Search Results for: Cuban music

The multifaceted Aymée Nuviola delivers her ‘Corazón Sonero’ to Puerto Rico, at the historic Tapia Theater in Old San Juan

Pete Perignon’s orchestra kicked off Aymée Nuviola’s concert, entitled Corazón Sonero, with a powerful Latin jazz introduction. During the first minute, the instrumental melody settled into a salsa key, giving way to the voices of Lorna Marcano and Ricely Colón, who chanted: “Yo te invito a bailar y a gozar con Aymée, la sonera del mundo” (I invite you to dance and enjoy with Aymée, the sonera of the world). The chorus duo of Marcano and Colón prepared the theater for the triumphant entrance of the voice of La Sonera del Mundo.

La multifacética Aymée Nuviola Imágenes Conrado Pastrano

As the curtain rose at the historic Alejandro Tapia y Rivera Theater in Old San Juan, the stage design by José “Quenepo” Ramos Vega, which revealed two transparent fabric borders held in the middle by an imposing white star, caught the attention of the audience. The red of the triangle of the Cuban flag was represented by the pendant unfurled to the left of the star, while the cloth representing the Puerto Rican flag was held on the right hand side of the same star. The inspiration of the design demonstrates that the Cuban and Puerto Rican flags are fraternal twins.

The opening lyric that resounded in the theater, which was filled to capacity, with the vocal power of Aymée Nuviola read: “A little bit of good salsa, a little bit of pure salsa, so that new people, get to know our culture”. From then on, the music obeyed Nuviola’s command, singing: “Let the clave get into your body, let the conga and the bongo move the floor”. Sure enough, three hours later we were still letting the stage delivery of the musical team continue to move the floor. Pete masterfully directed: Jean Carlos Camuñas on tumbadoras, Carlos Pagán on bongó, campana, güiro and maracas, Miguel Camilo on piano, Jorge Rivera on bass, Pedro Marcano and Víctor Ambert on trumpets, César Ayala and Léster Pérez on trombones and Saviel Cartagena on tenor and soprano saxophones.

Ten minutes into the music under the direction of the leader of the generation of the present, as timbalero Pete Perignon is known on Puerto Rican soil, Aymée greeted the audience with a heartfelt, “¡Buenas noches, Puerto Rico!” She thanked the attendees in a candid manner for joining her, while making jokes about how heavy her dress was as she elegantly adjusted the flounce and wings of her sleeves. She also commented on the design of the theater, inaugurated in 1832.

Gilberto SantaRosa y Aymée Nuviola Imágenes Conrado Pastrano

That first conversation with the audience served to connect with a: “we are survivors”, in clear reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, shortly before quoting Celia Cruz saying: “As Celia said so well: ‘Thank you Puerto Rico, for lending me your flag’. She also recognized actor Willy Denton, who played Pedro Knight when Aymée impersonated Celia Cruz in the soap opera Celia and who was among those present.

Nuviola boasted of having reached the fifth floor, as she recounted that she was going to record her version of ‘El ratón’ with Cheo Feliciano, whose unexpected death thwarted the long-awaited collaboration. However, Aymée decided to record it anyway, in order to pay tribute to Señor Sentimiento. The evening’s repertoire included: ‘Un poco de salsa’, ‘Salsa con timba’, ‘Yo sé que es mentira’, ‘El ratón’, ‘La tierra del olvido’ and ‘La gota fría’.

Many remember Aymée for her character of Celia Cruz in an acting performance that marked “a before and after” in the singer’s career. This was acknowledged by the actress, shortly before paying tribute to Celia, with her versions of ‘Cúcala’ and ‘Quimbara’, in addition to performing a medley of some of the songs with which Celia was crowned the Queen of Salsa. The medley included ‘Toro mata’ and ‘Bemba colorá’, among others.

The concert included a bohemian part during which Aymée accompanied herself on the classical piano to share with us her passion for the filin. The selected repertoire was: ‘Obsesión’, ‘Bésame mucho’, ‘Me faltabas tú’, ‘Perfidia’ and ‘Lágrimas negras’.

