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 most current rhythms.
Pachito made a dynamic transition, from Los Pachucos to Los Kini Kini, which gave rise to one of the most popular Cuban orchestras in the last 30 years. This band emerged from the need of finding a hallmark to identify a way to feel the music.
Pachito assumed a great responsibility when he was still very young, his father had left the music scenario on fire and the national musical scene in the early 1980s was full of orchestras of the highest level.
“When my dad dies, the ship looses its captain, so I assumed the job giving a spin on things , but always respecting the previous work; I included the Nuviola sisters and Isaac Delgado, who wasbeginning his career at that time. I wanted to create a hallmark to distinguish my work, something I had partially gotten through the arrangements I did to my dad. “
“Thus began the stage of ¨Pachito Alonso and his Kini Kini¨ , where we played many popular hits. Over three decades we have gone through very important moments, but we have always remained inthe public’s preference”.
What is your greatest satisfaction in all this time?
Keeping my father’s legacy alive, something I am very proud of. The Kini Kini has been the way to keep alive his work and music, which is enriched every day and also enriches me and my children, as well as earning the respect and affection of Cuban people.
This result is not only thanks to Pachito, now is also the responsibility of Christian, Rey and Yolena Alonso.
What did Christian and Rey’s inclusion mean to the Kini Kini?
Youth is energy, but if you have lots of energy and do not know how to distribute it, then you are wasting it. Their inclusion in the orchestra was very similar to what happened to me when entering my dad’s band. We were 6 or 7 young men who came from the music school, where we had a group that was even awarded, and gave fresh air to Los Pachucos, and also modernity and updating.
Christian and Rey have greatly enriched and rejuvenated the group, but they worked hard to achieve it, I demanded a lot to them and to the rest of the musicians for them to be at the height of all that tradition of great artists that Cuban popular music has.
Do you have any debts?
Only with the music , I always want to do more. Now I’m cooking a plan to internationally relaunch the ¨ pilón¨, it is a fairly ambitious idea, but I’m sure it will be a success. Pilon rhythm was aphenomenon in Cuban music thanks to the work of the duo that was made up by my father and Enrique Bonne.
In recent years I have seen the boom of genres like the lambada, salsa, merengue and more recently reggaeton, and sometimes success does not go hand in hand with quality, sometimes its origin is in the intricacies of the market: ad campaigns, radio programming, video clips and formulas designed to triumph.
However, the pilón has all the ingredients to become again a fashionable rhythm without making concessions that distort it.
Do you have any immediate projects?
We recorded two albums with Colibrí Record Label: Homenaje a Antonio Machín y a Pacho Alonso; and 30 años con mi tumbao, which I hope them to be available to the public before the end of2013.
The first is a tribute to the great singer Antonio Machin, who was little known in Cuba but certainly not least important, and to the friendship he had with my father.
That album includes versions of the songs Niebla del riachuelo and Angelitos negros, and as guests we had the voices of Omara Portuondo, the diva of Buena Vista Social Club, José Luis Arangoand my son Christian Alonso.
The second phonogram is a gift that we offer to our fans of ever, and contains the major hits of the Kini Kini, from its creation to the most recent ones.
In addition, to celebrate our 30 th anniversary of work, we will perform in the 41st edition of ¨La Fiesta del Espíritu¨, to be held from October 9 to 27 in Guanajuato, Mexico, and we are also included in the show Viva Cuba, starring Yoldance Company, which is directed by my daughter Yolena Alonso, which will be premiered at the National Auditorium of Aztec nation in January.
What do the words music and Cuba mean to you?
The music is the means that gave me life to express myself, to say what I otherwise can not. I also think the director is responsible for his band to achieve a hallmark through his way of composing,arranging and leading the musicians in search of a particular sound. A musician must have patterns and in that sense I had very good examples to follow, from my father to the great musicians and arrangers who worked with him, many of them were the best of the moment.
Cuba is simply my love, the most valuable thing I have. I have had the opportunity to represent my country in other latitudes and that has been a great recognition to my work, to what I have inheritedand what I’ve learned, and that is very important.
