caña Son has gained an enthusiastic and dedicated local fan base, highlight performances include jam sessions with Jesus Alemany’s Cubanísmo band, the Poncho Sanchez Ensemble in 2004, and sessions with musicians such as, Juan de Díos Ramos, Miguel Bernal, Michael Spiro, Scott Wardinski, Israel Annoh, and Bobby Torres.
Memorable public performances include the Grand Floral Parade at the 99th Annual “Portland Rose Festival” 2006, “Oregon Bite Festival” 2006, “Salem Bite” 2006-7, “Cinco de Mayo Festival” 2004-7, “Salsa en la Calle Festival” 2005-7, Les Schwab Amphitheater 2007, and the “Mount Hood Jazz Festival” 2008.
Caña Son is:
juanito maribona – vocals & percussion
ruben torres – cuatro & vocals
isidro valor-perez – Cuban percussion & vocals
jackson coffey – Cuban percussion
alvaro criado – bass
derek sims – trumpet
nelson morales-viera – piano & vocals
