Vistar Magazine No.13
Transcription
Vistar Magazine No.13
APRIL / 2015 ISSAC DELGADO I FEEL LIKE I NEVER LEFT CUBA GUEST ARTISTS CONCERT THE PERCUSSION FESTIVAL LOVE & PEACE FESTIVAL CUBANS OVERSEAS NOVEL ARTIST INSPIRATION GABRIELA GUTIÉRREZ PHOTOGRAPHY A unique view of Havana HAIRDRESSER * BARBERSHOP * SNACK BAR Jazz Club · Clubbing Reservations: 537 832 3195 Calzada 101 / L y M, Piso 10. La Habana Open daily 12 m. to 4 a.m. [email protected] - www.facebook.com/magicflute.restaurantclub 25 Street N. 1616 b/ 26 and 28 Street, Nuevo Vedado, La Habana TEL: 53(7) 8311241 / CELL: 53(5) 2831309 - 53(5) 8268032 email: [email protected] follow us on facebook SUMMARY APRIL 2015 10. 1TH ANNIVERSARY OF VISTAR 12. CHRONICLE 14. GUEST ARTIST RODNEY BARRETO 16. NEWS 18. LOVE & PEACE FESTIVAL 20. URBAN LATIN RECORDS MR. JORDAN 22. VAN VAN CONCERT 23. THE K IS THE MEANING OF KING 24. SMS IN CONCERT 27. P.M.M 30. THE PERCUSSION FESTIVAL 32. NOVEL ARTIST CRISS MARRON 34. TOP-TEN HAVANEANDO 38. ARCE 40. VINYL IS BACK 42 COVER ARTIST ISSAC DELGADO Paseo Street No. 7, b/ 1ra. y 3ra. Vedado, La Habana, Cuba teléf.: 53(7) 830 2287 www.habanamia7.com [email protected] [email protected] SUMMARY APRIL 2015 48. THE POET OF HAVANA 50. MUSIC CLIPS 52. PAULITO FG 54. AMAURY PÉREZ INTERVIEW 56. FILM INDUSTRY 60. CUBANS OVERSEAS JOEL CARREÑO YOLANDA CORREA 66. PHOTOGRAPHY ADALBERTO ROQUE 70. BALLET 73. DANCE & THEATRE 74. CUBAN CHARTS 78. PHOTOS WITH CELEBRITIES CONNECT TO: VISTAR MAGAZINE .COM VIEW IN GALLERY 1st Anniversary of Vistar NEW ALBUM OF HAVANA D´PRIMERA 36 La Vuelta al Mundo (Around the world), one of the most anticipated albums of last year, was released and is being marketed with total success. GUEST ARTIST LIZT ALFONSO Love & Peace Concert at "Salón Rosado de La Tropical" Exclusive images The Dead Daisies in "La Tropical" Juan Karlos Filming his new music clip Images of the highlights Top-Ten Havaneando Leoni Torres The most popular in Cuban music Filming his new music clip PREMIERE OF RETURN TO ELPIDIO VALDÉS ITHACA Return to Ithaca, multiawarded RETURNS film by director Laurent Cantet, GUEST ARTIST ORLAND MAX 28 FILM INDUSTRY CARLOS VARELA 48 INSPIRATION GABRIELA GUTIÉRREZ 64 To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the famous character, a new film of Elpidio Valdés will premiere in August. and written by Leonardo Padura, will premiere soon in the French Film Festival. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 7 CONTACT US www.vistarmagazine.com [email protected] www.facebook.com/vistarmagazine 53(5) 448 8062 Edigraf, San Francisco de Macoris Street 95-A, Corner Monsignor Ricardo Pittine, Sector Juan Bosco, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic © 2015 VISTAR The VISTAR name and logo are registered trademarks ISSN: pending Creative Director Robin Pedraja [email protected] Executive Producer Susú Salim Producer Helena Rodríguez Edition Odette González LETTER FROM THE EDITORIAL STAFF It took us a long year to feel the effect of thousands of followers who seek our magazine each month. Today we are committed. Congratulations VISTAR and may you meet many more. Enjoy... Correction Verónica Alemán Photography Production Estudio 50 Photographers Luis M. Gell Ronin Novoa (El Chino) Alejandro Alfonso Yander Zamora Armando N. Rams Alejandro Alonso Writers Yeneily García Lourdes García Ana Patricia Marzoa Community Manager Abel Pino Art & Design Amanda Gamón José Raúl Figueroa Gabriel Lara (Gabo) Coordinator & Promoter Eliector López Web Master Eduardo Campver Robin Curbelo App Vistar Alejandro Alfonso Alejandro Dustet 8 April 2015 Cover Photo by: Luis Mario Gell Design: Gabriel Lara (Gabo) Photography Production: Estudio 50 Colaborations Mayda Tirado José Luis Calisté Jr. Reymel Delgado Iván Soca Juan Miguel Valero Martica Minipunto www.vistarmagazine.com Yusnel Suárez Iljorky Morales Pedro Vázquez Enrique Pérez Díaz Laidi Fernández de Juan Daniel G. Alfonso Gabriel Dávalos José Ernesto González Rosanna Morello Luis Linares Ernesto Roque Gutiérrez E #158, 6th floor, b/ 9na. and Calzada, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba. Tel: 53(7) 832 5264 [email protected] VISTAR 1TH ANNIVERSARY 10 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com ¡GOD! I CAN'T WRITE WITH ALL THIS NOISE! BY: ARIEL MONTENEGRO I have just discovered the answers to several questions that human beings have asked themselves for thousands of years: Where do we come from? Where are we going? Conscience or matter? To be or not to be? Get ready for an interesting read as the words that follow are the best that have been written so far, the most enlightening, captivating and inspirational. Here they are: Humanity's purpose in the world is...God! I can't write with all this noise! The drummer downstairs chooses the most badly timed hours to practice! A few days ago, after spending the whole morning shooting a video, I wanted to get my 12 Abril 2015 much-deserved sleep, but the drummer would not let me. Sunday, 8 a.m. and he was already shaking the building's foundation. “The boy must study, it's his living”, was what his mom said to me when I went to complain, to which I responded, “I make my living from writing. I don't come and sit down in your living room with my laptop, do I? Please tell your son not to bring his drums into mine." We do live in Havana... I can't tell you how many phone calls have been made because of celebrations (religious and other) held in the middle of the week, up to the early hours of the morning with both recorded www.vistarmagazine.com music and drums. How many hangovers have been aggravated by the racket of fumigators on Saturdays at the crack of dawn. How many times we have to hear people having sex, and neighbors with drills and hammers repairing their homes. Sometimes I ask myself how many symphonies Beethoven would have stopped composing had he not been deaf. At least he, in his imagination, heard what he wanted, not what was happening next door. The funniest part about all this is that even loud people are annoyed by external noise. Then, one of these two things may happen: Some of them don't realize how noisy they are; while “IF THEY DISTURB ME AND I DON'T SAY ANYTHING, WATCH OUT !” others say: "If they disturb me and I don't say anything, watch out! The latter are the worst. Many people go through life that way, bothering others without realizing or without giving it a second thought. Yet when all the little annoyances of the day add up ( so-and-so's noise, so-and-so's vulgarity, so-and-so's inflexibility...), at the end of the day we're exhausted. I want to wake up when I wake up, not when my neighbor decides to listen to some music as she cleans (at least if she were friendly I could stand it). I want to listen to the wind blowing and the birds singing (things writers spoke of before irritating neighbors and noisy buildings with paper- thin walls came along). I guess I am off on a tangent as I had promised to write about the meaning of life but at this moment, with all this chaos going on I can't write, maybe some other time... and perhaps you are not comfortable reading either because some noise going-on made you lose your concentration. Fortunately, Beethoven was deaf! T hose who look at him from the outside cannot imagine that Rodney Barreto, at any point in time, considered basketball as a possible career. It seems impossible to think of him inlvolved in