The outstanding Cuban jazz player Chucho Valdés will not be in the most important jazz festival on the island, the International Jazz Plaza Festival 2013 event in which he was expected to be honored along his late father Bebo Valdes, who died on March 22 this year. The organizers announced at a press conference that the festival, which will take place from December 19 through the 22 in various stages of Havana, will be dedicated to Big Figures of Cuban Jazz, which would pay tribute to a long list of exceptional musicians in just four days. Given the logical question of whether some action specifically dedicated to the life and work of Bebo, Gloria Ochoa, vice president of the Cuban Institute of Music is contemplated, replied that they had thought rather to remember all those who in one way or another have had to do with the greatness of the genre on the island by exquisite concerts that converge more established artists and new Cuban generations, along with several foreign participants. Previously the D'Cuba Jazz website had announced that the 29 International Jazz Plaza Festivals, according to sources from the organizing committee, would be dedicated to Bebo and Chucho, and...

Alvaro Torres, one of the most popular singers in Latin America, will offer two concerts in Havana on December 13 and 14 ( Friday and Saturday) at the Lázaro Peña Theater, the Cuban Institute of Music told OnCuba. For presentations, the multi-award winning artist will be accompanied by the first stands of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, led by maestro Enrique Pérez Mesa. According to sources from the Lázaro Peña , tickets to concerts are already sold out , but they pointed out were not sold to the public, but given to business centers of the capital of the island Author and performer of hits like Nada se compara contigo and Hazme olvidarla, Torres has recorded throughout his career twenty albums widely marketed worldwide , and several of his songs have been sung by leading figures in the continent such as José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma" , Tito Nieves, Sergio Vargas, and Rocío Jurado, among others. He has shared the stage with major artists such as Jose Feliciano, and expressly written songs for singers like Spanish Paloma San Basilio and Mexicans Dulce and Veronica Castro. Alvaro Torres, 59, visited Cuba in the past, but on a private basis, so...

The International Craftworks Fair (FIART by its Spanish acronym), now in its 17th edition, again grab the attention of all those interested in manual arts and excellently-made cultural offerings by assuming this year an ambitious program of activities which will accommodate products from almost every corner of the globe in its exhibition and sales areas. From December 6 to 22 the San Carlos de La Cabaña Fortress, in Havana, will host the largest craft show of the year in Cuba thanks to the efforts of various institutions of culture and the interest this sales opportunity arouses in Cuban and foreign artisans attending the event. In the opening speech of the event, Jorge Alfonso Garcia, director of the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets (FCBC by its Spanish acronym), said that this edition is not only the largest of to date, but also the one that best expresses the richness of current Cuban creation. The FCBC managers, FIART major responsible, told OnCuba that this year's event core will be the Expo selling in 355 stands, 69 of which are foreign shows, where more than 250 Cuban and 71 foreign craftsmen from 16 countries, figure lower than the previous edition, mainly due to...

Juan Formell, founder and director of Los Van Van, insists that the processes of promotion and marketing of Cuban music should be modernized because we are out of competition with regard to musicians worldwide. “We must take advantage of new technologies, especially the Internet and all tools it provides as Facebook and twitter to compete globally," the Latin Grammy Award for Musical Excellence 2013 said at a press conference in Havana for the 15 years of the Clave Cubana Representation Agency. Cuba, he said, is a musical power for the training and quality of its musicians, which makes the product very attractive in the international market, but the marketing strategies are obsolete, largely because we have no access to new technologies. Internet may need to be available to all for a new promotion and marketing strategy can take effect, and the domestic market of the island plays a truly important role. Formell remarked that the compact disc as a physical format will soon disappear and referred the possibility for an artist to share with his followers through social networks, " Oscar de Leon has, to cite one example, two million followers on Facebook and twitter, if each one of them...

The Cuban singer and composer Elides Ochoa with his Patria group will offer a series of concerts from December 4 through the 15 as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Recordings and Musical Editions Company (EGREM), and the festivities for the end of the year. The presentations, in EGREM and Artex cultural centers will begin in Varadero´s Plaza America on the 4, Miramar House Music ( 5) Varadero´s House Music ( 6), and continue in Havana at the Plaza San Carlos de la Cabana ( 11) , Jelengue de Areíto ( 12) El Sauce ( 13) Delirio Habanero (14 ) , and conclude in Havana´s House of Music on the 15 . On the journey, the Santiago musician, Grammy Latino 2012 with the album A bolero para ti, will have guest singer David Blanco, with whom he has performed in the past. Eliades recently announced to the press that he is engaged in a new album, this time under the Bis Music label, calling it special because all songs are of his own. Rated one of the most important soneros of Cuba, and a major proponent of the traditional music of the island, Eliades Ochoa is...

