Los Van Van’s Showy Style Dulls Its Spirit

A larger-than-life, timba-con-funk band from deep within the land of syncopation hell, Los Van Van might be the most exasperating act in Latin music. Arresting? Certainly. Talented? Tremendously so. Overrated? Oh, yes.

Although it has become a cult sensation in this country in recent years, the group, which headlined the Conga Room on Friday, is a wonder. But it also exemplifies some of the disturbing tendencies that have surfaced in Cuban dance music in the last decade: the emphasis on technical prowess rather than soulful spirit, a tedious repetitiousness in some of the arrangements, and occasional poor taste.

For one thing, this is a completely different band from the one that 30 years ago boasted two electric guitars in its lineup, adventurously explored the relationship between rock and Afro-Cuban roots and enhanced its repertoire with sweetly naive romantic ballads. The naivete is gone now, replaced by clumsy rap interludes and a too frantic party sensibility.

Just when you’re getting ready to dismiss the 15-piece combo as a casualty of modern times, though, Los Van Van’s sheer virtuosity shows you why it can still delight audiences night after night.

Technically, the soundscapes conceived by bassist and bandleader Juan Formell are stunning, bringing to mind a crazed cross between charanga and speed-metal. The polyrhythms are dark and relentless, replacing the outfit’s usual trap drums with a traditional timbale set. Formell’s arrangements teeter on collapse, overloaded as they are by the brass section, frantic piano lines and some decidedly gorgeous violin textures.

Of the three lead singers, Pedrito Calvo was the most memorable, his throaty vocals enhanced by his formidable physical presence. During the autobiographical “El Negro Esta Cocinando,” he donned a chef’s hat and graphically simulated sexual intercourse with a woman from the audience. Much as the skit was mildly amusing, it was also unpleasant.

Consider the amount of ignorant cliches used to pigeonhole the Latino experience in this country, and you’ll agree that the last thing we need is Los Van Van giving audiences the wrong impression of what Latin passion and sensuality are all about.