anything other than music. At only 31 years of age, he has become an indispensable part of percussion in Cuba. Rodney has the power 14 April Abril 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com to turn looks towards his passionate and virtuous performance of the drums, that which complement him to the point of being a part of who he is. His name has been part of almost all the big casts of artists on the Island, along with Issac Delgado, up for rehearsal. “ I wanted to be a basketball player because of my father's influence. I really liked this sport, but I also liked music. My uncle Julio Barreto was and still is my biggest inspiration. I used to listen to him study and I felt that I wanted to do the same, though I haven't gotten there yet ”, he smiled. “ I studied at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory with a bunch of wonderful friends and musicians. Later, when I was at an intermediate level I began to take part in more profesElmer Ferrer, Omara sional projects and I Portuondo, Mongrel began to lose the fear Valdés, Alexander Abreu, of being on stage. It it Descemer Bueno and is also where I began some other artists who to understand other recognize to the adregenres; at the beginnaline that drumming ning I only wanted to gives him. play jazz ”. To get him in his We had assumed that element, VISTAR went Rodney Barreto was far to see him while he was from being diverse and playing drums, warming that jazz was his only music. Yet he is too versatile to be labelled with one thing only. “ I now identify with all genres, although initially jazz made me feel free to improvise and create . Spending time with Issac Delgado taught me that any rhythm allows you that, though in different contexts. Now I no longer limit myself, as to choose only one genre would be extremely difficult ”. He finds something special in every project. Rodney Barreto does not minimize styles and considers music to be a constant search for knowledge and new sensations.“Working with Elmer Ferrer was a big challenge because I had no training of any kind in rock and roll and being part of world reknown bands such as OmaraPortuondo and Mongrel Valdés required great preparation and concentration, sometimes with almost no time ”, said the leader of DrumsHavana , the first DVD made in Cuba, with percussion as its central axis in a land with a long tradition of masters. Rodney gets to Havana D'Primera, a group that had vision and that claimed popular dance music on the Island. “ Havana D ’ Primera was the result of the collective experience of several musicians, friends who got together to create something different. We all started from zero, although we were already known through our independent careers. Just before the end of the interview, he said to us: " I think I have a little talent and work very hard. I believe having a gift is like a diamond in the rough- it must be polished by working it and that is why I always stay active, feeding myself with music ”. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 15 © Iván Soca RODNEY BARRETO B NEWS NEWS ON 8TH STREET Euphoria, applauses and choruses accompanied the presentation of Bian, The B of Los Aldeanos (The Villagers) in the 8th Street Festival in Miami. Located at the corner of the 8th and 17th avenues, very busy place in the Floridan city, the Cuban rapper sang memorable themes of their production, and reminded everyone why he became one of the most influential voices in the Cuban urban movement. Accompanied by Lyda in the turntable, Bian shared the stage with some of the alternative bands of the moment, and released a demo of what his new album will be, "which features collaborations with super important artists both from hip hop, and world music in general," assured Lyda exclusively to the magazine. From the sunny Miami, the B traveled to Austin, Texas to participate, alongside his countrywomen Danay Suarez and Diana Fuentes, in the South by Southwest Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious in the world. 16 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com MUSIC AND DREAMS OF A WOMAN "We all have our dreams. And it was also a dream to do a different concert, with our hearts on the sleeve, as each of these performers has them," such was the confession of Zenaida Romeu when the concert was over and the seats of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi had emptied. Two hours earlier, the Camerata Romeu joined the singers Gretell Barreiro, Luna Manzanares, and Ivette Cepeda, to offer an unforgettable moment to the attendees packing the concert hall, and celebrated the International Women's Day. Prestigious guests such as Alejandro Falcon, Pancho Terry and Jose Luis Beltran completed the cast of an evening in which good music was the undisputed star. "This concert with the Camerata was sui generis, arrangements were made from 0 to 100, all for today, and that means a lot of energy on the part of the arrangers, the director, the musicians," told Gretell Barreiro in an exclusive to VISTAR, who interpreted songs written by her, like “Llueve” (Raining) and "Juego" (Game). Luna Manzanares, visibly moved, told us about the luxury that is for any singer to perform with a string orchestra, a privilege which, in her words, only few have. She concluded with something that we hope as well: "I’d like for it to repeat." CHUCHO VALDÉS WILL REMEMBER IRAKERE ON NEXT ALBUM The former band Irakere, considered by many the University of Cuban musicians, will be the center of the new album of Chucho Valdés, renowned Cuban jazz player and founder of the legendary group that had among its members musicians such as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, César López, Orlando Valle "Maraca" and Alain Pérez. Irakere siglo XXI (Irakere 21st Century), title of the phonogram, will be recorded during a concert to be held in France in which young musicians will interpret the iconic songs of this band. The album should be ready by July, said the seventy-four years old virtuoso pianist, who, with eighty six albums on his account, asserts he will not stop until he hits a hundred of them. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 Photo: Internet Photos: Cortesy of Lyda Cao EL 17 VIEW IN GALLERY WWW.VISTARMAGAZINE.COM LOVE, PEACE AND LOT'S OF CONCERT THE BABOON SHOW VISTAR spoke with members of these groups, who came to the city to play their music with explosive energy. This being their first trip to Cuba, some musicians of the Real Ones band declared they arrived a few days earlier to get acquainted with the country as well as to record some new songs which will be included in their new CD. "Being so far from home, we didn't expect to get such a great reception, it was really entertaining", said VanjaRenberg, vocalist and director of the Much to the delight of rock lovers, the Love & Peace Festival took place in Havana once again. In this edition, with performances at the Fábrica de Arte and el Salón Rosado de La Tropical, joining Cuban artists X Alfonso and David Blanco were Norwegian and Swedish bands TheBaboon Show, KaisOrchestra, Governor Andy, Real Ones, TheVanjas, Nadja Al- Malki and Honningbarna. 