Greetings everybody!
The band I present you today started out as a jazz group in 2007.
The youths were all students of a conservatory at the Cuban city of Sancti Spiritus, and their early concerts were for various assignments given by the schools’ teachers, and also as voluntary social service for the public (a very common practice in Socialist Cuba)…
Some time later, in 2008, Pedro Lazaro Ordonez, nicknamed “Papucho”, the bands’ Manager, proposed the students and their teachers to change the format from jazz to Traditional and Popular contemporary Cuban music; The idea was supported by both students and teachers, and so, the band was on a new way.
Their 1st concert with this new direction, took place on April 4th 2008, was quite successful, and the band even made it to the musical catalog of the province.
In 2009, it was decided to name the band “Manana Club”, and the band was highly regarded as an emerging talent with the peculiar yet fresh sound, great variety of musical styles played, and their improvisation ability on stage.
Manana, BTW, is a Cuban slang word, coming from the Rumba tradition, which means emotion, feeling and submerging oneself into music and dance with all ones heart, qualities which are definitely present in the bands’ concerts and compositions.
In 2010 the band relocated to the Capital, and got registered to the MUSICUBA catalog, which is a part of ENGREM, the national music company, which promotes all musicians in Cuba.
Manana Club got recognized as a “novel orchestra”, and a 1st project of musical youth approved by the Cuban National Institute of Music (ICM).
Manana Club is made of a bass player, conguero, pianist, timbalero \ drummer, trombone, saxophone, trumpet and 3 vocalists; Since 2010 the band shared the stage with many of the hottest bands in Cuba, including Habana De Primera, Manolito y Su Trabuco, Bamboleo, NG La Banda, Maikel Blanco and many others.
The song I present you today is a collaboration with Tirso Duarte, ex La Charanga Habanera.
So, here is the very nice song, which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did…
Disfruten!