Long story short: Juan and Jaime won the first round. They were the first to greet Gerardo and escorted him to the concert hall. But Richard and I won the second round. We chauffeured Gerardo and his dancer wife Carmen Cortés to the after-concert party, yay!

At the time, Richard and I didn't think very highly of Juan and Jaime's behavior but it's just a competitive guy thing. Years later, we've run into them a number of times and can laugh about it now.

Juan and Jaime were a guitar duo but have since parted ways. Juan later formed a trio called Cabo Verde and just released a flamenco-influenced CD titled Shade Grown. Here's the press release info:

Colombia-born guitarist Juan Benavides has spent several years honing his flamenco-funk vision in the progressive city of Asheville, North Carolina, and now releases the fiery and soulful collection, Shade Grown.

Backed by his working trio, drummer Robin Tolleson and bassist Jake Wolf, with some special guests, Benavides produces a sound that is both old and new, merging world beats and urban grooves.

"People say that it feels familiar but very different at the same time," Benavides says. "It's something ancient that we're drawn to."

Cabo Verde has been featured at clubs and festivals throughout the Southeast, and is excited to be releasing Shade Grown for their fans on the label of Southern fusion, Groosion Records.

The six selections, all compositions by Benavides, formulate a sweet mix. There are two rumbas, an African-inspired tune in 6/8, a fandango, a straight-up funk tune, and a bulerías.

Benavides has fielded groups as large as six, but feels most comfortable in a smaller musical situation such as this, adding players as needed. He gets great support from drummer Robin Tolleson, a party of Cabo Verde since 2004, and bassist Jake Wolf, who came aboard in 2007.

To learn more about Juan Benavides and hear some sample tracks from his new CD, go to www.myspace.com/quebrao