Playing Cuban roots music straight out of East LA, Changüí Majadero is a blazing five-piece band that has honed a deeply informed and highly personal take on changüí, a surging Afro-Cuban musical tradition that took shape in the late 19th century on the eastern side of the island around Guantanamo. It’s one of the foundational styles that gave birth to son, salsa, and timba, and in the hands of Changüí Majadero the music feels fresh and intoxicating. Founded by vocalist Gabriel García, an expert on Cuban tres guitar, the band features bassist Yosmel Montejo, Norrell Thompson on vocals and guayo (metal scraper), George Ortiz on the low-pitched bongó de monte, and Alfred Ortiz on maracas and vocals.