Los Calicubanos

Los Calicubanos is an ensemble from Los Angeles led by Dr. Erim Kardes playing covers and originals in the afrocuban/latin jazz/salsa genres. The core band is composed of seven musicians, all of which studied Jazz in the Thorton School of Music at USC.

Erim's love for the afrocuban music style started while obtaining his engineering Ph.D. at USC. During this time he was also studying bass at USC’s Thorton School of Music with renowned former Weather Report bassist, Alphonso Johnson.

His exposure to the genre led him to many travels chasing latin beats around the world, including Havana, Cuba where he studied bass in the Havana School of Music with Olivia Caballero, and where he played with local musicians exploring different styles of Cuban music. The band is currently active in the Los Angeles/Southern California Area and is looking forward to many years of spreading and sharing the beauty of afrocuban styles.