18 April 2015 Abril www.vistarmagazine.com “MUSIC HAS NO BORDERS, IT HAS ONE SINGLE LANGUAGE THAT UNITES US ALL, THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF THE FESTIVAL” DAVID BLANCO TheVanjas, a Swedish band that with its first public performance left spectators wanting more. With a format unfamiliar to the Cuban scene, in which the vocalist also played the cello, the Honningbarnar band members enjoyed interacting with the public, where the guitarist jumped in several times saying: "We do not want to be clichés of rock and roll, that's why we mix with the audience, that's why we even brought someone in we didn't know and ended up playing one of our songs”, they stated in an exclusive interview with VISTAR. David Blanco praised the quality of the participants as well as their desire to be part of the festival: “Music has no borders; it has one single language that unites us all, that is the beauty of the festival". Yet without a doubt the best news of the evening came from Festival organizer Erlend Skutlaberg, who confirmed that we can look forward to great music and vibes again next year, which Love & Peace always brings. DAVID BLANCO Mr. Jordan use Jewelry WWW.URBANLATINRECORDS.COM TEL: +41 79 243 25 18 EMAIL: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] MR. JORDAN CHAMPIONING MUSIC OF THE FUTURE MOVING TO THE RHYTHM OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND VENTURING INTO NEW, MORE DIVULGED PLATFORMS, IS BOTH STARTING POINT AND GUIDELINE FOR THE SWISS LABEL URBAN LATIN RECORDS, RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE LARGEST DISTRIBUTORS OF LATIN MUSIC WORLDWIDE. For more than 10 years the company, led by Pit Sauter, has promoted the sounds of the continent, including a Cuban selection in their catalogs, which are tinged by variety and talent. Urban Latin Records produces and licenses the creations of Mr. Jordan, a musician from the island that in less than 3 years has achieved success with catchy hits like “Rumba Buena” featu20 April 2015 ring Will Campa and “Papi está loco” with coauthors Thaira and Nando Pro, and “La la la la”, with the music video being directed by the prize-winning director Alejandro Pérez and being a winner in last edition of the Lucas awards. “I have managed to have more than 500 thousand views in my YouTube channel. People talk about it in social networks and www.vistarmagazine.com my music is placed at an international level. I am proud of this link that allows me to give my audience transparent music, with good quality and a different energy”, expressed Jordan to VISTAR. His first record production was Mambo Envenena’o, under the musical production of Nando Pro. He is currently producing his second CD entitled El que brilla, brilla. “It is a privilege that a label that is so important like Urban Latin Records shows interest in young talents, who may not always have a solid image and career in Cuba, but are important advocates of the Cuban culture internationally. I think we will have more work together and I am sure they will be good projects”, stated this champion of electronic merengue, who projects a great change for his coming album. “THERE COMES A TIME IN WHICH EVERY ARTIST HAS TO MAKE HIS OWN WAY. I WANT TO PLAY OTHER TYPES OF MUSIC, GIVE MORE OF ME.” © Iván Soca VAN VAN THE FANTASY CAME TRUE Van Van continues moving crowds, seducing dancers who can not resist the charm of their lyrics and the whims of their rhythms. With the hit "La Moda" (The Fashion) being heard everywhere, and its clip being shown on television these days, the band took over La Cecilia and showed that its nearly forty-six years have not been for nothing, and like fine wine, it becomes better with each passing year. "We are going through a very important moment. After the passing of Formell we had to recover from everything and catch up with everything, with the repertoire, the scenic projection, international commitments, the new album The Fantasy ... we have had many challenges, but we have overcome them," told us Mandy, the newest Van Van member. Robertón also made time to talk to VISTAR: "First of all a greeting to the magazine, its creators and its readers. The orchestra is alive, full of health and tremendous energy. We feel LARITZA BACALLAO SOUNDS DRUMS IN USA The hits "Carnaval" (Carnival) and "Que suenen los tambores " (Let the drums sound) resounded in Laritza Bacallao’s unmistakable voice. Since February, the Cuban singer is in the US on a tour that has taken her to cities like Miami, Los Angeles, Tampa and Las Vegas. Designed to promote her album You Only Live Once (Planet Records, 2013), the tour included a performance at the Gasparilla Music Festival in Tampa, in early March, the singer’s first time in a musical event on American soil. 22 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com strong, eager to work, to create ... to make people dance." Almost a year after the loss of Juan Formell, distinguished machinist of the Train of the Cuban Music, we could not stop wondering about the journey we made in the last year, and the difficult times without him. Yenny confessed: "We miss Juanito (Formell) every day, but in honor of all he did, we have to get up, go on" and referring to the spell of good luck of the band, she expressed: "wherever he is, he must be very happy!" THE K IS THE MEANING OK KING KEVIN GOES FOR THE MIRROR He used to be in the Los Metálicos band, but Kevin thought it was time to go out on his own, so he left his project to focus on a career as a solo artist. "There comes a time in which every artist has to make his own way. I want to play other types of music, give more of me. I am working on my own record; I feel more focused, I work the lyrics more and fuse other rhythms ”, said the young man to VISTAR, whose first priority is clearly music. His new project, which he named La K de King, will soon be his first release, a CD he decided to name Mirror. "It has thirteen songs done with the collaboration of various artists and it was produced at the Revolution Studio. It is almost complete and there is already a video out for the first single titled "“Suénala"( Play it ) in which I sing with Insurrecto". This first single, which he classifies as a fusion between reggaeton and electronic music with a Cuban stamp, will be his introduction to the new world he has decided to be part of. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 23 CONCERT SMS IN CONCERT With full house and all the enthusiasm of a loyal audience took place the concert of the young band SMS in América theatre, in Havana, a long-waited yet still special date. Their hits “La vida loca”, “La familia de mi novia” and “Baila”, featuring Insurrecto, were sung along by more than 1500 people, who know by heart the lyrics to the songs of the trio composed by Simpátiko, Denver and A*Ruz. Apart from Insurrecto, among 24 April 2015 the musical guests was the guitar player Ernesto Blanco, who also blew the roof of the theatre. The concert was a clear demonstration of how people appreciate them and how popular their two albums, Nintendo (2013) and El Secreto (2014), have become. “The communication that we were able to establish with the audience was spectacular”, said SMS by the end of the concert in an exclusive to VISTAR. “We knew www.vistarmagazine.com that a lot of people would come, but what took us by surprise was to find out that by Friday morning all seats had been sold”, expressed SMS still incredulous. New challenges are now in sight for the young band that was nominated for Lucas 2014 in the Most Popular Video category and enjoys the affection of their fans, wherever they play, who are now multiplied by thousands after the successful national tour they went on last October. