Research Triangle Park, N.C.— On Friday, February 18, at 8 p.m., Conjunto 23 will play a free concert of old-time Cuban dance music at the National Humanities Center, 7 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Conjunto 23, a "cuarteto de son" dance group based in the Philadelphia area, performs popular Cuban music from the 1920s and 1930s. They draw much of their material from the great Cuban soneros—Lorenzo Hierrezuelo of Los Compadres, Adela Martinez, Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe, and Arsenio Rodríguez—while also incorporating more contemporary Cuban songs. Although they specialize in the classic "son oriental," you might also hear them playing a guaracha, a conga, a chachacha, or boleros by César Portillo de la Luz and José Antonio Méndez.

The group, named after the famous composition "Fuego en el 23" by Arsenio Rodríguez, consists of David Garlitz on Cuban tres and vocals, Jim Jordan on bass, Scott MacDonald on bongo, and Robin Moore on guitar, percussion, trumpet, and vocals. Guest performers who will play at the National Humanities Center include Lisa Lindsay (saxophone) and Jay Kaufman (trumpet), as well as Beverly Botsford and Justin Hill (percussion).

Moore, who teaches at Temple University in Philadelphia, where Conjunto 23 is based, is the William J. Bouwsma Fellow at the National Humanities Center this academic year, where he is writing a book about music and revolution in socialist Cuba. One of the guest musicians, Lisa Lindsay teaches at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill and is also a fellow this year.

The National Humanities Center is located at 7 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park. For directions or more information, call 919-549-0661 or visit the Center's Web site, nationalhumanitiescenter.org.