Liuba María Hevia will give a concert on Saturday at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, where she will celebrate 30 years of artistic life from a journey along the paths of her different lives in search of that music that completes her as an artist and person. So many lives is the name of the show, through which Liuba, will visit important places of her troubadour career in the hands of several guests who have been very relevant to her life and work. Again the artistic direction of the concert will be by the actor Osvaldo Doimeadiós , and will combine, as usual, music, dance and audiovisual materials. We will have a sui generis concert, the singer told the press, as I made in my early days, this time we have a better dramaturgic work, with dance as thread On the Karl Marx she will be accompanied by Tania Vergara and dance group Endedans, Pepe Hevia, with his company Pepe Hevia Dance, the group FRAXIS and musicians graduates of the National School of Art and the University of the Arts. The show for the three decades of musical career of Luiba María Hevia, will be recorded by the Colibri...

Omara Portuondo is synonymous of the song; many consider her the greatest Cuban singer and a symbol of our culture. Omara Portuondo Peláez , as parents her baptized her, was born in the neighborhood of Cayo Hueso, Havana, on October 29, 1930 under the star of those meant to leave a mark that defies the passage of time . Her first appearance was as an amateur in Radio Cadena Habana, debut that opened her the door for integrating prestigious groups of the time like the Orlando de La Rosa quartet, the Loquibambia group, along with Frank Emilio Flynn and José Antonio Méndez , and D' Aida , under the wise leadership of Aida Diestro. With over 80 years she has a contagious vitality and way to value every minute of life are a sample of the fiber that makes up this great woman. On some of the most important moments of her life and immediate plans, Omara Portuondo spoke with OnCuba . Who caught who, you to music or vice versa? It all started at home, listening to my parents sing together, from that stage is my admiration for Maria Teresa Vera and others. I begin to sing back in...

None of Cuban musicians based in the island that were nominees to the Latin Grammy Awards, were selected by the Academy to take home the golden gramophone. Chucho Valdés with the Border- free CD, singer Miriam Ramos with Cuban song, and the Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro and Santiaguero Septets with their albums Habana tiene su son and Vamos pa ' la fiesta, respectively, all nominees in the same category, were displaced by the prize committee, which awarded the coveted trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and his CD A Century of Passion. Sandoval thus wins is tenth Grammy and nearly two dozen nominations, and manages to stay as the Cuban artist with greater number of recognitions of this type. Precisely Sandoval was the big winner last awards (2012) when he won the Best Latin Jazz Album with Dear Diz (Every Day I Think Of You) , dedicated to the great Dizzy Gillespie, and Best tango album with Tango como yo siento. Of the other Cuban nominees for the Latin Recording Academy awards, all residing outside the island, Alex Cuba won with his video clip Eres Tu in Best Music Video short version and Pitbull the Best Urban Song with "Echa pa' alla manos pa'...

La Charanga Habanera, g Cuban popular dance music orchestra directed by David Calzado, is performing these days in scenarios in the U.S. promoting its new album entitled “Se sufre pero se goza” The tour, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the orchestra, began on the 10th in Hialeah, and will include concerts in Dos Gardenias, Tampa (17), Washington (22) New York (23), West Palm Beach (29) and Louisville, Kentucky on December 1. According to the organizers of the tour the group will act also in McAllen (5) Houston (6) and Dallas (7), to continue in San Francisco (8), Las Vegas (13) Los Angeles (14) and Phoenix (16), although, they reported, still need to confirmpresentations in seven other cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Naples and Philadelphia. The Cuban musicians had their first performance in Hialeah, while this weekend their fans enjoyed their performance at the La Covacha nightclub, in Miami, and during the show they sold the CD. Produced under the EGREM label, the new CD from Charanga Habanera resumes the timba sound as expected by the public, with catchy choruses – after the " Charanga Light II " CD , laureate of Cubadisco 2013 , which offered a softer version...