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 25 “WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO SHARE WITH PMM AND THE PUBLIC OF THIS PROJECT" INFO: 26458879 DAMIAN P.M.M AND DESIGUALES A WORLD WITH MORE STYLE Once again P.M.M and Desiguales joined forces in a party meant to bring the most fashionable of Havana towards a movement marked by these artists of Urban genre on the Island, and who took advantage of the night to sing “ No digas nada" ("Don't say anything"), a song that will no doubt be a hit in the next few months. “ Chemistry with P.M.M is always guaranteed, we are very pleased to share this project with them as well as with the public ”, said Damian to VISTAR, who pointed out that Desiguales is finishing their next record called ABC, so that it could be ready for their mid-May tour in the United States and then Europe. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 27 ORLAND MAX ORLAND MAX WITH P.M.M PABEXPO From Angola and From Cuba 28/MARCH/2015 FEATURING LEONI TORRES WILL CAMPA What did you find in, and what DAVID BLANCO do you return to Cuban music? ERNESTO BLANCO EL PRÍNCIPE I´ve always liked Cuban music, I ISIS FLORES think it is very rich and diverse. ARLENYS RODRÍGUEZ If you start to analyze, sixty percent of its sounds and roots HAVANA D’ PRIMERA come from Africa, and all I've ISSAC DELGADO Isis Flores and Rodriguez Arlenys came along. Orland Max infiltrated the Cuban dancing floors at an alarming speed, and for over two years he has been the secret ingredient to several of the hits on the island. Bearer of a very peculiar sound overflowing with African roots, "the kid from Angola and Cuba," as he calls himself, spoke with VISTAR about his bond to this land, his projects and the imminent return to his country. panying my father, who was a diplomat. Here I studied from elementary to high school. Then, I returned to Angola for two years, and in 2008, I came back to Cuba to study Veterinary Medicine at the Agrarian University of Havana. I have spent twenty years of my life in this country, and I feel that it is an important part of my identity. Where does Orland Max's love for Cuba come from? If you came to study veterinary medicine, how did you turn into a musician? I came to the island for the first time in 1993. I was barely eleven years old and came here accom- On November 17, 2009, Leoni Torres was playing at the University, and for the first time I got on 28 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com a stage to improvise. He asked for someone who could go up and sing. I went up and all that resulted in him telling the band and the audience right there that he wanted to work with me. Eventually I brought him some stuff I had recorded, and he made me pick a song that I liked from his album, I asked for La Mujer Ideal (The Ideal Woman) and we tried it live right away. The version was well-liked, but it was not a hit as "Dimelo" (Tell It to Me), which we tried in salsa and reggae. After that everything went very fast, and other collaborations with Will Campa, David and Ernesto Blanco, El Principe, wanted to do is to add that charismatic, natural and African ingredient that characterizes me. For me, music is something that unites two nations through its artists, that’s why I have felt very comfortable working with the Cubans, especially with Leoni, who guided and supported me from the beginning. Orland Max is known by his featurings with great artists, but what projects do you have to develop your solo project? Right now I'm about to finish an album and I´m preparing another. What I lived, my first production, is now nearing completion, and it is an album that is eighty percent Orland Max, with songs of my own and some featuring still undisclosed, for instance, that I performed with Havana D' Primera and Issac Delgado. Before I´m gone to Africa, I want to leave the next single ready with six or eight new songs, so that during my absence refreshing things still come out to the market. my music in my natural market, and see if what I do works there. In October or November I will be back because I have thousands of projects and important plans on this Island. You speak about your return to Angola, is it final? You have spent most of your life in Cuba, you sing in Spanish and you're a typical young Cuban; still, how do you define yourself? No, I'll be away for just six months. I came to Cuba on a temporary visa to study and I finished my career. Now I have to return to Angola to solve various formalities and introduce my music in my homeland. Nobody is a prophet in his own land, but I would like to launch I'm from Angola and Cuba, a bit from both countries. I am an ordinary, run-of-the-mill singer who was raised on the island. This country have left a deep mark on me, but still I defend my African identity. Everything I am and what I have experienced is in Cuba. www.vistarmagazine.com Abril 2015 29 EVENT root beyond our borders. The closing concert was held at Salón Rosado de la Tropical, a real thermometer to measure the music Cubans dance to. The place, which had to be closed due to capacity crowd, welcomed Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor, Giraldo Piloto y Klímax, El Niño y La Verdad, and finally, Havana D’ Primera. “This event bring us together as artists and it offers an opportunity to talk through our musical instruments”, said Giraldo Piloto, President of the International Festival, who also FIESTA DEL TAMBOR CUBA HAS THE KEY Once a year Havana becomes the epicenter of percussion lovers. The city provides plenty of vitality big for concerts, master classes, and memorable exchanges, which have as starting point the need to restore the importance of the tambour for Cuban and international music. The 14th Fiesta del Tambor Guillermo Barreto In Memoriam, was not only a continuous declaration of good sounds, but it 30 April 2015 also proved that Cuba holds the ignition key to continue to start the best sound engine of the continent. For five intense days, some of the most talented instrumentalists of Cuba attended to the main stages of the city along with foreign guests whose prestige helped enhance the day. This way, young people like Oliver Valdés, Rodney Barreto, Keysel Jiménez, and Eduardo Ramos, among others, joined www.vistarmagazine.com MAYKEL BLANCO managed to summon more than 500 hundred artists to the capital city in just five days. By the premiere of songs of its upcoming musical production and the delight of the unmistakable sound of Havana D’ Primera's brass, Alexander Abreu clinched this super party, which kept going until the early morning as the 14th Fiesta del Tambor deserved. If you couldn't make it on time to dance to the music of these orchestras, VISTAR will serve as a bridge between that moment and readers! GIRALDO PILOTO EL NIÑO Y LA VERDAD finest personalities such as Enrique Pla, Tomás Ramos (El Panga), Ramsés Rodríguez, and foreigners Aldo Mazza y Memo Acevedo, just to mention a few of them. Under the auspices of several of the most famous percussion companies in the world and the absolute leadership of Giraldo Piloto, the Fiesta del Tambor arrived in Havana to bring and follow the beat of a musical tradition that grows and takes HAVANA D`PRIMERA www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 31 NOVEL ARTIST CRISS MARRON IN SEARCH OF A FRESH SOUND From a very young age her dream was to be a singer, a dream that later became reality. Still very young, Criss Marron ( that is her stage name, derived from her actual name Claudia Marrón) already backtracks music. She is at the head of a band that, beginning with pop, tries to reach the public from different angles.