Uploaded by ramoburg on Sep 19, 2009
Omara Portuondo Peláez (b. Havana, 29 October 1930) is a Cuban singer and dancer whose career has spanned over half a century. She was one of the original members of the Cuarteto d'Aida, and returned to perform with The Buena Vista Social Club ensemble. Portuondo was born one of three sisters; her mother came from a wealthy Spanish family, and had created a scandal by running off with and marrying a black professional baseball player. Omara joined the dance group of the Cabaret Tropicana in 1950, following her elder sister, Haydee. She also danced in the Mulatas de Fuego in the theatre Radiocentro, and in other dance groups. The two sisters also used to sing for family and friends, and in 1947 joined the Loquibambia Swing, a group formed by the blind pianist Frank Emilio Flynn.[1] From 19521953 she sang for the Orquesta Anacaona, and later in 1953 both sisters joined (together with Elena Burke and Moraima Secada) the singing group Cuarteto d'Aida, formed and directed by pianist Aida Diestro.[2] The group had considerable success, touring the United States, performing with Nat King Cole at the Tropicana, and recording an album for RCA Victor. In 1957 the sisters recorded an album with the quartet.[3] In 1959 Portuondo recorded a solo album, Magia Negra, involving both jazz and Cuban music. Haydee left the Cuarteto d'Aida in 1961 in order to live in the U.S.A. and Omara continued singing with the quartet until 1967. n 1967 Portuondo embarked on a solo career, and in the same year represented Cuba at the Sopot Festival in Poland, singing Juanito Marquez' "Como un Milagro". Alongside her solo work, in the 1970s she sang with the charanga Orquesta Aragon, and toured with them abroad. In 1974 she recorded, with guitarist Martin Rojas, an album in which she lauds Salvador Allende and the people of Chile a year after the military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. Among other hits from the album, she sang Carlos Puebla's beautiful "Hasta Siempre Comandante", which refers to Ché Guevara. During the 1970s and 1980s Portuondo enjoyed success at home and abroad, with tours, albums (including one of her most lauded recordings in 1984 with Adalberto Alvarez), film roles, and her own television series. Portuondo sang (duetting with Ibrahim Ferrer) on the album Buena Vista Social Club in 1996. This led not only to more touring (including playing at Carnegie Hall with the Buena Vista troupe) and her appearance in Wim Wenders' film The Buena Vista Social Club, but to two further albums for the World Circuit label: Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo (2000) and Flor de Amor (2004). In July 2005 she presented a symphonic concert of her most important repertoire at the Berlin Festival Classic Open Air am Gendarmenmarkt for an audience of 7,000. The entire program was specially orchestrated by Roberto Sánchez Ferrer, a conductor/pianist with whom she had worked during her early years at Havana's Tropicana Club. Scott Lawton conducted the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg. In 2007 she is performing the title role to sold out audiences in Lizt Alfonso's dance musical "Vida", the story of modern Cuba through the eyes and with the memories of an old woman. In this same year, her performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival was released on DVD. She recorded in 2008 a duets album with Brazilian singer Maria Bethania, named Maria Bethania e Omara Portuondo. In 2008 she recorded the Album Gracias as a tribute to the 60th anniversary of her singing career.
-
121 likes, 3 dislikes
74 videos

YouTube Mix for Omara Portuondo
4:46
Omara Portuondo Veinte Añosby Plaugeis3,716 views
4:44
Omara Portuondo - Graciasby mankoskyTV9,437 views
4:40
Celia Cruz, Lagrimas Negrasby oesoyyo129,238 views
3:37
Antonio Bandera & Ana Belen No se porque te quiero Audiofotoby sandraluz51178,748 views
3:05
Ibrahim Ferrer - Dos Gardenias (Buena Vista Social Club)by janalish93,393 views
3:00
Omara Portuondo - Tú me acostumbrasteby hireynaga76,925 views
5:31
Buena Vista Social Club & Omara Portuondo - Quizas quizas (Pécs)by Pecs2010ECOC83,583 views
2:47
Nostalgia Cubana - Ibrahin Ferrer - Como fueby elmarakazo61,161 views
3:44
Omara Portuondo - Siempre en Mi Corazónby remain2224,439 views
2:28
Mujeres cubanasby franciscosol1601,753 views
3:47
OMARA PORTUONDO - DONDE ESTABASby jucedico13,596 views
3:27
Omara Portuondo (con Pablo Milanés) - Amame como soyby sebascuba31,550 views
3:01
OMARA PORTUONDO La Cadena Santiagueraby ramoburg6,369 views
4:47
Rhythms del Mundo feat. Coco & U2by greentvgreentv178,522 views
4:15
Omara y Chucho Valdés- Lo que me queda por vivir.wmvby crudhost32,627 views
4:44
OMARA PORTUONDO - VEINTE AÑOSby jucedico17,262 views
3:56
Omara Portuondo - La sitieraby planetesimal1108,385 views
3:50
Omara Portuondo - He Perdido Contigoby Didgeridoojam35,757 views
4:15
Compay Segundo e Omara Portuondo - Veinte años - Heineken Concerts 1999by chicooceano33,983 views
- Loading more suggestions...
@ggfdel Y ENTONCES, QUIEN ES LA INTERPRETE ?, ALGUIEN QUE NOS LO DIGA POR FAVOR ! !
GUSTABOGA 2 months ago
....BELLA Y TALENTOSA ....QUERIDA OMARA!!!!!
LOVE47ist 3 months ago
There is no one like her representing the soul and energy of Cuba's music, Gabriel
dvir47 4 months ago
....ME EMOCIONA VER A ÉSTOS GRANDES INTÉRPRETES DE LA MÚSICA DE LA PRECIOSA Y QUERIDA CUBA......I LOVE OMARA...!!!!
LOVE47ist 4 months ago
Me encanta Omara y la Musica Cubana , pero esta interpre no es Omara
ggfdel 5 months ago
no es omara.
klaus1509 6 months ago
VOZ DE VOZES, TALENTO DE TALENTOS, LA VOZ DE CUBA, CANDELA.
garcescarlos87 6 months ago
esta grande
TheSensaiTokoshima 8 months ago
GRNADE ENTRE LAS GRANDES SIEMPRE OMARA...
aily10100 9 months ago
Una formidabla artista !
Gana Cds en Facebook de Omara !!!
worldvillagevideo 10 months ago