Closed to the concepts of popular dance music that its leader has always defended, the latest production of Manolito Simonet and his group is meant for a broad and dancer audience
For two decades the Cuban band Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco has carried the flag of the son montuno . Their new album, Sin Frenos (No brake), boasts that melodic “scaffolding ” that led them to create their own style of making music.
The album was presented Tuesday by the group leader and saw the light thanks to the Bis Music label in 2013. There Simonet gathers a CD and a documentary directed by Mayra María García- as well as music videos of the songs Sin freno, Farandulero and La cuenta no da, which are now been broadcast on Cuban television.
On giving details of the audiovisual material, Mayra María García explains that it covers two decades of the orchestra through interviews to its leader and its members. It also collects images of performances in cities in central and eastern Cuba, and of a concert they gave in 2013 at the Karl Marx Theater.
For its part, the CD features music production by saxophonist Germán Velazco and Manolito. It features twelve songs address the day to day in the lives of people that like this music and enjoy dancing it. Dedicated to dancers, Sin Freno takes its title from a single written for the CD by trumpeter and singer Alexander Abreu. Moreover, it features authors like Manolito, Ricardo Amaray, singer of the band, and Lázaro Díaz Casanova, who shares the authorship with Manolito of Payaso.
Among the artists who contributed to the phonogram are percussionists Yulién Oviedo and José Alberto Alvarez, guitarist Marcos Alfonso and singer Jorge Hernandez.
Among its songs are the exquisite Chiquita, Vivencias, A la medida and Tú no me llores más. Everyone respects the style of the Trabuco and they stand as examples of that peculiar way of doing son montuno.
Tempered with great genre diversity in popular music, Simonet also includes the bachata Tonight you stay with me, and the reggaeton Farandulero, featuring Jorge Hernandez, a member of Los 4.
Manolito said Sin Freno took a rigorous study of international market, besides the fact that there are barriers to products of Cuban artists.
“The Hispanic market that follows us in the world is very small, because we have no way of promoting these interesting things,” the distinguished musician says, while he mentioned important places where people consume their products such as Italy, Holland, Switzerland, France and Norway.
A demanding test for this disc will be when they tour Europe in August.
Meanwhile, they are already taking steps in the creative process of what will be the 12th album of the orchestra, in which, Simonet announced, he will use two singers and continue to defend the son montuno.
Photo: Roberto Ruiz
