Italo Gonzales: Boleros

Italo Gonzalez, a native of Chile, one of the country’s leading Latin singers, a stage animal and audience favorite, and the vocalist of ensembles such as the successful Buena Vista Social Club tribute, returns to Shablul as the leader of his own ensemble—the wonderful Sabor del Barrio band—and plays every heartstring. A magical evening of Latin rhythms featuring romantic bolero hits from Cuba, Caribbean ballads, and South American classics from the 1950s and ’60s.

Smile, embrace, and dance to “Bésame Mucho,” “Historia de un Amor,” and many more beloved songs!

Gonzalez immigrated to Israel in 1995 and became the lead singer of the country’s first salsa band, the Jerusalem Salsa Band, with which he performed for eight years at the legendary Puerto Loco club at the Port of Tel Aviv—the formative encounter with South American culture and music for many Israelis. Italo has collaborated with David Broza, Boom Pam, and singer Pablo Rosenberg, and, as mentioned, is the vocalist of the Buena Vista Tribute led by Fernando Knopf.

With Italo on stage:

• Itay Abramovich — piano
• Uriel Saied — baby bass
• Marcelo Zuber — flute
• Chen “Papa” Meir — percussion