Twin Cities audiences will have the opportunity to experience the exuberant sounds from the Golden Age of Cuban jazz that has been banned from these shores for decades when the Afro-Cuban All-Stars perform at First Avenue Nightclub on Wednesday, October 7, at 8 pm. Visiting the U.S. for the first time, this 13-piece dream band blends the big brass of 1950s Havana with rhythm-rooted African styles. Led by Juan de Marcos González, the All-Stars span four generations and include three legendary soneros (singers) plus full horn and rhythm sections spotlighting some of Cuba's most famous musicians. This special event is presented by the Walker Art Center, Northrop Auditorium, and First Avenue Nightclub, in cooperation with the Cultural Center of Minnesota. Doors open at 6 pm.

The Afro-Cuban All-Stars formed in 1996 under the leadership of González. The band's first recording, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta (Everyone in Cuba Loves it), was made at Havana's famed EGREM studio with a 13-piece ensemble representing four generations of Cuba's most brilliant musicians. Produced by World Circuit's Nick Gold and González, the album was released in the U.S. by World Circuit/Nonesuch in September 1997. A Toda Cuba Le Gusta has since been nominated for a Grammy Award and has enjoyed much critical acclaim. The All-Stars' touring group adds singer Teresa Garcia Caturla and pianist Guiellermo "Rubalcaba' González. Recently several of the Afro-Cuban All-Stars performed in the most anticipated concert of the summer at a sold-out Carnegie Hall with Ry Cooder's Buena Vista Social Club which garnered exceptional reviews.

When Juan de Marcos González was growing up in Havana, the fashionable bands of the day were King Crimson, Yes, and Jethro Tull. The young Marcos preferred son, guaracha, and rumba and has been on a mission to keep alive the best tradition of Cuban music ever since.

With A Toda Cuba Le Gusta , the Afro-Cuban All-Stars pay homage to their heroes, the legendary soneros of the golden age. It is a musical tradition in which Marcos is steeped. His father, Marcos González Mauriz, once sang with Arsenio Rodriguez, and his cradle rocked to the sound of Cuban rhythms. From an early age his parents looked after his musical education by taking him to "rumbas de solar" all-night rumba parties.

Since the late 1970s Marcos has played with the son group Sierra Maestra while at the same time hoping to achieve his dream. "I have always had the wish to reunite in one orchestra the major stars of the 1940s and 1950s . . . with musicians from other generations, to play Cuban music on an album that would show the continuity of the tradition."

González meticulously studied the old big band arrangements "to gain the spirit of the music they wrote and transfer it to my work and give it a modern feel." When he was ready, he set about assembling the All-Stars late in 1995.

"I think there is a crisis in modern Cuban dance music. The style which is saturating the radio in Havana is killing son," he says. "Son (traditional Cuban folk song) has fused itself with rap music of a very poor quality. The modern Cuban dance orchestras all interpret the same sound, repeating themselves until it is boring."

The Afro-Cuban All-Stars were formed as an answer to the tide of unimaginative, American-influence uniformity not a throwback to another era but an essential attempt to re-inject fresh vitality into great Cuban musical tradition.

The Afro-Cubans All-Stars -- Band Leader and tres: Juan de Marcos González. Soneros (singers): Ibrahím Ferrer, Félix Valoy, Mañuel 'Puntillita' Licea, and Teresa García Carturla. Percussion: Orlando 'Cachaito' López (double bass), Carlos González (bongos), Angel Terry Domech (congas), and Amadito Valdés (timbales). Piano: Guillermo 'Rubalcaba' González. Horns: Jesús 'Aguaje' Ramos (trombone), Alberto Muñoz Martínez (trombone), Yanko Pisaco Pichardo (trumpet), Alejandro Pichardo (trumpet), and Daniel Ramos Alayo (trumpet).

Tickets for the Afro-Cuban All-Stars are $19 ($15 Walker members and Northrop subscribers) and are available at University Arts Ticket Office (Northrop Auditorium) 624-2345, Ticketmaster 989-5151, Walker Art Center 375-7622, Electric Fetus 870-9300, Let it Be 359-9553, and on-site at First Avenue 338-8388.