The Santiaguero Septet is globally placed as one of the Cuban traditional music groups widely accepted by all audiences. Direct heir of the musical tradition of the east of the country, the band with relevant experience, especially in recent times, entered into the select list of artists and groups nominated to 2013 Latin Grammy in the category of Best Traditional Tropical Album, thanks to its latest phonogram ¨Vamos pa ' la fiesta¨. OnCuba made ​​contact with tres player Fernando Dewar, director of the Septet, who are ending a tour that has taken them to several European stages. The simple fact of being nominated is already a reward for us, Dewar said via e-mail, and I want to dedicate it to the exceptional Puerto Rican composer and singer Cheo Feliciano. "We send him our best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery.” "We also thank all those who in one way or another participated in the recording, without them the album would not have been what it is: a dream come true. The fact that guest artists, all great musicians, to have agreed to participate in our production is a great thing for us. " ¨Vamos pa 'la fiesta, ¨ produced...

Carlos Varela will give a series of concerts in the U.S. state of California concerning the organized events by several charitable associations based in different parts of the west coast of that nation. Varela, who is considered by critics one of the leading exponents of the Novísima Trova generation, will perform on October 12 in Sacramento, during an event of the Californians Building Bridges, an association that supports educational programs and humanitarian aid . According to the official website of the author of the song ¨ Guillermo Tell¨, on October 16, the Cuban musician will sing at the headquarters of the California Academy of Sciences invited to a gala hosted by the NGO Rainforest Action Network, to raise funds for the preservation of forests. Varela's stay in "The Golden State" will end on October 18 at the Brava Theater Center in San Francisco, where he will sing several of their most popular hits with arrangements adapted to a trio format, and he will be accompanied by pianist Aldo Lopez -Gavilan and bassist Julio Cesar Rodriguez, an experience already enjoyed by the Cuban public. Valera’s Californian tour will also serve to promote his CD ¨No es el fin¨ (It is not...

The Leo Brouwer Chamber Music International Festival is emerging as one of the most demanding of Cuba and worldwide for the quality of the guests and the repertoire it defends. It is one of the few events dedicated to this type of music that bears the name of a living artist, and it will has this year rather peculiar features. This 5th edition will have a sui generis gala, where the leading role will be played by humor, embodied in one of its greatest Cuban exponents: Osvaldo Doimeadiós. The 2012 National Humor Award spoke with OnCuba on what taking a responsibility like this represents. "It is a great satisfaction to me that the maestro Leo Brouwer to make me the honor of inviting me to be part of this great family which the festival that bears his name is. If you check out the list of all who attend this event, you may realize that many of the artists participating in the event, all of global recognition, repeat their presence, and that speaks highly of the meeting. " "One of the things that attract attention of the appointment is the force exerted by Brouwer´s personality for its inclusiveness, in my...

The Septeto Habanero, one of the orchestras of uninterrupted presence in the Cuban music scene since its inception, will give a series of concerts in different places in the U.S. and Puerto Rico during the months of October and November. Created in 1920, the group will perform at the Heredia Center in New York, in the city of San Francisco, California, on the West Coast, and the University of San Juan, to close and go all the way up the celebrations for its 93 years of existence. Authentic advocates of son, a true Cuban genre and from which stem several rhythms of popular dance music today, the Septeto will take to American and Puerto Rican audiences a selection of its extensive repertoire which includes songs from recent bill and anthology titles of son tradition as Papá montero, Elena la cumbanchera, A la Loma de Belén, and Aurora. It emerged as a sextet led by Guillermo Castillo. In 1927 after several changes without altering the format, it incorporates the trumpet acquiring the structure and sound of the septet that has remained to this day. The Septeto Habanero was the first band of its kind in interpreting works of Ernesto Lecuona, pieces...

Timbalaye Festival began, and with it all the rumba lovers of Cuba are celebrating. Now in its 5th edition it proposes to encourage the dissimilar edges of an expression of national culture that has become a symbol of the culture of the island and one of its most important ambassadors. National Heritage of the Nation, rumba, by Timbalaye, will tour for the first time a path that goes beyond the traditional circuit presentations of the capital, and will make dance its followers of Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba, who applauded the initiative which shows its popularity. Afro-Spanish, rumba emerged in Cuba in the late nineteenth century, and develops after the abolition of slavery, when slaves leave the fields to settle in the outskirts of cities (particularly in Matanzas and Havana), and so-called "solar" to start a new life. For these people, who are in the neighborhoods and in the streets, dance and music are suited to their way of being, of living and of expression, whether in religious, social or emotional ways. Irma Castillo, artistic director of the event, told OnCuba that in the meeting, which also pays tribute to son, musicians and researchers from Mexico, Italy, Argentina, Peru, among...