Before performing ‘El espacio’, of her own composition, and accompanied by Miguel Camilo on piano, Aymée said that the song was inspired by “someone else’s skeleton”, as the composer described it. Aymée emphasized that ‘El espacio’ is not dedicated to her husband. Between jokes and laughter, the sonera shared with those present her love story with Paulo Simeón, while acknowledging the presence of Fabio Díaz Vilela, who was the owner of the place where the couple met more than 14 years ago. Aymée expressed her gratitude to Fabio, for also having been a great support for the career of the producer, “from day one”.

The climax of the concert came as the sonera took off ‘El cuarto de Tula’, Gilberto Santa Rosa -who was among the attendees- went up on stage to duet with Aymée, between each soneo to describe the scope of the talent of the Cuban who gave her sonero heart to Puerto Rico. El Caballero de la Salsa was also able to tell La Sonera del Mundo the fascination that the Puerto Rican public has for her. For their part, Aymée’s soneos expressed to Gilberto the admiration she has for him for being “a great maestro”.

The repertoire of this last section included the songs ‘Fiesta’ and ‘El manisero’, which incorporated correspondences between the singer and the pianist. The coda of ‘El manisero’ coincided with the closing of the curtain, while the audience shouted “another, another, another”. The ñapa corresponded to ‘Chan chan’, a song included in the album that won Nuviola a Grammy for his production A Journey through Cuban Music. The interpretation was sprinkled with the strength brought by the trumpets of Pedro Marcano and Víctor Ambert, along with the trombones of César Javier Ayala and Léster Pérez. Chan Chan’ announced the farewell with which Aymée Nuviola’s energetic “God bless Puerto Rico” resounded as the curtain came down on her first solo concert on Puerto Rican soil. For my part, I reciprocate: “God bless Aymée Nuviola and her team (including Paulo Simeón and Luis Solís)”.

Here in the Island of Enchantment we are pleased to know that Corazón Sonero has consolidated this high-end artist, whom we already consider our own.

Images: Conrado Pastrano

Also Read: Mel Martinez I come from Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico is Salsero

Dance. The best of America United in a Single Project

Latin America / Cuba / La Habana

Since the 1950s, a very humorous genre called the casino dance was born in Cuba, a style based on dancing the Cuban music of the moment between couples. This lies in history since the fashion of Mambo and Cha Cha Cha in the most aristocratic clubs and in the fraternal halls of poor blacks of the beautiful island, they danced on Saturdays, Sundays or special parties on specific days, for the moment the rhythms sounded de la Aragon, Chapotin, Orquesta Casino, el Benni, among others, without leaving aside rhythms such as rock and roll, sounds of the time that fought for a space in the fans.

From the mixture and the dance relationship of those attending the clubs is born that change of couples in circular formation called the Rueda de Casino, a name that we will be developing in other editions of the magazine.

In America, especially in the south of this continent, Salsa Casino, as it is called in many places, has managed to lay firm foundations, much more than what is known in Europe or North America, in some countries becoming the reference number 1 of the Salsa dance modality. We have the best example in Venezuela, land of casinos par excellence, where we can add a great hundred dance schools nationwide, without leaving behind how strong it is in Colombia and Peru, among some countries that also use this discipline. as a strong influence on young and old.

It is incredible to see the great differences in styles and forms between the casinos in Europe and those in South America, but always the same concept, joining several couples to enjoy a good timba or a good son.

From the foregoing, the Cubashow Project arises, born with the primary objective of generating a training and development channel for the new generations that venture into the beautiful world of dance, mainly those linked to Cuban Salsa and its roots in popular music or traditional Cuban music, folklore and its Afro tendencies, all in relation to the strong wave of this discipline that is developing in the main capitals of many American countries.