“ We have already produced our first record, which has varied themes. We sing to life, to determination, to making your dreams come true". "We try to motivate people who are beginning their career in art or any related field, and of course, love is implicit, the universal topic about which everyone speaks”, said the singer to VISTAR The record, titled Yo cantaré ( I Will Sing), has fourteen songs, all written by Criss, where music has no boundaries. "A fresh sound, one that people can identify with”, says the artist. The band, which is named after its leader, is made up of six young musicians who have gone away from the system of artistic education. On the instrumental bases of piano, guitar, base and drum, they work per international standards, their main influences. “ This does not mean that we reject our roots and we're careful with our lyrics. No matter the artist's genre, if the lyrics have a meaningful message, they will be well-received by the public. We are very conscientious and detailed with the music arrangements, it is part of our larger vision. I believe that that will bring us positive results in the long run ”. Working with Doble A, a band with which she still collaborates, opened the way to pop for Criss, taught her how to organize her project, what doors to knock on, and it was a great help to get into venues for the genre in Havana. Absorbed with the promotion of the CD, Criss Marron and her band have already done two videos; one for the promotion of their group and the other for the song "Yo cantaré" (I will sing), which is also the title of the album, both directed by the young producer EMA, and which will soon be aired on the Lucas television show. The group has already had a positive reception in the little time it has been performing. “ We are very happy with the support we are getting from the public, at least what we perceive from the stage. I see that they enjoy and pay attention to the songs with which they identify, and this is what we want". 'We would like to perform across the entire country, and even take our music to places where pop is small or not well-known, and who knows, maybe one day even get to stages in other parts of the world”. “A FRESH SOUND, ONE THAT PEOPLE CAN IDENTIFY WITH” 32 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com Foto: Cortesía del entrevistado Lunch menu Barbecue Happy Hours 5pm to 8pm 23 Street # 667 b/D and E Vedado TOP-TEN REACHES ITS HUNDREDTH EDITION "SALÓN ROJO", CAPRI MONDAY,MARCH, 2, 2015 The event DJ Adriano and Havaneando that has been taking place for nearly a decade, reached its 100th edition. "I am very happy for these ten years, and to celebrate them, all the friends who are always with us,and the recognized artists will be there. Amongst them Master Waldo Mendoza, Chacal & Yakarta, El Micha, William El Magnifico, Jacob Forever, Dany, Señorita Dayana, and many new talents that are starting to catch on." Several musicians had their debut on this edition of the Top-Ten, as is the case of Los Boys, who opened the concert, and Mariolis, that premiered her featuring with Jacob Forever. But those were not the only debuts of the night; Señorita Dayana seized the opportunity to introduce us to Hasta el suelo (All The Way Down to the Floor), her new track with Orland Max. TOP TEN BY ADRIANO DJ LOS BOYS LOCAL 01 - CHACAL FT. DIVAN"SONG LOVE" 02 - LOS 4- "ME VOY" 03 - CHOCOLATE- "GUACHINEO" 04 - GENTE D´ ZONA FT. PITBULL- “DILE LA VERDAD” 05 - GENTE D´ ZONA FT. JENCARLOS CANELA - “SI TÚ FUERAS MÍA” 06 - CHARANGA HABANERA FT. YULIEN OVIEDO- "OLVIDAQUE TE OLVIDÉ" 07 - DESIGUALES - “CHAMBONEA” 08 - SRTA. DAYANA FT. CHACAL - “MENTIROSO” 09 - MICHA- MI CABALLO 10 - ÁNGELES- "MI CARRITO" EL CHACAL We have the duty to spread the Cuban music around the world. First time we are in this kind of show. It is a pleasure to hang out with so many artists. Thanks to Adriano Dj for the privilege and VISTAR for the exclusive. LA JOTA This is a space that has been created to give the audience the latest from artists, and so people can enjoy them live in concert. Today we are releasing the single Maltrato (Abuse) from our album Titanio (Titanium). LA SRTA. DAYANA Today is the world premiere of my single with Orland Max. VISTAR is doing a most excellent job, and I know they will continue onwards. INTERNATIONAL DANY It’s been a while since last time we were here, but we are back. It is amazing to see so many artists together. We enjoyed the interaction with the public. 01 - DON OMAR- "GUAYA GUAYA" 02 - J. BALVIN - "AY VAMOS" 03 - CHRIS BROWN- "X" 04 - FARRUCO & J. BALVIN “6 A.M.” 05 - NICKY JAM - “TRAVESURAS” 06 - CALVIN HARRIS- "BLAME" 07 - MANA FT. SHAKIRA- "LA VERDAD" 08 - CHINO & NACHO FT. GENTE D´ ZONA - “TEMPERATURA” 09 - MALUMA- "CARNAVAL" 10 - REDFOO- "JUICY WIGGLE" ORLAND MAX This is the last TopTen of the year I’ll be on, since I have international commitments. I am very happy to be here, premiering a single. DIVAN I am very excited to be here for the second time. I bring with me Tu perfume (Your perfume), a single I'm betting everything on right now. YULIEN OVIEDO EL MICHA I am happy with what it is happening with my career. I want to thanks the audience for supprting us. The Top-Ten has become one of the most important events for us (artists), and the relationship we have with the audience here is different, closer. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 35 They thought I would disappear, but here I am, almost 25 years later” LIZT ALFONSO Those who visit the headquarters of Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba or that automatically associate its director's name with talent and rewarded risks over the years, perhaps do not imagine that when Lizt started, people said she would not make it. Condemned by those who did not see any future in the idea of fusing genres, Lizt's predictions made it better, turning her into a leader of one of the most acclaimed dance studios in Cuba. "For me dance was the most important thing, I have always loved it until this day. I studied Spanish dance and ballet. Then, I went away to study Theater and Drama at the University of Arts (ISA) because I had not passed the test for entering the Ballet School, but that didn't discourage me. I believe that as a child I learned to never give up”. With an artistic sensibility that was inherited from and encouraged by her family, Lizt conceived her first choreography at the age of seven. “I liked to move the people, developing ideas. I had to make them dance. When I stopped studying, I realized that I needed to find my space, something I could call my own”. At twenty-three years old she founded her own company: Danzas Ibéricas (Iberian Dances), which at first only comprised Spanish dance, and later expanded to include the diversity of Cuban tradition. “I realized that I did not want to imitate the Spanish pattern, but that we could learn from our roots, those which fed us. We can be very authentic starting with what it´s really ours”. The rest of the