Good day dear blog followers, readers and listeners.
Today we shall get to know a Cuban-Finnish band located at Helsinki, Finland, but called “Tiempo Habana”!
This 11 member group, consisting of Cubans and Fins, was founded in Helsinki in 2012, and has been performing in Finland and other European countries ever since.
The Cuban group members have experience working for Oderquis Reve and Lazaro Rosabal, and Finnish members have been performing in the country’s Latin music scene for over 20 years.
Good day dear blog readers, followers, listeners ¡y todos los amantes de la musica Cubana!
Today we shall recall a genre that not many are familiar with, although it is quite nice and has lots to offer… Bolero Son!
The couple featured above are both not Cuban, but still display a very nice interpretation of a classic composition in this fine genre.
Bolero-Son, as the name implies, is a genre formed from the amalgamation of two wonderful traditional Cuban rhythms (and dances, as well) that were at the peak of their popularity during the 1920’s and 1930’s… Son and Bolero.
This genre is the brain child of the famous Cuban musician and composer Miguel Matamoros, and includes elements from both “parent” genres;
4/4 timing, Sonero style singing, tress guitar melodic lines, clave (sometimes) from Son, and the congas tumbao, bass, pailas and maraca patterns and overall romantic yet melancholic theme and “mood” from Bolero.
Interestingly the bongocero can choose from a myriad of patterns and variations found in both genres.
Bolero-Son compositions were commonplace during the 1930’s and 1940’s, but recently, with the resurgence of Son music, the genre has regained some popularity as well.
As such, more and more contemporary orquestas and groups make compositions of this genre nowadays, including Septeto Acarey, who’s song is featured today.
And remember… ¡sigue disfrutando la música Cubana!
P.S:
Did you know?
The genre of Bolero-Son had a profound effect on the music of the neighboring Dominican Republic, and the closest predecesor of Bachata, one of two national cultural heritage musical and dance genres of that country.
If you take interest in that genres, you might find this post to be interesting!
Good day dear blog followers, readers, listeners ¡y a todos los amantes de la musica Cubana!
Today we shall be having a great time listening (and maybe dancing) to a beautiful romantic Timba composition by ex Mayimbe singer, Angelito Ramirez and his band, el Tran Bala.
Angel Ramirez Ballesteros “angelito” is one of the most important and influential figures in Timba residing outside of Cuba.
Born in the poor neighborhood of Barrios Altos in Lima, Peru, on May 24th 1982, angelito used music to find refuge from the hardships of a life full of need and deprivation since his childhood.
Being used to working hard to realize his goals and dreams, Angel started his musical career as singer and band leader of a band made of other teens and young people from his barrio, called “Los Trabucos de la Salsa”. From there played major roles in such mixed Cuban-Peruvian bands as DFarandula and A1-Band, before hitting his first major success in 2010, becoming one of the founding members of Orquesta Mayimbe.
As the lead singer of Mayimbe, Angel was the driving force behind over 1/2 of the songs on the orquesta’s first, and so far, most well known and much loved, album, “De la Habana a Peru”, and thus earned well deserved worldwide fame.
In 2013 Mayimbe had their infamous split, resulting in the departure of over half of the its member, Angelito included.
Angel went on to form his own project – Angelito Ramirez y su Tren Bala, releasing a wonderful album called “Mi Historia” (mentioned here before), from which today’s composition comes.
As one who enjoys romantic Timba, I find here a very good balance between tempo, variation, improvisation, groove and energy.
So, here it is!
And remember… ¡sigue disfrutando la musica Cubana!
Good day dear blog listeners, readers and followers.
The artists presented here today definitely fit the description “they sing and play like girls”.
Why? because they are girls… all 10 of the talented, young Cuban ladies making up Orquesta feminina MulataSon!
MulataSon was founded in La Habana 5 years ago, in Septembre 2013, by Yarelis Martinez Chavez and 9 other young graduates of the city’s various musical schools, with the average age of members being 23.
During those 5 years the band released 3 albums, toured Cuba and Europe (this June), and performed & recorded with some of Cuba’s top bands such as El nino y la Verdad, Maravilla de Florida and Manolito y su Trabuco, with Manolito Simonet mentoring the group this whole time.
Today’s song is called Mujer y Artista, from their 2017 album of the same name…
And remember… ¡sigue disfrutando la musica Cubana!
Good day dear blog readers, listeners, followers ¡y todos los amantes de la musica Cubana!
Continuing the topic of Son Cubano from the previous 2 weeks, and maybe also the topic of great figures in Cuban music, today we shall enjoy a nice Bolero-Son Montuno composition, which was born as a Bolero by Trio Matamoros:
Grupo Asere, the Habana Septeto I covered here about a year ago, took this fine composition, and made it more suitable for Soneros and all lovers of not only Cuban music, but also Cuban social dances… and the result?
Fantastic, if you ask me!
Good day dear blog listeners, followers and readers.