BAILA QUE BAILA AMERICA a concept of union between southern countries to extend the dissemination of Salsa Casino in the continent brings together some of the best instructors from each country with the sole intention of conducting national and international training tours in all trends of the dances of Cuban culture, in this way we obtain from the best exponents classes, seminars, talks, forums, workshops and shows that can be viewed through the social networks of @BailaQueBailaAmerica the different schools, academies or instructors registered to the project.

Professional dance teams are structured based on their local projections, the work they do within each of their countries. An event of great proportions is expected for the month of June where we will be able to have the best instructors from all over South America together in a high caliber event, we just have to be attentive to social networks and future reports of this great magazine to join us. to this casual wave.

Habana Style. Dance Company “Where dancing is a pleasure”

North America / USA / Las Vegas

Habana Style

Founded by a professional dancer and choreographer, Yody Iznaga in 2001, to offer people who are passionate about latincaribbean and cuban music a place where they could learn such exotic dance styles and express themselves in dance body movements as its main objective. Habana Style Dance Company is one of the very few dance schools in LAS VEGAS which offer its public a complete portfolio with about 15 different latin-caribbean dance styles with an objective to enable the students to feel identified with what they are looking for in specific.

Yody Iznaga professional dancer and choreographer born in Cuba and educated through the authentic Cuban technique of modern dance created by the professor Eduardo Rivero Walker at a professional company Teatro de la Danza del Caribe (Theater of Caribbean Dance). Yody Iznaga knows to perfection about 15 different dance styles. He dances on TV channels and big and famous stages known in the world of salsa. Yody has choreographed and danced for artists like Marc Anthony, Victor Manuelle, La India, Maelo Ruiz, and others. https://habana.style

Habana Style - Social Photo 1 — Habana Style – Social Photo 1

Dance Classes at Habana Style Dance Company

Private lessons Private lessons represent the most accurate, effective and the fastest way to learn or master any dance style of your choice; since you can choose exactly what you would like to learn and the areas you need to improve. The dance studio is reserved only and exclusively for you and the instructor for the time of your scheduled session. This is also why you can fully enjoy and exploit the most out of the instructor’s time and attention which are completely yours during the private lesson.

Workshops Workshops are special dance classes taught by certified professionals with the main objective to develop and improve special dance abilities and to acquire original movements of a specific dance style. Members of Habana Style Dance Company learn through an authentic technique created by the dancer & choreographer Yody Iznaga. This authentic method focuses also on clean movements while it is easy to understand and acquire due to the high and professional level of teaching methodology typical for Habana Style.

Group Classes Group classes are designed for people who want to learn in an entertaining way how to dance and at the same time to meet people and to connect to people who have the same dance objective.

The classes are structured so that also people without a partner can participate in and enjoy the group classes. Students keep on rotating which allows them to improve their commands necessary for social dance. The group classes are designed to create a friendly environment and increase trust among participant; students are greatly encouraged to practice and demonstrate the knowledge acquired in the group classes on the dance floor at our social dance nights.

Habana Style - Social Photo 2 — Habana Style – Social Photo 2

Benefits of Dancing with Habana Style Dance Company

Habana Style Dance Company offers various benefits to its members while dancing Latin-Caribbean dances at the dance studio. Preparing and encouraging students to enjoy social dances anywhere in the world. On their way toward this goal, students have loads of fun, relieve stress, exercise, meet people with the same dance objective, and have constant participation in social events.

Members of Habana Style Dance School learn through an authentic technique created by the dancer & choreographer Yody Iznaga. This authentic method focuses also on clean movements while it is easy to understand and acquire due to the high and professional level of teaching methodology typical for Habana Style Dance Company.

Last but not least, Habana Style Dance School offers its members to join teams where they reach a very high level of dance including exotic movements within the social and professional dance through a long path of practices. What could be more beautiful and uniquely identifying than the exotic mixture of Salsa with Afro-Cuban rhythms and Cuban rumba within popular and social dances?

