"Just put on your promo single.
'Me Voy Pa Moron' in particular blew me away. Rod Taylor is truly the UK's answer to Eddie Drennon!!
I look forward to hearing the full album.
Best wishes, John Child"
Contributor to the Descarga Latin music website www.descarga.com

"In June 2003 we had the opportunity to invite the legendary tres player Eliades Ochoa and Quarteto Patria to play at Bridgewater Hall. We engaged Charanga Del Norte to take on the onerous task of opening for this Buena Vista Social Club anchor man, the audience was well informed and substantial in size, around a thousand people, and they gave a rousing welcome to the Del Norte band. The audience reaction was sustained throughout the opening set. As the promoter of the event I felt that Del Norte did a magnificent job holding the audience attention and it pleased Eliades to walk out to a crowd that had been well entertained before he took the stage."
Howard Raynor Chief Executive of Bridgewater Hall

"We booked Charanga Del Norte in 2003 because they produced such a brilliant show in 2001 and the audience just wanted more. They had really captured the imagination of "absolute but enthusiastic beginners" with their workshop and played up a storm in the evening concert spot. We gave them the headline spot on the dance stage on the Saturday in 2003 and what a good decision that turned out to be. In the two years interval Charanga had moved from really good to fantastic......with new members from Cuba and a sound that created an atmosphere so charged with passion and exuberance. An unforgettable evening......we will be booking them again soon.

Ken Bradburn
Brampton Live, Emerging Music

manchester urban - Eliades Ochoa@Bridgewater Hall
THE dramatic guitar playing and powerful singing of Eliades Ochoa was a vital factor In the success of the Buena Vista Social Club project and he has since become one of the world's best-known Cuban musicians.
Appearing with equally legendary Cuarteto Patria, he demonstrated the continuing strength of the son tradition. The title song of his new I album, Estoy Coma Nunca, had an unstoppable momentum, and his lengthy but beautifully constructed soloa on Pintate Los Lablos Maria was also outstanding.
But It was the now immortal Chan Chan which was the highlight of this performance with its simple, haunting melody Inspiring an elegant but propulsive group performance.
The overall Impact was much reduced, however, by Ochoa's long announcements In Spanish prior to every number, adding at least half an hour to the duration of the concert.
The lively and hard-worklng Charanga Del Norte did a fine job in warming up the audience, with Sue Miller's fluent flute featuring strongly in Orquesta Aragon's Bodeguero.

Steve Miliward 02/07/03
Manchester-online.co.uk

The Cuban sounds shows little sign of abating, among jazz audiences and beyond. Not only are members of the Buena Vista Social Club still attracting strong interest, but other artists from the island, various parts of Latin America and further afield have also benefited from its continued popularity. A case in point is Charanga Del Norte, an outfit established in the late 1990s that includes players from Leeds and London, as well as the more predictable Cuba, Chile and Colombia. The band plays Colchester Arts Centre tonight, with percussionist Roberto Pla, and the Fiddlers, Bristol, on Friday as part of a lengthy UK tour.

The Independent 28 June - 4 July 2003
Roger Trapp

TWO musicians are busy bringing their own brand of Cuban revolution onto the streets of West Leeds.
Sue Miller and David Munoz, both of Kirkstall, share a passion for the unique sound of Cuban Charanga music.
The pair's love for the latino beat led to the formation of a highly successful band, which has toured all over the country and has performed with some of the legends of the Cuban music scene.
The 12-piece band, Charanga Del Norte - translated literally as Charanga of the North - was the brainchild of bandleader Sue who formed the group in 1998 after falling for the infectious rhythms of Charanga.
Charanga is popular all over the world and incorporates traditional Cuban music with French classical influences. Sue, 36, said: "Charanga is not that well known over here so it's been about educating people as much as anything - but the audience's reaction has been fantastic."

