Orquesta Afinke & Alex Cuba

Orquesta Afinke

Orquesta Afinke is a remarkable Spanish musical band comprising ten seasoned music veterans. Afinke, a traditional Spanish slang widely used by musicians, represents a musical group playing collectively as a team. Orquesta Afinke is led by trombonist Tito Planas and percussionist Samuel Diaz Jr., two music educators who have worked with prominent artists such as Frankie Negron, Tony Vega, Choco Orta, Charlie Cruz, Kevin Ceballo, Raulin Rosendo, Hermanos Moreno amongst other renowned music makers of the Latin music scene.

Individually, the group members bring a unique experience promoting the Spanish music culture, Jazz, and Latin musical genre. Orquesta Afinke is a team of spirited entertainers who have performed in multiple locations and different audiences. As a group, they have succeeded in delivering groundbreaking music cutting across a vast genre of music. With great love for all forms of music, the band performs the traditional Latin American genres including Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Boleros, Plena, Latin jazz, among others.

The Orquesta Afinke team is loved for its cheerful and danceable music accompanied by an attention-grabbing display of musicality. Much like any other music group, Orquesta Afinke seamlessly harmonizes their music and stage performances alike to create an invigorating atmosphere for any audience. Its repertoire consists of well-known songs as well as original compositions orchestrated specifically for our ensemble.

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Alex Cuba

Born Alexis Puentes in Artemisa, Cuba, was immersed in music at a very young age, joining his father’s (respected guitarist and teacher Valentin Puentes) group of 24 guitarists.

Alex then went on to record his solo debut album Humo De Tobaco in which earned him a Juno award for World Music Album of the Year in 2006. In 2007, Alex released Agua Del Pozo which also earned him another Juno award for World Music Album of the Year in 2008.

From there, Alex released his third album, a self-titled project Alex Cuba in 2009. The album features his first ever English track titled “If You Give Me Love”. The album gained recognition on an international level. In 2010, Alex took home the award for Best New Artist at the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards, where it was also nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Album. It also followed a nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards and in 2011 Alex took home a BMI Latin Award for his songwriting on Nelly Furtado’s #1 Spanish hit “Manos Al Aire”. In 2012, Alex released his fourth album Ruido En El Sistema, which Alex received his second Socan Hagood Hardy Award for outstanding achievement in Jazz and World Music.

He also won his second Latin Grammy Award – this time as a songwriter, alongside co-writer Yoel Henriquez received the award for Best Tropical Song for the Milly Quezada’s single, “Toma Mi Vida”. In 2013, he again brought home a Latin Grammy for the video “Eres Tu“ from Ruido En El Sistema, a video produced entirely in his hometown of Smithers.

Alex Cuba’s 5th studio album, Healer, was recorded in New York, USA and Victoria, Canada, using a live rhythm section, trading in horns for guitars and vocal harmonies. With five duets with singer songwriters, four being Canadian, Ron Sexsmith, David Myles, Alejandra Ribera and Kuba Oms as well as New Yorker Anya Marina, it is an upbeat, acoustic soul album full of optimism and reality as Alex always has a silver lining on melancholy of any form.

The album won a Latin Grammy for best Singer-songwriter and nominated for a Grammy as best Latin Pop in 2016.

In 2019 Alex Cuba embarked on his first ever self produced collection of songs featuring 5 collaborations, this time with Latin American singer songwriters, recorded in Gibsons BC with John “Beetle” Bailey and mixed at John’s Drive Shed studio in Ontario. The album received a Latin Grammy Nomination and performance at the televised Award Show in Miami November 2020.

2021 has Alex recording at home and adding recording engineer to his credits as musician, singer-songwriter, producer. From the healing voice of Grammy Award winning Lila Downs on “Mundo Nuevo”, to his colourful collaboration with world-renowned flamenco artist, Antonio Carmona, and commissioning a 13-piece horn band from his native country of Cuba, Alex’s vibrant eighth studio album, Mendó, is filled with international collaborations.

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