Dina y Los Rumberos makes Portland and its surroundings dance

We always find, and surely will find, examples of Cubans who have managed to get ahead despite the harsh circumstances surrounding them in their country of origin. One of many is Andy Martinez, current musical director of the group Dina Y Los Rumberos, with whom we have had the honor to share a few minutes to learn as much as we can about his orchestra and current career.

Andy and Paolo — Andy Martínez on percussion next to Venezuelan timbalero Paolo

Andy’s initial taste for music

Andy comes from a musical family with whom he had a lot of contact with music since he was very young, starting with his father himself, Don Raúl Matínez, who was the former musical director of Dina Y Los Rumberos and, for reasons of age, was unable to carry out his functions. However, he is still the head of the project and is part of all the important decisions in this regard.

On the other hand, Andy’s personal interest in music began when he was only five years old, which led his parents to enroll him in his first conservatory where he studied the elementary and middle level, but because of geographic issues and reasons of distance, he was not able to finish his degree. As a result, he chose to study to be a music teacher instead.

What most attracted his attention at that time was percussion, in fact, he ended up graduating as a percussionist and playing instruments such as the bongo, the timbales, the tumbadora and many more.

Dina Y Los Rumberos

The first thing Andy wanted to clarify about Dina y Los Rumberos is that the group was at first a family orchestra, starting with Dina, the lead singer, who is Andy’s older sister. On the other hand, his father Raul was the director, as we have said, and his uncle Ernesto Martinez was the bass player.

Dina Matínez — Lead singer of Dina Y Los Rumberos Dina Martínez

It all starts when, in 2001, Raul made the decision to formalize a band that included the family musicians, who had already been in other groups and had the necessary expertise to take up the challenge. Soon after, they got their first chance to tour outside Cuba, more specifically in Mexico, where they spent approximately 10 years. That time was more than enough to travel around the country and establish the band there, but unfortunately the situation of violence at that time made them move again.

Andy and the rest of the band preferred to move to Portland, Oregon, where they still live today.

Great challenges after their arrival in the United States

Although the plan was not to leave Cuba indefinitely, Andy also admitted that the idea of leaving the island was always hanging around his head due to the political and economic situation there. The artist also pointed out that in the music business, most of those who have the opportunity to leave never come back.

In the case of Andy and his bandmates, they specifically chose Portland, since they had many acquaintances in the area and it was a place very much like where they lived in Cuba with a lot of nature and tranquility.

One of the first challenges they faced along the way was Raul’s inability to remain at the forefront the orchestra due to his advanced age and health problems, so the best person to replace him was Andy, since he was the one who had more musical knowledge and was more qualified to lead a band in terms of scores, arrangements and that sort of thing.

Andy, Dina, and Raul — Andy Matínez, Dina Martínez and their father Raul Matínez playing the guitar

Another of the difficulties they had was the bad reputation Cubans had at that time, so many doors were closed to them because of all that was said of their country of origin. However, they have managed to get ahead despite the adversities and now defend Cuban music to the last on any stage where they play.

How Dina Y Los Rumberos is currently composed

At present, Dina Y Los Rumberos is made up as follows: Dina Martinez on vocals, Luis Perez also on vocals, Paolo on timbales, Diego Cruzado on piano, Moises Hernandez on piano and Mario Posada on piano, Thomas Pierce on trombone, Olaf on bass and Alexis also on bass.

Joshua Levine and his quartet have a lot of Guataca

Joshua Levine, artistically known as Josh Levine, is one of so many examples of Americans who, without having any type of Latin roots, fall under the charm of our beautiful music and do not hesitate to make it their way of life. That is why we wanted to talk to Josh, born in New York City, a little more about his career and what brought him to where he is today.

Josh posing with his double bass — Bandleader and bassist Josh Levine posing with his double bass

Josh’s beginnings in music

The first instrument that drew Josh’s attention as a child was the piano, as his babysitter was a piano teacher and offered him some lessons to satisfy his curiosity. The interesting thing is that his teaching was more focused on the ear than on reading music as such, showing that there are musicians perfectly capable of playing without needing a musical score.

