Pablo Milanes

A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses. Gibson Amphitheatre Pablo Milanes, Sept. 8 (Thurs.), Casting Crowns, Sept. 27 (Fri.) Wiltern Jorge Falcon, July 16 (now); Dreams Come True, Oct. 1 (Fri.) Music Box Justin Townes Earle with Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Sept. 28 (Thurs.) El Rey Theatre Tedeschi Trucks Band, July 18; Zee Avi, Oct. 15 (now); Mike Doughty, Nov. 4 (Sat.) House of Blues Mayhem, Nov. 27 (Fri.)

A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses. Gibson Amphitheatre Pablo Milanes, Sept. 8 (Thurs.), Casting Crowns, Sept. 27 (Fri.) Wiltern Jorge Falcon, July 16 (now); Dreams Come True, Oct. 1 (Fri.) Music Box Justin Townes Earle with Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Sept. 28 (Thurs.) El Rey Theatre Tedeschi Trucks Band, July 18; Zee Avi, Oct. 15 (now); Mike Doughty, Nov. 4 (Sat.) House of Blues Mayhem, Nov. 27 (Fri.)

Although Cuban balladeer Pablo Milanes is a cult figure in Latin America, his name most often inspires this question among North Americans: "Pablo who?" He is not famous here like the Cuban soneros from the Buena Vista Social Club or the rumba queen Celia Cruz. Nor are his melodies as commonly known as those of mambo king Perez Prado. The 58-year-old singer-songwriter has basically been off the radar screen for American audiences.

Let's imagine that you didn't know who Pablo Milanes was. Let's say that you just happened to stumble into the Conga Room Thursday night and by sheer chance witnessed the first Los Angeles appearance ever by the veteran Cuban troubadour.

Let's imagine that you didn't know who Pablo Milanes was. Let's say that you just happened to stumble into the Conga Room Thursday night and by sheer chance witnessed the first Los Angeles appearance ever by the veteran Cuban troubadour.

More than 100 Cuban artists and writers, in an answer to a call by 100 foreign intellectuals and entertainers for a plebiscite on President Fidel Castro's rule, expressed their strong support Thursday for the Cuban revolution.

Sergio Munoz writes about Cuban singer Pablo Milanes that "condemning Milanes for ideological reasons would be a mistake" ("Crooning With a Politicized Passion," April 11). I strongly disagree. It may be a mistake to criticize him for artistic reasons, as Milanes is undoubtedly a great lyricist and a good singer, but his support for the Castro regime, after 42 years of dictatorship, is indeed inexcusable and ought to be pointed out. ALEXIS I. TORRES Burbank Sorry, but composing "humanistic ballads" while supporting Fidel Castro's long, cruel and inhuman dictatorship sounds like an oxymoron to me. RAUL DE CARDENAS Los Angeles

Once again, the stylistic abyss that divides the nominations turns this award into a symbolic struggle between artists and merchants. Considering that the recording academy has always used the tactic of awarding a Grammy as a way of paying tribute to an artist's entire career, there's no doubt about who deserves to win: The monumental achievements of Cuba's Pablo Milanes simply dwarf the competition. The question is: Will the voters know who he is?

Noel Nicola, 58, one of the founders of modern Cuban trova music, died Aug. 7 of cancer in Havana, his friends said. Nicola was born in the Cuban capital in 1946, into a family of musicians. He was composing songs by the time he was 13. His first onstage performance came in 1968, next to Cuban greats Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo Milanes.

**** Joan Manuel Serrat, "Sombras de la China," BMG. Together with Cuba's Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo Milanes, this Spaniard revolutionized Latin pop in the early '70s, bringing to his songs a new context of sociopolitical commentary, a literary sensibility and a highly poetic use of words. Unlike the other two, Serrat hasn't lost a bit of his focus or inspiration. His new studio album has the same vitality that defined landmark efforts such as "Mediterraneo."

Although Cuban balladeer Pablo Milanes is a cult figure in Latin America, his name most often inspires this question among North Americans: "Pablo who?" He is not famous here like the Cuban soneros from the Buena Vista Social Club or the rumba queen Celia Cruz. Nor are his melodies as commonly known as those of mambo king Perez Prado. The 58-year-old singer-songwriter has basically been off the radar screen for American audiences.

Beau Bridges, Laurie Metcalf and Michael Learned star in the premiere of "Looking for Normal," Jane Anderson's play about a small Ohio town changed by one man's life-altering decision. * "Looking for Normal," Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, today, 7:30 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 4 and 8:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends May 6. $21 to $43. (310) 208-5454 or (213) 365-3500.