PRE-VACATION SPECIAL! Virgilio's and La Trattoria will be closing for a September vacation after Labor Day, but this weekend, Luis Bofill and his six-piece Cuban band will be the centerpiece for a pre-vacation party! This popular Miami-based band was just here in July and blew the house away. They hit the stage at Virgialio's both tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, August 31 and September 1, at 10 o'clock. Bofill, originally from Cuba, has received numerous awards as a soloist and has shared the stage with stars like Ruben Blades, Marc Anthony, Luis Enrique, Bono, Al Dimeola and many others. His soulful crooning and deft phrasing on boleros has drawn comparisons to the legendary Lenny Moore. He is known as a traditional Cuban musician with an eclectic flair. "People are used to salsa, but we show them that Cuban music is something more," he says. "Cuban music is a danzon, a son, a guajira, a bolero, a cha-cha-cha. We can mix Cuban with rock, with African music, with pop, with jazz, but it's always going to sound Cuban. This kind of improvised music is dynamic. It has passon, it has energy." Virgilio's is located on Appelrouth Lane just off Duval.
JUMP & SWING— The Fort Laudersale-based Regulators are back at the Green Parrot Bar tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, August 31 and September 1, 10-2. They've played on the same bills with Buddy Guy, Dave Mason and they've opened for Koko Taylor. They've been the opening night closing act at the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk Blues Festival for two years running.