Today, just as we did last week with Eliades Ochoa, we shall continue our familiarization with another great figure of Cuban music – Maximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Tellesmostly known as Compay Segundo.
With a musical career of over 60 years, and dozens of albums released, Compay Segundo is another pillar of Cuban music.
Born on Novembre 18th 1907 in Siboney, Maximo started playing guitar and singing at a young age.
His family moved to Santiago de Cuba in 1916, where he would play at the municipal band, with whom he performed in concert for the first time while at a trip to the capital, in 1929.
Maximo liked the capital much, and moved there 5 years later, in 1934, where he would live out the rest of his days.
His first breakthrough came in 1935, at the band of the famous Guaracha composer Nico Saquino, in 1935.
During the 1940s Maximo played the clarinete for the band of Miguel Matamoros, and got to travel outside Cuba, to Mexico, on tour with Benny More.
In Mexico he met Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, and in 1942 the two formed Duo de los Compadres, which achieved international fame soon after.
The name “compay segundo” came from that time, as Maximo was the 2nd voice of the duet.
Later on Compay would play for Los Seis Ases, el Cuarteto Cubanacan, and would form his own band, Compay Segundo y sus muchachos, with whom he would play all over the Caribbean, south America and later Europe.
Global fame came to Maximo as a part of the Buena Vista Social Club, with the well known album and film coming out in 1997, followed by several world tours, including a concert before pope John Paul II at the Vatican, and the Grammy award. Throughout his career, compay had a signature instrument he made himself – a 7 string Tres guitar called “Armonica”, which gave his playing style its unique sound. Maximo passed away at the age of 95 on July 14th, 2003.
The song presented today is the famous Chan Chan, in its original version – written and composed by Maximo 10 years prior to the Buena Vista social club, in 1987.
Here is the studio recording
And here is a live version, one of the first times the song was ever played!
And remember…
¡Siguen Disrtutando la musica Cubana!
Good day dear blog readers, followers and listeners!
With over 55 years of an artistic career under his belt, 40 years since his first of over 50 albums was released, and over a dozen of national and international awards won (including Grammy, Latin Grammy, Cubadisco and Latin Billboard), Eliades Ochoa is without doubt one of the most well known and most beloved Cuban musicians worldwide, known for his unique voice, witty lyrics, virtuoso playing of several types of guitars, and of course, his iconic black hat!
Eliades Ochoa Bustamante was born on June 22nd 1946 in Songo la Maya, a small town near Santiago de Cuba.
He taught himself to play the guitar at 6 years of age, at by 12 was earning a living as a musician.
Eliades was a member of many groups and ensembles over the years;
During the early 1960 he joined the Oriental Quintet, and in 1963 first appeared on local radio and TV at Santiago.
By 1971 Eliades had joined Septeto Tipico Oriental. and earned his place as a “house performer” at the Casa de la Musica.
In 1978 Eliades joined Cuarteto Patria, as leader, manager, Tres player and lead vocal, assimilating the groups material and writing much of his own.
Eliades released many CDs with the cuarteto, and keeps performing as a part of it today.
In 1986 Eliades starting collaborating and performing with yet another pilar of Cuban music, Francisco Repilado, known as Compay Segundo, a union that would lead to Eliadese’s first international tour, and later on world fame as a part of the Buena Vista Social Club.
With the social club, Eliades went on to win the Grammy, the first but not last international music prize that found its way into his resume.
Further more, Eliades toured the world as a part of the Buena Vista, performing in many European, Asian and American countries such as Italy, Brazil, Canada, France, Spain and Japan.
Since then Eliades continues releasing new materials, performing worldwide, and has also appeared in several movies, winning the “best CD in the world” award of National Geographic for his part in the AfroCubism project in 2010.
The song we shall be enjoying today, my dear friends, is called “Yiri Yiri Bom”, and is a Son cover of a classic composition by Benny More.
…y no se olviden… ¡siguen disfrutando la musica Cubana!
Good day dear blog readers, followers, y todos los amantes de la musica Cubana !
Today we shall have a great time listening \ dancing (or maybe both?) to a modern interpretation of a classic Son Montuno, by one of my favorite artists, Adalberto Alvarez.
Today’s composition is a 1957 classic by Chappotin y sus Estrellas, and appeared on Adalberto’s wonderful 1987 LP “Sueño con una Gitana”, with the wonderful singing of the sonero Felix Baloy.
Good day dear blog followers, readers and listeners.
As some of you might know, I’m very much for discipline, planning and being overall well organized.
So, I usually plan blog posts weeks (or even a couple of months) ahead.
Obviously, I had a nice song planned for today’s post… but then I got a notification about a new video on one of the channels I follow.
Do you like Los Van Van? Son Cubano? both?
If so, today’s post, by Timbason (an American group playing Cuban music which I presented here over 3 years ago) is exactly for you!
Today we shall be enjoying a nice live performance of the wonderful classic of modern Cuban music, Que Le Den Candela.
So, here it is…
And remember… ¡sigue disfrutando la musica Cubana!
