Hexed since little by the sound of drums and bongos, Yuliet Abreu Fernandez is part of this new generation that is continuing the musical tradition of the popular Cuban band Los Papines. After making some incursions with the piano during her adolescence, this girl, referred to as “La Papina”, found out that she had rumba in her blood. That’s when she moved to percussion instruments, specialty in which she majored at the National Institute of Arts (ISA, by its acronym in Spanish).
Her father, Jesus Abreu, the single survivor of the founding Papines, has had to maintain the legacy of the original band during the past years. The Abreu family (Luis, Ricardo, Alfredo y Jesús), come from Marianao, a neighborhood in Havana that has been the cradle of many street rhythms and percussionists and are constant referents for Afro-Cuban percussion internationally.
When did you join LosPapines?
“In 2001, after my uncle Alfredo passed away, I and my cousin Luis Abreu Chantres joined the group. At first it was not easy at all because there had never been a woman in the band and they were very demanding with me. Besides, rumba is a sexist genre, and we women have been left for dancing, making choirs and occasionally for singing a song. Unfortunately, I believe I’m the only female leading singer in a Cuban rumba band”.
You are part of the second generation of Los Papines, what do you think that sets the difference with the previous one?
“I had the chance to work with my uncles Ricardo and Luis and with my dad. Perhaps I have to accept that they were more disciplined, but our main achievement has been being able to maintain the essence, achieve certain continuity and resemblance with the original Papines, which is really hard because they were unique”.
“Family is also very important for us. My grandfather taught my uncles and my dad that union and family are the most important things in the world and that’s what we have transmitted. I think that if some day Los Papines are no longer able to keep on with this tradition, it will be better to remain in memories and cease to exist”.
In what project are you working right now?
“Right now we are finishing an album and journalist and Cuban art critic Pedro de la Hoz will write a book on the history of the band. We don’t know yet what the name will be because we are still in the first stage of interviews.
“I personally would like to begin a project as soloist, of course, without leaving the band, I will continue in the band for as long as they exist. But that’s a debt I have with myself, an old dream; I would like to try some other kind of music, feeling for instance, and to take part of our old songs to more contemporary genres”.
In your opinion, what’s the state of health of rumba at present in Cuba?
“I believe it is in good condition, there are many good bands like Yoruba Andabo, Osaíndel Monte, and others, that are making a great job. The fact is that Cuba is rumba and son. Rumba identifies us; it reminds us that we are a blend of different cultures, the African and the Spanish culture. We are more contemporary but we maintain the essence of this genre”.
In 2013, the band celebrated its 50th anniversary and they had several tours through some Cuban provinces and through the US, a country they have visited several times. Yuliet explains that it was a reunion with a generation the founding Papines had met at their beginnings. “We were very well received; we worked inNew Jersey, Miami and Nueva York. It was really interesting for them to see a woman in the band. Even though I always sing or play the claves, there I played the drums enough and that caught people’s attention. It was a wonderful experience taking into account we were the new generation of Los Papines”.
“In order to end the celebrations we had a huge concert on December 20, 2013, here in Havana, at the America Theatre with the participation of important figures of the Cuban culture such as OmaraPortuondo, Juana Bacallao, Luis Carbonell, Pupy y los que son son, Isaac Delgado, among many others. It also paid homage to my uncle Ricardo Abreu (Papin), a founder of the band, in his 80th birthday”.
In addition to Cuban music, Yuliet has other responsibilities: being a mum. “At my age (32) that’s something I had to do and makes me incredibly happy”. Furthermore, she talked with OnCuba about her taste for writing music, although she has only written music for the track “Besito uno, besito dos”, usually interpreted by Los Papines in their performances.
Por: Elcira Martínez Adán
