Brant Tilds, who lives in Copenhagen with his Danish wife, Greta, and their baby son, Markus, leads the timba band Latin Monster, which includes four Cuban refugees. A trumpeter, Tilds has more experience playing Latin music than most gringos, and he has studied it in much more depth. From Detroit by way of Los Angeles, Tilds misses the hard-edge Latin music scene of L.A. Strangely enough, the music itself is better in Scandinavia. But leading Latin Monster, which has yet to release a record, is tough going. In addition to the Cubans, the band includes two Americans, a Dane and a Swede.
International travel can pose logistical challenges.
Earlier this summer, they took three ferries and rode 12 hours in a van to a Norwegian festival. Tilds is the sort of person who takes care of business. Details get followed up, commitments are met. He practices, composes, reads the small print. In timba, the clave makes the difference.