The moment Week Three of the Summer Music Festival dawns this evening at 7 in the Dale Jones Courtyard at City Hall, Ricardo Lemvo’s unique blend of Cuban and African music by his band Makina Loca will make it seem as if the concrete is swaying.

African soukous, kizomba, samba and Cuban salsa – designed to eliminate the audience’s need for chairs — will be served from the opening note of producer Gary Mandell’s program.

Angolan by birth, Mr. Lemvo spent his earliest years in the Congo before migrating to America at age 15 in 1982.

By now a longtime Los Angeles resident, he has established himself as a pioneer with his innovative music.

Since forming his Makina Loca band in 1990, Mr. Lemvo’s blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “seamless and infectious.”

Growing up in Congo-Kinshasa, he was introduced to Cuban music by a cousin who owned a large collection of vintage Cuban LPs.

Mr. Lemvo once intended to pursue a law degree but ended up devoting his life to music.

He is the embodiment of the Afro-Latin Diaspora that connects back to Mother Africa via the Cuban clave rhythm. He is truly multi-cultural, equally at home singing in Spanish, Portuguese, Kimbundu, Turkish, Lingala, and Kikongo.

Since forming his Los Angeles-based band, Mr. Lemvo has refined his craft and vision.

Two months from turning 60 years old, he raises his joyous voice with strength.

He sings songs that celebrate life, and most importantly, inspiring his audiences to let loose and dance away their worries.

Through the years, Mr. Lemvo has performed countless shows in many festivals, night clubs, and Performing Art Centers throughout Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Australia.

The ultimate form of respect is that his songs have been performed and recorded by such artists as Colombia’s Joe Arroyo, Orquesta Revé from Cuba, and the Russian band, Tres Muchachos.

Mr. Lemvo’s seven CDs, Tata Masamba, Mambo Yo Yo, São Salvador, Ay Valeria!, Isabela Retrospectiva and Rumba SoYo have been acclaimed by both print and broadcast media worldwide.

Mr. Lemvo has been the subject of various radio and television programs including BBC Radio, Radio France Internationale, Radio-Télévision Belge, National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Today Show, CNN World Beat, National Geographic World Music, Rádio Nacional de Angola, and Televisão Pública de Angola.

In film, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca appeared in the 1998 movie Dance With Me starring Vanessa Williams and Chayanne.

“Ricardo is one of a kind,” says producer Mandell.