However, like any child, he began to have other interests such as skating, to which he devoted much of his time back then. About 10 or 11 years later, his father, who was a great jazz fan, used to listen to this genre at home frequently, to the point that the young man once again felt that passion for what he had practiced so many years ago and began to listen a little more intently to the artists his father enjoyed.

Seeing his son’s growing taste for jazz, Josh’s father decided to take him to a concert featuring Cedar Walton’s piano trio with Ron Carter on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. He was so impressed by their performance that he decided to study bass that same day, as at the time it seemed to him the most understandable and easiest instrument to learn because of its few notes at once.

He got so good that he even became part of his high school band, a group from where great artists emerged including Carlos Henriquez, a great musical luminary who has worked with Celiz Cruz, Eddie Palmieri and Ruben Blades and is the current bass player for the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Interest in Latin music

For those same years, Josh also learned Spanish and clarified that he does not have any Latin ancestry, so this was not the motive behind his interest in this music. However, he grew up in a neighborhood in Manhattan where many Latino families lived, especially Caribbeans from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Josh and Jainardo — Josh Levine next to Puerto Rican singer and percussionist Jainardo Batista

Meanwhile, he was also studying biology in college and a little jazz and classical music. Upon graduation, by pure chance, he met a young Venezuelan musician named Roberto Fuentes, who was the director of Alpargata Cantorum (a very famous Venezuelan musical comedy and theater group in the 70s), who wanted to form a band with him and a few other musicians. Fuentes showed Josh a lot of Venezuelan folkloric music, taught him to play cuatro and made him listen to several songs typical of Venezuelan music such as ”Barlovento”, ”El Alma Llanera”, ”La Vaca Mariposa”, ”Pajarillo Verde” and many more.

As for classic salsa, he made him listen to Ismael Rivera, Rubén Blades, Willie Colón and many others.

Other groups Josh was in

Having been in the group with Fuentes gave him what he needed to make contact with many other groups, including that of José Luis Martínez, who was very close to Juan Carlos Formell Sr. Thanks to Martinez he learned a great deal about Cuban music, the way Cuban son is played on the bass, the pronunciation of words in the Cuban dialect, among other things.

His big break came when he met Jainardo Batista, whom he was a big fan of when he was in his band Nu Guajiro (or Nu D’lux, as it would end up being called). It turns out that Josh went every Sunday to hear them play at the club where they were at the time and, after 10 years of following their music, they finally invited him to play with them.

After a while, the group disbanded, but Josh and Jainardo did not lose touch. And not only that, but they continued playing together and had the idea of forming something new.

Jainardo, Jeremy, Gabriel, and Josh — Percussionist Jainardo Batista, flautist Jeremy Bosch, Pianist Gabriel Chakarji, and bassist Josh Levine

Cuarteto Guataca

Cuarteto Guataca was born when Josh and Jainardo decided to form a new group after the breakup of Nu D’lux and counted with the participation of Dominican arranger, composer and tres player Román Lajara and Puerto Rican producer, composer and flutist Jeremy Bosch. He describes them both as musical prodigies, to the point of telling us that Lajara was the representative of the Cuban tres as an instrument at the 2024 National Jazz Day in Morocco.

Josh, Jainardo, Román and Jeremy were the members of the original quartet, but they did not play for a living because it was not enough, but as a sort of part-time job. For the same reason, the four of them also worked on other projects at the same time, as is usually the way with New York today.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, they started playing in city parks to earn some tips during the quarantine, leading their audiences to grow tremendously and many venues began to hire them to play in their open spaces. At a time when musicians were out of work, they had events at least six out of seven days to a week.

This led to them to be ready to get in a studio for the first time and record their first album, which was released in 2022 and is available on all digital platforms for all to enjoy. It should be noted that Román was not playing as often with Cuarteto Guataca, so he was replaced by Venezuelan producer, composer and pianist Gabriel Chakarji until he got back some time later.