Plena Libre Summer Tour Supporting New Live in Monterrey Release

Plena Libre will be touring this summer to support its new live album Plena al Salsero – Live in Monterrey, Mexico. The next concerts will be Saturday, July 19 in Ithaca, New York at Grass Roots Festival and Sunday, July 20 in the Bronx, New York.

Founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico,  by bass player/composer Gary Núñez, Plena Libre is well into a 15-year voyage that has seen the orchestra re-invent the sound of Puerto Rico’s plena and bomba traditions. During that time, Gary and his group have recorded 12 stellar albums which have garnered four Grammy nominations. In taking their unparalleled live show to the world, the group has spread the gospel of their unique Afro-Rican sound on international jazz festival stages from Montreal to Milan and Denmark to Veracruz. This year, with debuts on the horizon that include the Playboy Jazz Festival and Morocco’s Fes Jazz in Riad’s Festival, Plena Libre finally has a CD that shows its live energy. 

Plena Libre’s lineup now includes Núñez’s son, Luis Gabriel Núñez, a chorus and pandero’s player who makes his recording debut here. He joins Plena Libre veterans Kalie Villanueva (singer), Pole Ortiz (singer), Victor Vélez (singer and percussion), Kachiro Thompson (congas), Rafi Falu (handdrum), Roly López (piano), Raúl Rosario (timbales), Cesar Ayala, Moises Cancel and Gamaliel González (trombones).