story is wellknown. Among her creations seen in Cuba and internationally are the acclaimed musicals Fuerza y Compás (1999), Vida (2007) and Amigas (2011), with which she revolutionized the Cuban scene. “They said I would disappear and here I am, almost twenty-five years later, although nine of these were spent in limbo, without any support, but we survived. A while ago, someone who wanted to offend me referred to me as a big businesswoman. I do not feel offended. In order to make a company such as ours survive, one must be both artist and entrepreneur. My intention is to be at the same level of the big names, no matter where we go, and strive for success, both artistic and business wise, not only for me, but for all those who work with me". "He who does not renew himself and who isn't constantly moving, perishes", this is Lizt's motto, who manages the company like a well-oiled machine. It is seen in the famous "Dancing", a video clip she totally enjoyed and would do again, although differently. “They removed the name of Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba on later versions after the original one, which was filmed at our head office, was released. It doesn’t insult me, but I don't like it”. As Lizt never rests, she is already preparing a new show: Latidos, a reflection about life and death, and an escape for the artist, who gave us some good news: she is already thinking about the next musical ... www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 37 RAÚL PAZ Mayco D´Alma, and his band gave spectators a memorable night. Right after finishing a concert at the legendary Karl Marx, Raul gifted the audience of “Don Cangrejo” with many songs, including his very popular "Chiquita" As a night´s highlight. MAYCO D´ ALMA Arce keeps on standing out, creating shows where the most unexpected elements are combined in order to provide fans with an unforgettable experience. Its Fiesta Blanca (White Party) was yet another example of this, with beautiful decorations and most attendees dressed in white, along with the exclusive performance of Los Boys, which marked another success. “This is our first show with Arce, as well as at Don Cangrejo. You never 38 April 2015 know what to expect and how the public is going to react to a new venue. but until now it has worked very well for us”, bassist Hernán told us, and he took the opportunity to speak about our magazine: " It is thanks to VISTAR that we've gone to all these places, you´ve always helped us, supported us and here we are!". In addition to entertaining fire jugglers, there were, special raffles and one could enjoy the mastery of violinist William Roblejo, www.vistarmagazine.com who combined the violin with recorded electronic music, conferring the show a touch of class and distinction. At this event, Arce stood out for the forceful new group Los Boys; in other occasions it was for reknown artists such as Raúl Paz. Right after finishing a concert at the mythical Karl Marx Theater, Raúl gave a great show for his Don Cangrejo fans, and among the many songs included was the catchy "Chiquita", with which he keeps on consolidating the movement of Cuban music and Arce followers. A few nights ago we enjoyed the presence of Mayco D´Alma, who just arrived from his tour around the States. He and his band gifted the public with lyrics that were sung in chorus till exhaustion. This is what happens when good music combines with an intelligent insight. Then, more than a concert, you create a show, a moment hard to forget: that´s what Arce is all about. LOS BOYS “Thanks to VISTAR we have reached all these places, they´ve always helped us, supported us and here we are”. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 39 VINYL IT´S BACK In times of data clouds, streaming and online music, old vinyl records are back in the market, with increasingly higher sales. A hipster trend? A transitory fever? Nostalgia? Only time will tell. In the meantime, in a world of intangible information, it seems that owning physical objects is becoming more valuable. Our advice: think twice before banishing the old family record player from the living room. #4 #1 #6 VISTAR WILL GIVE YOU 8 REASONS WHY NOT TO BANISH THE OLD FAMILY RECORD PLAYER FROM THE LIVING ROOM #2 #3 40 SOLD RECORDS 1974 500 Million 2005 1 Million When people started to think that it was an industry with expiration date, this vintage format started to resurface little by little in 2007, paradoxically, together with digitalization. Compared to previous years, in 2014, the music industry total sales dropped by 11%, with the exception of the streaming and vinyl segments, which grew more than 50%. April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com YEAR SALES 2014 General Music Industry -11% #5 More than 90% of the people who buy vinyl records are collectors, DJs and nostalgic lovers of retro culture. The vast majority claims that the reason is the sound. SALES RECORD 2014 +31% Vinyl is used in electronic music as a fundamental tool for scratch, and because of its quality when it comes to audio performance. Not only in special editions but artists of all genres, from Kings of Leon to Taylor Swift, are using vinyl versions of their albums. 1989, by Swift, had record sales also in this format. 6 million records United States SCRATCH #7 According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), sales in the US of LPs and vinyl singles surpassed 500 million units in 1974. Thirty years later, in 2005, a million barely were sold. The current sale of vinyl records is at its highest point in decades. Last year, it increased by 31%, this being, nearly 6 million units, only in the United States. In Cuba, during the 90s, you could observe many of these discs hanging on the wall as peculiar ornaments. 1989, BY TAYLOR SWIFT, HAD RECORD SALES ALSO IN THIS FORMAT. ! Spotify 54% Streaming and vinyls +50% 90´S #8 Itunes & CDs 41% Others 5% Online music services like Spotify augmented by 54%, a rise that contributes, according to experts, to discourage the purchase of digital albums and CDs, which represented 41% of the entire sales. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 41 I FEEL LIKE I NEVER LEFT CUBA The first time I heard Issac Delgado live I felt two things, three, if I were to count the huge desire to move my feet. The first thing was nostalgia for the 90s, hard years but full of memories of a happy childhood and television programs in which one could hear “Necesito una amiga…” ("I need a lady friend...") and the second, surprise, noting that the sound was so clean, as if we were in a studio instead of outdoors. To confirm that this rhythmic elegance was not just a one-time deal, I went to see him again a few months later, at the Almendares, making dance boys born after his first album Dando la hora (Giving the time) hit the market in 1991 and won an Egrem Prize a year later. "I've always been very careful with the musical arrangements. It was much more difficult for me before, but now I know what I want: the band to sound clean, with a refined sound; and I achieve it largely thanks to the arrangements. I respect the melodic lines, the lyrics," he unveiled the mystery to me by BY: YENEILY GARCÍA ISSAC DELGADO ¿THE TRUTH? I HAVE BEEN LUCKY A painting of the Cuban flag, dominating an entire wall, is the first thing you see as you enter his house. Cuba, being so linked to his music and his