Sue who plays flute in the band, first fell for Charanga after an accidental meeting with one of the greats of Cuban music.
After hearing the sound in a latino music club In Leeds she went to Cuba to discover more. And following a chance encounter with a fellow musician when her plane was grounded in Havana by a cyclone, Sue got the opportunity to meet veteran Cuban flute player Richard Egues who went on to teach her Charanga. "It was a total fluke" she said. "But even just meeting him was a monumentous event for me. He taught me so much and I've been back twice since to learn from him"
29 year-old David, who lives round the corner from Sue in Kirkstall, plays piano in the band which boasts members from South America and Cuba as well as three from Leeds.
Sue and David's musical partnership goes back nine years to when the two studied jazz together at Leeds College of Music.
David, who is originally from Chile but has lived in Leeds for the last 10 years, said: "I grew up listening to this type of music so I guess that gives me a head start But the sound is really catchy, anyone can pick it up"
Despite a sell-out five-month tour the band are still looking for a record deal.
The band performed at Chapel Allerton Arts Festival last week and in a concert recently with Eliades Ochoa one part of the world-famous Buena Vista Social Club.
For more information on the band call Sue on 07957244l67

Leeds Weekly News September 4th 2003
Paul Willis

WORLD
Charanga Del Norte

Generally Cuba and Chapel Allerton have little in common, but that's about to change as energetic ensemble Charanga Del Norte bring their Cuban sound to the Chapel Allerton Arts Festival. Set up by Yorkshire flautist Sue Miller in 1998, Charanga Del Norte boasts musicians from Leeds, London, Columbia, Chile and Cuba on an array of instruments Including the piano, double bass, timbales, congas and güiro. This year, top timbalero Robeto Pla joined the collective and he'll be part of tonight's proof that Britain can swing her hips and tap her feet with the best of them.

Tonight, Festival Marquee,
Harrogate Road,
Chapel Allerton,
Leeds,
8pm. £7.50, £4.50 conc.

METRO Wednesday August 27th 2003
Mickey Noonan

THE dramatic guitar playing and powerful singing of Eliades Ochoa was a vital factor in the success of the Buena Vista Social Club project and he has since become one of the world's best-known Cuban musicians.
Appearing with equally legendary Cuarteto Patria, he demonstrated the continuing strength of the son tradition. The title song of his new album, Estoy Coma Nunca, had an unstoppable momentum, and his lengthy but beautifully constructed solo on Pintate Los Labios Maria was also outstanding.
But it was the now immortal Chan Chan which was the highlight of this performance with its simple, haunting melody inspiring an elegant but propulsive group performance.
The overall impact was much reduced! however, by Ochoa's long announcements in Spanish prior to every number adding at least half an hour to the duration of the concert.
The lively and hard-working Charanga Del Norte did a fine job in warming up the audience, with Sue Miller's fluent flute featuring strongly in Orquesta Aragon's Bodeguero.

STEVE MILLWARD
M.E.N. Thursday, July 3rd, 2003.

PREVIEW: CHARANGA DEL NORTE
Flute you, sir

The rise of salsa dancing in the UK during the 90s was a remarkable phenomenon. It seemed that there were classes somewhere pretty much every night, and whenever a 'real' band came over, dancefloors began to resemble an anarchic version of 'Come Dancing' as people really got the hang of the fancier moves. By 1999 therefore, it was a risky thing to launch a new, UK-based salsa band because there was a very critical audience out there, But, by making sure she involved seasoned Latin musicians from Colombia, Chile and Cuba as well as authentic arrangements. Leeds-based bandleader and flute player Sue Miller got it about right with Charanga Del Norte ('Flute of the North). The principal ingredients were musicianship and energy and the band had plenty of both. They were soon touring to rave reviews and, if further proof were needed, in 2002 Charanga recruited one of the most respected timbales players (and bandleader himself) Roberto Pla, who brought his bass player Ruth Bitelli with him. The additional arrival of Cuban violinist Gabriel Fonseca means the band is now a 12-piece and hotter than ever. Judging by their touring schedule, they just want to keep playing, so as a result you can catch them twice this week in Venueland, but you'll need to be quick to get in before the dancers.

Charanga Del Norte are playing at Fiddlers, Bristol on Fri 4 July and Cheltenham Town Hall on Tue 8 July. See Music diary, starting on page 87, for details.