Chimbala attends Premios Juventud 2021 at Watsco Center on July 19, 2021 in Coral Gables, Florida.
Jason Koerner/GIDembow is having a moment, and hopping on the wave is pioneer Chimbala (real name: Leury José Tejeda Brito), who is recruiting colleagues for a forthcoming “bajo mundo” festival in New York, Billboard has learned.
Produced and presented by MTW Live, “Chimbala y El Movimiento” will gather renowned artists and newcomers in the flourishing dembow genre, including Bulova, Chucky 73, Dowba Montana, Juhn, Aventura’s Lenny & Max, Mozart La Para, Alex Sensation and Insuperable, with more performers to be announced in the coming weeks.
“Chimbala is an advocate of his colleagues and peers,” Diana Dotel, event organizer and founder of MTW Live, tells Billboard. “I wanted to always create shows in dembow but back in the days it was really underground. Chimbala loves and believes in this genre so much that I’m glad that we can do this and that it came together.”
The event is set to take place on March 26 at the staple United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights.
“I think it’s time,” Dotel elaborates. “This music has been around for a while and now it’s going mainstream. The only way the genre can evolve is by doing these types of shows and opening the doors so that these artists can begin touring. I think this event is going to help the expansion of the genre.”
But New York is only the beginning.
“We want to take it to several markets, and really push forward these guys that have been doing it for so long,” she adds. “There’s a reason so many artists are tapping into this rhythmic and provocative genre [Anuel, Rosalia, Myke Towers]. There’s definitely a lot of plans to keep growing.”
Tickets for Chimbala y El Movimiento are already on sale at ticketmaster.com.
10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced that he is leaving the band because the demands of touring have become too much for him.
The 75-year-old musician, who also spent time performing with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works, has chosen to walk away from the legendary rock group after more than five decades.
He shared: “After so many wonderful years with 10cc, I must admit that the rigours of touring are no longer manageable for me as I get older, and I feel it’s time to let go of the long hours in airports and endless travel on buses.
“I’m not planning to stop playing altogether. I will still perform but at a pace that feels right, working alongside old friends and a new group of fellow musicians called The Guilty Men.”
Frontman Graham Gouldman confessed that it will feel unusual to perform without his “longest-running musical associate.”
He explained: “When Paul and I first joined forces in 10cc, we never could have imagined that we’d still be at it after 30 years, let alone 52.
“Paul has been my longest musical partner and it will feel different to turn around and see another drummer, but I completely understand why he no longer wants to sit on a plane for 14 hours or wake up in a new hotel every day for weeks at a time.”
Ben Stone, who has previously played with Mike and The Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler, will be taking over on drums.
Paul, who had several runs with 10cc after joining in 1973, performed his final show with the I’m Not In Love band in Alexandria, Virginia this past September.
The group is set to continue their And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour in the UK next year.
