Review: Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loka, and Taina Asili on Sunday, July 12, 2026 at Music Haven in Schenectady’s Central Park

Musical notes know no nationalities, beats have no boundaries – so nothing in human culture feels as international or inclusive as music. 

Music Haven launched its 36th season Sunday – 10 concerts, three musical movies and a comedy revue – with songs from Africa, the Caribbean, or both.

Ricardo Lemvo, second from right, and Makina Loca Sunday at Music Haven

Trans-continental in heritage and soul, headliner Ricardo Lemvo – a Congolese singer of Angolan descent who lives in Los Angeles – showed both the origins and development of Afro-Cuban music. His stirring stylistic mix revved the happy, large crowd from feet to smiling faces. Puerto Rican-born, Troy-based opener Taina Asili proved diversity can flourish anywhere and liberation can strengthen anyone.

Taina Asili, second from right, opened Music Haven’s 36th season Sunday with her band

Her message music balanced social activism and engaging, ecstatic force. Tender in underdog compassion, fierce in passion, Asili and band played a Latina expression of the call for equality in the Abbey Lincoln/Max Roach civil/human-rights oratorio “We Insist!”

Asili persuaded more than she pushed and charmed more than she accused. We all know the culprits; she focused formidable charisma on comforting victims and engaging us in helping them.

Taina Asili, above; guitarist Gaetano Vaccaro, below

“Sofrito” (“sauce”) stirred diversity as a musical flavor, Caribbean beats spiced with guitar – very Santana in tone and phrasing. After the defiant “Decir Que No” (“to say no”) affirmed personal autonomy, she increasingly sang of resiliency, truth and strength through community.

In constant, skirt-flying motion and strong voice, she owned the stage; the crowd, too. Stirring and strong, kinetic and kind, she urged us, in farewell, toward “Peace, love and liberation.” Yes, please.

Like Asili’s reach across the Caribbean from Puerto Rico to borrow fromJamaican reggae Sunday, Lemvo operated like a sonic welding rig uniting elements often far from home.

He took Cuban rhythms that came from Africa and bounced back across the Atlantic as rumbas, salsa, samba and merengue. Then he populated this mansion of many rooms with a tremendous band whose clarity and sonic force might remain unmatched all season.

Just as Lemvo couldn’t understand the Spanish lyrics of Cuban songs he loved anyway, most songs were linguistically opaque but rhythmically transparent, engaging.

Solos were few but fine, from guitar, keyboard or trombone, and almost as unnecessary as translated lyrics. The strength of Lemvo’s Makina Loca band pumped from its engine room of drums, congas and – especially! – bass. 

Lemvo identified the early “Yiri Yiri Bon” as Cuban, sang a lament of romantic betrayal in Portuguese (with a chorus in English), and “Mambo Yo Yo” hypnotized with repeating phrases in irresistible high-life dancehall style. A later chant of “Africa” drew in many crowd voices. 

Some crowd schtick, including a call for conga line that didn’t work until the end, let down the energy half-way through Lemvo’s 90-minute set, unlike Asili’s shorter, more firmly-focused opener. But he re-built the momentum, mainly through gloriously muscular grooves under high-range restless guitar, jazz-spicy trombone and his hefty, hot vocals. Devastating in gruff roars, his voice had a subtle, sinuous grace in quieter moments. Late in the show, he lay down at the front of stage, resting on an elbow and holding hands with fans while singing in a romantic croon.

Then he rose to his feet and got the conga line he’d urged earlier, but closed with the bizarre curveball of trombonist John Roberts singing “Plastic Jesus.” Against tall odds, the band grooved on that, too.

Lemvo got his conga line going, near the end of his show, above; and he brought out Music Haven Producing Artistic Director Mona Golub, below

Music Haven continues next Sunday, July 19 with the Adirondack-born Gibson Brothers, masters of bluegrass instrumental zip and sibling vocals sharing DNA.

Gallery

“…especially bass…”