Pacho Alonso debuted as a singer very young in the Cadena Oriental de Radio, at the end of the first half of the last century. In 1946, when he was just 18, he traveled to Havana, where he met JoséAntonio Méndez, who introduced him in the popular radio station ¨Mil Diez .¨ At that time the name of the young man from Santiago entered the exclusive list of the great singers of Cuba. Saying ¨Pacho¨ is like talking about one of the richest stages of Cuban popular music. He peculiarly sang bolero and son, and was part of major orchestras of that time. Cuban people must be fair and recognize his contribution to our national music because he became hits, inside and outside our country, modalities such as ¨pilón¨, ¨simulé¨, ¨upa-upa¨ and others. Pacho´s constant effort of renovation is recognized as one of his leading characteristics as an artist, a feature that took him to stardom when working together with Enrique Bonne in the aforementionedgenres, which allow him to bequeath to Cuban music, titles as Yo no quiero piedra en mi camino, A cualquiera se le muere un tío , ¡Que me digan feo!, and his most famous hits Rico pilónand El upa-upa. Pacho Alonso became a legend of Cuban music; he represented the island in the most demanding stages of the world and was one of its most successful ambassadors. He had an outstanding career as soloist singing in Mariano Mercerón´s jazz band or in Benny Moré´s Giant Band, also with ¨Los Bocucos¨, his first group and ¨Los Pachucos¨, the last band he led, which was wisely conducted, afterhis death, by his son Pachito. The phrase ¨Sounds like Pacho¨ remained, not in time nor waiting for someone to rummage in the archives of the radio stations or record labels, his timbre evolves over time and has remained in the public's preference through the work of Pachito, who combines the best of popular tradition with the...

Omara comes back again immense, magical and dreamy with her new album entitled My Longing, an album produced by the EGREM, recorded, mixed and mastered in Areíto studio, the oldest in the country. Fans of the diva of the Buena Vista Social Club, and of Cuban music in general, have in this new work a high quality product, thanks to the repertoire that includes hits that are of the anthology of Latin American and Cuban song making and the challenge that led to its production, and the proven genius of the great singer. Mis anhelos (original title in Spanish) was the Special Prize winner in the recently concluded edition of Cubadisco, is a double album that includes 21 songs on the excellent vocal work by Omara in duets with emblematic figures of Cuban and world music from incorporating her voice to iconic recordings belonging to the EGREM archives. With this album “the girlfriend of feeling” finally fulfills herdesire to sing with distinguished performers that shey always admired and enjoyed, but for various reasons never met with her in a study to record the songs collected on this phonogram. The albums start with the immortal habanera Veinte años, anthology song made...

Now that the the International Symposium Cultural Diversity in the Caribbean is over, the way is open to the understanding of the different cultures that inhabit this Latin American Mare Nostrum.

Leonardo Garrido, Cuban young singer of popular dance music, burst onto the national soundstage with "Leo, todo de mi", his first solo album, after his passing through the country's leading bands. Leo, as he is popularly known, is one of the announcers of the TV variety show Piso 6, a profession he alternates with singing, where he has dabbled with orchestras such as Los Angeles de la Habana, Charanga Habanera and Klimax.

Recording a new album is the most important project in the short term the Buena Vista Social Club, the Cuban group of world-renowned traditional music, undertakes these days. Jesus "Aguaje" Ramos, head of the legendary group, explained that the CD, as yet unnamed, will keep the line of work they had when they included national culture icons as Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo and Pio Leyva.

Cuban singer Carlos Varela will attend as a guest, with his band, the Red Hot + Cuba Festival, to be held in the Opera House of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York City. In the event, to be held in the "Big Apple" on  November 30 and  December 1, the musician will sing alongside his countrymen Osdalgia, Kelvis Ochoa, David Torrens, flutist José Luis Cortes "El Tosco" and trumpeter Alexander Abreu, leaders of the  orchestras Havana D 'Primera and NG La Banda, respectively, the website of Varela reported.