Cuba"s timba musicians create a hard-edged dance music filled with energy, drawing upon jazz, funk, European classical, reggae, and myriad traditional Cuban rhythms. The music has a more global flair to it than some of the older styles, but timba is still wholly Cuban. Starting out as a Miami-based group of Cuban expatriate musician who played in other bands (Albita, Arturo Sandoval, NG La Banda and others), Tiempo Libre got serious when it was offered a slot opening for the legendary Celia Cruz and hasn"t looked back since. The septet gets a surprisingly big sound driven by the traditional twin engines of sizzling brass and unrelenting rhythms. Most of the tunes on this too-short 40-minute debut are originals that offer the musicians" own take on their new home fused with the music they love. Indeed, while so many other Cuban exports are looking to the past, here"s a band that"s proudly in the here and now. --Tad Hendrickson