Press Clipping
02/09/2013
Article
Interview

With a stage name that proudly trumpets his island roots, Angel Luis Badell has spent the past 15 years in the Windy City spreading the sultry rhythms of timba: salsa’s funky, Afro-Cuban musical cousin. As a teenage breakdancer in Havana, the multi-talented singer and percussionist first caught the attention of Mezcla frontman Pablo Menéndez and eventually assumed vocal duties with the renowned Latin jazz collective. Since then, Badell has built his crew of local talent into a commanding force in Chicago’s ballroom circuit which culminated in the recording of his debut album Heritage, a groove-laden collection of pan-tropical jams released last year.