He aquí un nuevo trabajo discográfico que viene a reafirmar, por si alguien albergara alguna duda, la riqueza inagotable de la música popular cubana.Las Hermanas Lago formaron un trío de excepcional calidad y la presente grabación da fe de ello: tres voces femeninas puestas en su justo lugar, afinado y logrando un resultado sólido y bien acabado, que no obstante no perjudica la calidez del resultado, ya que pese a cierta perfección formal, dejan traslucir la pasión y la entrega propia de los cantantes de su época.Lo diferente en Las Hermanas Lago es que no solo se recrean en los temas cubanos propiamente dichos( sones, boleros)...sino que interpretan canciones de toda América ( Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay..) con la misma frescura y naturalidad que cantan los sones de su tierra.
After the big success of Sausolito, his first album as leader (AYVA Música AV 35, 2005), Iñaki Sandoval presents Usaquén, his second album recorded with his stable trio, featuring Horacio Fumero on bass and David Xirgu on drums. Iñaki Sandoval has become in recent years as one of the most important Spanish jazz pianists. The critics highlight his transparent and impeccable technique, combining the traditional language of jazz with a contemporary personal style of writing. The trio sounds powerful and virtuous in up tempos and amalgam metrics, without sacrificing lyricism and beauty on the ballads, leaving also space for the showcasing of the three individual jazzmen. All the songs from Usaquén are original compositions, including two songs written by bassist Horacio Fumero. Out of the 14 tracks of the CD, of generous length (69 minutes), we can highlight tracks as Hotel Existence, Usaquén, Alejo's Pub or Peewy, dedicated to the memory of Peer Wyboris, who played drums in Sausolito, and died a few days after this recording was made. The CD edition contains two "bonus tracks": a new version of Luna Llena and a piano solo version of Usaquén.
"It's as if, suddenly, the esthetic stasis that has plagued Cuban art music has given way. Krismant's Flash Cubano, composed out of shards of earlier Cuban classical music, comparsas, dance music, modern compositions and more, suggests a new reevaluation of Cuban music by Cuban musicians. Krismant is a Cuban pianist, and he plays against just percussion on five tracks. On six, he plays alone. On two tracks, a violinist joins the percussion. Some of the music, by Lecuona, Chano Pozo, Jose Maria Vitier and New York's own Oriente Lopez, is specific. Some of the music, by the way it's arranged, suggests styles and eras, as if letting a shadow tell a story is somehow more effective than spelling it out. The pieces are short, and powerful, pungent with humidity and intelligence. Highly recommended." Peter Watrous
This name is nothing more than the conjugation of two words from African dialects. Yoruba is the name given to an extensive territory in southern Africa, inhabited by several nations and consequently their cultures. The word Andabo, in Carabalí language, means: friend, follower, admirer. Therefore, "Yoruba Andabo", seeks to be something like "the friends, the admirers and followers of the yoruba lands and their cultures." This group had its genesis in the Havana Docks where, in 1961, a group of workers met and created what was known then as "Guaguancó Marítimo Portuario." When they became professional, the group was re-baptized "YORUBA ANDABO" when, in 1986, they started working in a series of activities for and with the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC). These activities were organized by Cuban poet Eloy "The Ambia" Machado, who put the group in contact with singer and composer Pablo Milanés, who invited them to participate in the celebrations for the 25th Anniversary of the record company EGREM. From that moment on they started carrying out important work with folk singer Merceditas Valdés. In 1994, as they stepped into a new working stage, they adopted the name Folkloric Company YORUBA ANDABO. The company is made up of seventeen artists, including singers, percussionists and dancers, and professionally performs the most important genres of both religious and profane music within the Africans roots of Cuban culture. This work includes: • Congo Cycle where they do the three types of Palo, Makuta and Yuca singing, with instruments such as the Mula, Cachimbo and Caja drums, including the use of the Catá and the Aggogo. • Yoruba Cycle ranging from singings and prayers, working with the Bata drums orchestra and the Chequeré, to the profane type of "Bembé" or "Güiro", all of them with the Oricha dances such as: Elegguá, Oggún, Obbatalá, Yemayá, Babalú, Changó and Oyá. • Abakuá Cycle including the liturgical singing and prayers, with the complex execution of the Tankomo drums and the colorful dances of the Iremes or "little devils", symbolizing the spirit of the dead. • The Rumba Cycle with this cycle YORUBA ANDABO specializes in rescuing the traditional rhythms as the Yambú, the Guaguancó, and the Columbia, performing them with the original instruments. The company also offers workshops and seminars on Folkloric Percussion, Folk Dances and singing, Popular Percussion and Popular Dances. These educational activities are carried out by well known specialists who are members of our staff. YORUBA ANDABO has performed on important national and international stages, such as the Mella, Karl Marx, América, Amadeo Roldán and Nacional Theaters; and the Tropicana, Capri, Parisién and Copa Room Night Clubs in Cuba, the Colón Theater in Colombia, the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, ad the Aaron David Hall in New York City; they have participated in such important events as the Rumba Festivals, The Percussion Festivals (PERCUBA) and Golden Boleros in the island, the World of Music and Dance (WOMAD) in Canada, The International Arts Festival of Costa Rica, and the 15th Annual Expression International Festival in the United States, in the Tajin Summit 2001 Festival in Veracruz and in the 8th International Afro Caribbean Festival. They have also shared stages with personalities as Tata Güines, Pablo Milanés, Puntillita, Joe Arroyo, Celeste Mendoza, National Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Leo Brower, Lázaro Ros, Gonzalito Rubalcava and the Niche Band, Olodum Group, Oaxaca´s Dancing Devils, among others. Yoruba Andabo won the Latin Grammy Award in 2001, in the Folkloric Music Category, for its participation in the CD "La Rumba Soy Yo", and was finalist at Latin Grammy Award in 2006, in the Folkloric Music Category, for its participation in the CD "Rumba en La Habana con..."
In late 1989, guitarist Sergi Vicente formed an ensemble with eight of his students, with the intention of enriching their academic studies. As time went on, the ensemble became a much more ambitious project and developed into the 25-chair Guitar Orchestra it is today. So far, more than 70 guitarists have passed through the orchestra's ranks, many of them going on to impressive careers as soloists.
Even though the orchestra now tours widely, performing at festivals and throughout Spain and Europe, it maintains a close connection with the place of its inception, the Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceo in Barcelona. All members of the orchestra are teachers, graduates or master-level students of the Conservatorio.
This prestigious musical institution also serves as a regular headquarters for the orchestra as its members rehearse and work there on a weekly basis. The material that the orchestra performs is the fruit of a constant labor of investigation and adaptation.
The result is a varied and novel repertoire, made up of works by Baroque composers and contemporary authors, with a strong emphasis on Spanish music.
In 2001, the orchestra recorded its first CD, Orquestra de Guitarres de Barcelona, which received enthusiastic praise from both the public and the press. A self-titled DVD of the ensemble performing at Palau is distributed by Sony Classical in Europe.
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