personality, is not just posing. One can tell that Issac clings to the Cuban roots. himself, when we ended up in his apartment in Havana on a Saturday afternoon. Having become a musician because, according to him, "the music caught him", Issac is, since the 80s, part of a group of exponents of popular dancing music. A genre that have survived in the favor of critics and the public alike, even if a long time has passed, as in the case of the “Chevere de la Salsa”, absent for some eight years from the island’s stages. With references as diverse as Benny More, Nat King Cole, Hector Lavoe, Van Van, Irakere -the "University of Cuban musicians"and Cheo Feliciano, "for whom I was fortunate to be almost like a son"; Issac proved to be one of the most interesting voices of the so-called Cuban salsa, and when he disappeared from the island scene in mid-2000s, he left a void that we did not know was there until he refilled it, a little over a year ago, when he climbed back on to the stages in Havana, seeking to conquer a new audience, currently more accustomed to reggaeton than timba. "The art comes from my family. I spent two years teaching physical education at an elementary school. The truth is that I doubted that this was for me; first, for the sacrifice, and second because the environment of an artist is different. At that time, I thought I wanted to have a more normal life," laughs while assuring that he still hears a lot of music, but the folklore remains his main source of inspiration. At home, from listening to Benny, Vicentico Valdes, and Nat King Cole, he went over to listening to the Puerto Rican salsa: Fania AllStar, Cheo Feliciano, Oscar de Leon, and then Cuban music of the 70s. "I became a fan of the salsa music. The truth? I've been lucky. Soon, I started working with Pacho Alonso’s orchestra, www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 43 and I was fortunate to see Pacho himself work. I performed many times in cabarets, the Copa Room, Tropicana. I was able to see the best of the time." Between chorus and chorus, the “pero qué chévere” (“how cool”) came almost naturally, from the time when he recorded songs with his friend, Dagoberto Gonzalez, who used to be Santiago Feliu ensemble violinist. That was what defined his other nickname: El Chevere de la Salsa. "When I recorded the album El Chevere de la Salsa and El Caballero del Son (Knight of “Son”) on a proposal from Adalberto (Alvarez), the nickname began to be taken more seriously. Back then, everyone were nicknamed, and I do not mind, I would like to be a cool person, which ultimately is a very Caribbean Creole word; it can be used anywhere and people understand it." FAR, BUT CLOSE In mid-2000s, Issac changed scenes. For him it was a move that made sense at the time. "People stopped seeing me, and of course, curiosity is natural", he smiles as he leans back on the chair. Behind him there is a framed sea star. It seems that someone wanted to capture in a snapshot the memory of an afternoon at the beach and framed it. "I feel like I never left Cuba, even though I was away. Far, but close. I am an artist, and I felt the need to experiment, to broaden the working spectrum, that's what I did for almost eight years: I learned a lot. In addition to collecting good things, I was able to give more value to what I had done earlier in Cuba. Thanks to that I was able to be recognized in other contexts." He was not idle, that is for sure. The credits shared with big names in Latin music on the worldwide scene attest to how hard Issac worked to earn his space. Albums with producers such as Eugenio George, "the so-called Latin music czar" and Jose Lugo; duets with Gilberto Santa Rosa, Carlos Extremera, Victor Manuelle, and La India, "people I had ´feeling´ with". If this is not a record, then it is a good average for this soccer fan, who once contemplated sport, not art, as his future. "I recorded an album, remarkable for me, a selection of songs written by Nat King Cole in Spanish, produced by Fernando Trueba and Nat Chediak. They both offered me first to make a record with Bebo Valdes, which failed to materialize, and this one called L-O-V-E came to life, where I was able to record the music I heard from when I was a kid, and in which we had Freddy Cole, Nat‘s younger brother, as guest." "I say that to score touchdowns you have to be near the goalpost, and for me this was a memorable one. Just like it was working with Sony Classical, the label of artists like YoYo Ma. These were years of gaining experience, I'm still lucky, but I have much to thank for the Latino community that supported me." “PEOPLE STOPPED SEEING ME, AND OF COURSE, CURIOSITY IS NATURAL”. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 45 THIS YEAR AND A HALF HAS SERVED TO OXYGENATE MYSELF Once back, the scene -he knew it- is not the same he left behind nearly a decade ago. An audience to be won back was waiting for him in Cuba, and yet another to be won. The idea of walking the streets and hear the everyday speech is priceless for those who make music, keeping the ear to the ground, the land he loves. "In the last year and a half I have been engaged in projects here in Cuba, and I am very happy, especially with the feedback. It has served me to oxygenate myself, fill me with things I had lost at this time, because when you don’t rub elbows, when you lack that walking on the street on a daily basis and hear how your people speak, there are things you're losing. I have not recorded anything new, well, yes, with my friends, Descemer Bueno, with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra; but now I realize that I need to stand before a microphone to record my music. I lacked the atmosphere here, the experiences. The time has come." The dilemma now lies in the commitment to the loyal audience that continues asking for the usual songs, which are joined -against all prognoses- by the younger generations that grew up listening to songs that their parents, uncles and grandparents danced with, and have become the soundtrack of their childhoods. The solution: a DVD containing the greatest hits and some new creations. Isaac has already specialists from the EGREM working on this material, very in tune with the celebrations for the quarter of a century. "It has been very exciting for me, because I never thought that this would be the answer. It has been wonderful, the warmth with which they have received me. With the help of my team we have worked in public places for young people. I had been alternating that with international commitments, and my job as musical director of the show Salsa, Mambo and Cha cha cha, project of Cuban music, designed as a competitive product on the international market." VISTAR QUESTIONNAIRE Full name Issac Felipe Delgado Ramírez Nickname El Chévere de la Salsa In life, there are things that can’t be remedied but… They solve by themselves 46 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com My hobby… Soccer If I had not been a musician I would have been ... Zinedine Zidane I really appreciate when someone is ... Honest I can’t take… Hearing a drum, my feet go off by themselves If you had to define music in one word it would be ... Life Before going on stage... I ask for blessings I can not live without ... My family “... LACKED THE ATMOSPHERE HERE, THE EXPERIENCES. THE TIME HAS COME”. I I KEEP BETTING ON EVERYTHING MADE IN CUBA In