Despite a flurry of cancellations and a fluid schedule, the organizers of the ninth annual Viva! Chicago put together a diverse, exciting program of Latin music that attracted a large, culturally diverse audience to Grant Park on Saturday.
Closing off the Day Stage, Bertin y Lalo, from Guerrero province in Mexico, provided a winning mix of island rhythms and traditional Mexican dance music, with a stylistic touch of country and western for good measure. Their uptempo tropical ranchero was buoyed by a tight rhythm section and Lalo’s deft classical guitar leads.
Acapulco-Chicago octet Condesa opened the Petrillo Music Shell concert with an exuberant blend of cumbia and Italian pop. Nattily dressed in black shirts and cream suits, the group produced a big, slick pop sound, and striking lead vocalists Betzaida and Alex Manjarrez produced a warm, appealing vocal blend.
Grupo Rana, a big, brash show band from Guatemala, turned in a tight, bouncy set of soca, complemented by the four-vocalist front line’s choreographed dance moves and funky melodic punctuation from the crack horn section.
Tito Rojas represented Puerto Rico with his distinctive brand of tropical salsa. Rojas’ athletic singing and the relaxed grooves of his 12-member orchestra suited his dramatic, soulful material.
Carlos Cuevas, the King of Bolero, worked with a simple light-jazz quartet, but it was his commanding, almost operatic tenor that was the focal point of his set of lush, romantic tunes. Dressed in a dark, conservative suit, Cuevas offered few surprises, but gave a bravura performance that pleased his vocal, mostly female, fans.
Aida Cuevas is possibly Mexico’s most high-profile musical export. Her set of musica ranchera was the most traditional of the main stage sets. Cuevas was accompanied by a wonderful young, unplugged band, Mariachi Toronquila. The band performed its own brief set before Carlos Cuevas came on. As Carlos wrapped up his set, in an ingenious bit of musical tag-teaming, the two vocalists and their bands did a single duet with both bands onstage, leading directly into Aida Cuevas’ set. Her uptempo set showcased Cuevas’ equally amazing voice, which boasts a remarkable vibrato. For the encore, Carlos returned for an audience sing-along on the standard “Volver Volver.”
