René Avila band leader for a traditional Cuban Charanga band.  He has two ensembles, from a trio to a 9 piece band.  We have played for Chicago's Summerdance, Navy Pier's Beer Garden, Old Town School of Folk Music and various festivals throughout the city. Our ensembles play traditional Cuban from the golden ages of the 40's 50's and 60's still keeping the "Charanga" format.

Charanga is a classical chamber ensemble that came out of Haiti, featuring the unique sound of the french flute and violins.  During the Haitian revolution of 1804, this sound migrated to eastern Cuba where it reached Santiago.  In the space of 120 years, the modern Charanga was born by adding elements of Africa, Spain, Haiti and Cuba transforming it into an electric mix of cultures and one of the worlds most exciting dance genres.