LOS AMIGOS – China’s first ever heavyweight Latin Jazz band which core players are all from Beijing Contemporary Music Academy (CMA), recently gave a splendid performance to Vice-president Xi Jinping and Cuban leader Raúl Castro.
The classic Cuban folk song – Guantanamera performed by the band that night evoked a strong response and was highly praised. Vice-president Xi Jinping and Cuban leader Raúl Castro took a group photo with the band members after the show.
It was reported that the band’s performance for annual Spanish Language Day, which is hosted by Spain Embassy in China, gained great popularity among audiences.
LOS AMIGOS was formed in 2008 and is the first band focusing on playing Latin Music. Its key members are senior lecturers or professors from CMA and well-known players from national ensembles, among whom Song Liang plays as band leader and drummer, Gao Xing as percussionist, Liu Dongfeng as pianist, Sheng Zhi as bassist, Shi Yuji as saxophonist, and Yang Ming as trombonist. They are dedicated to performing at various large-scale music festivals and live shows, mostly playing Latin Music (SALSA, Merenque, Chachacha, Bachata), Latin Jazz, Classic Jazz, and Modern Music, etc.