Los Van Van, the Cuban music train, will be competing this year for the Latin Grammies with its album La maquinaria (The Machinery), which classified in the category of Best Contemporary Tropical Album. In this CD, Juanito Formell’s band recreates the sound of the decades of 1980 and 1990 on the basis of new arrangements of such well-known themes as Recíbeme or Eso que anda, adding others which are already becoming popular among the dancers like Un año después (La costurera). This group is part of the Cuban musicians who have been selected in four categories, according to Cuban media.
Another nominated is Eliades Ochoa and the Cuarteto Patria, with the album Un bolero para ti, which includes themes by Rafael Hernández, Consuelo Velázquez, Arsenio Rodríguez and Eliades himself. This CD, which like the Van Van’s was produced by the EGREM recording house, competes in the category of Best Traditional Tropical Album. The Quinteto Criollo de Villa Clara, which produced the CD La trova de siempre with Producciones Colibrí, is also aiming at the prize in this category.
Classical music also had its place among the works selected to compete for the award. Included in the category of Best Contemporary Classic Composition is the piece Cuarteto No.4 by maestro Leo Brouwer, interpreted the Cuarteto de Cuerdas de La Habana, as well as the compositions Inura, by Tania León; Preludio No.1, by Aurelio Vega; and Seducción, by Yalil Guerra, played by pianista Elizabeth Rebozo.
Cuban filmmaker Ernesto Daranas succeeded in obtaining the nomination to the Best Lengthy Video with his documentary Blue Cha Cha, which complements the last album recorded by Miguel Galbán, mythical guitar player who accompanied Los Zafiros, which shows the recording process of a CD that combines sounds and rhythms from different parts of the world.
The Latin Grammies will be delivered next November 15 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center of Las Vegas.
In 2011, nominations were obtained by Omara Portuondo for her album Reír y cantar, where she interprets classic songs of the repertoire for children, and the groups of Adalberto Álvarez y su Son and Septeto Santiaguero with CD’s El son de altura and Oye mi son santiaguero, respectively.
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