only a few years urban music has occupied an important place for the young dancers. Issac does not despair; he knows there is still hope. "When I listened to the elders, they would say that young people always return to the roots, and I realize that when young people arrive to a certain age, they begin to dance to the music of Van Van, the Charanga Haba- nera, Adalberto, people who remained. We need a renewal, use the influences of today’s urban music, we must live alongside the new things coming out, and if so many people dance to a rhythm, or to a concept, you have to assimilate the best of it and take it to the music, merge it without losing the roots, the folklore. I keep betting on what is made in Cuba. Others do it, why not us? © Olivia Despaux THE POET OF HAVANA Documentary film about Carlos Varela wins Audience Award Carlos Varela continues stealing hearts, now from the big screen. The Poet of Havana, documentary dedicated to reflect the trajectory of the Cuban singer, received the Audience Award at the recently concluded Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, Florida; where it was exhibited as a world premiere. The film, directed by Canadian Ron Chapman, features revealing interviews to renowned Cuban musicians and media members, and the shooting process began in January 2013, when the author of Una Palabra (A Word) performed two concerts celebrating his 30 years of career. 48 April 2015 Varela assured during an exclusive interview that it is really gratifying to know that the film won the award of the audience at the first festival it was presented. "It's a blessing; you really feel it was worth dreaming with Ron, along with my musicians, producers and with the whole team making this documentary film, which is a tribute, more than to me, to my generation." The singer said it was his first time in Tampa and said that for him "it was an honor to premiere the documentary in a city that has much to do with the history of Cuba, of José Marti, and where www.vistarmagazine.com so many Cubans live. The movie theater was packed, and many people were left outside. It was exciting to feel and hear the people singing and clapping to the songs at various times of the documentary." "There were many Cubans, but also Latinos and Americans that understood very well thanks to this version of the documentary being narrated by Benicio del Toro and subtitled in English," said Varela, who also stated that "winning a prize awarded by the public is the best that can happen to you during any event. It's really flattering to know that you connect with so many people." www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 49 MUSIC CLIPS COMING UP 50 MUSIC CLIPS COMING UP JUAN KARLOS PARTY PARA LOCOS DIR. JUAN VALERO REY RUIZ AMOR BONITO DIR. YEANDRO TAMAYO ALAIN PÉREZ EL CIEGO SIN BASTÓN DIR. JOSEPH ROS JAY MALI DILE A ÉL DIR. HÉCTOR ALVAREZ SOLANGEL CON MUCHO SWING DIR. MANUEL ORTEGA ORLY SOLOMON FEAT KY2 CORAZÓN LATINO DIR. DAYANA MOYA April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 51 TV PAULITO FG PRESENTS “SONANDO EN CUBA” A Cuban version of The Voice? At least rumor has it that “Sonando en Cuba” sort of will be. A project that, as Paulo FG, its founder said, intends to rescue memorable songs of the so-called timba-boom from the 90's. “I had a dream for some time now, about shining the spotlight on those songs and songwriters that contributed to the global spread of Cuban salsa, and then I thought that I could do it as a competition helping this way to discover fresh and native voices. We are looking for a versatile singer”, he told us in an exclusive to VISTAR about the 11-episode TV series in which contestants from across the country will face one another for prizes including recording contracts and music videos. The show, produced by RTV Commercial and directed by the well-known filmmaker Rudy Mora, boasts of both, the experience and the lyrics of Adalberto Álvarez, César “Pupy” Pedroso, Manolito Simonet, Giraldo Piloto, Cándido Fabré, Lazarito Valdés, José Luis Cortés, and Samuel Formell, on behalf of his father, Juan Formell. “We'll only deal with salsa; there will be no boleros or songs. Each of these musicians will 52 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com sponsor two contestants, who in turn will be coached by Leo Vera.” In addition to the singing competition, reality TV-like features on the journey of the contestants from their auditions to their homes when they receive the news and their new look will be included. Paulito had planned to host the show, but his job was demanding enough as it was (his responsibilities include the musical design, the selection of the songs, and their distribution according to the performance style of the contestants) and he decided to pass this role as host to Carlos Luis González. Taking into account his recent debut in the cinema and now his participation in this TV series, we couldn't help to ask the Sofocador de la salsa if this sudden romance with the big and small screens would surpass his love for music. “Those are challenges that come along; people present you with them, and then you ponder the possibility of solving them or not. Sonando en Cuba was a necessity to rescue a very dear thing to me. The movie Vuelos Prohibidos was something sui generis, that I never saw quite coming, but what I really love is music.” Anastraphia ilicifolia Acuña & Roig This shrub has leaves with gray backside and edges with spiny teeth. Its flowers, very small, are grouped together in a flower head that resembles a single flower of up to 6 cm. It is endemic to Cuba and can be found at the coastal jungles in northern Havana and Matanzas. Whitley Award 2014 www.iniciativaplanta.org / [email protected] TV Those who have already seen a few episodes must have noticed the change of location from the old Sound Studios of the ICAIC to the wonderful Ojalá Studios, the changes in scenery, the lighting, the beginning and ending themes, and even in Amaury's appearance, who affirms that AMAURY PÉREZ "If I start reading everything that's written, I'd quit, I can't allow myself to do that" Few Cuban programs have provoked such hot debates from their first broadcasting like Con 2 que se quieran, which in its second season brought back the singer-songwriter (and now presenter) Amaury Pérez to all home TV screens. Since Tuesday, March 10th, this series of interviews with celebrities has been talked about by 54 April 2015 everyone and, its initial chapter in which Amaury spoke with Carlos Varela, quickly became a popular topic of conversation. “As far as I know, we have not seen a true controversy yet. I was told that someone disagreed with a question that was asked to Carlitos during his interview. I do not consider that to be controversial, it is only a point of www.vistarmagazine.com view that is different from mine, nothing more", Amaury said to VISTAR. Focused on demonstrating the human qualities behind the public persona, Con 2 que se quieran first appeared five years ago, and presented TV personalities of the cultural and intellectual scene such as Monsignor Carlos Manuel of Lawns, Carlos Acosta, Sara González, Rosita Fornés, among others. “That season, contrary to what most people think, was not a walk in the park. After producing sixty espisodes we were all a bit exhausted. We thought that several months' rest was necessary so that we could reenergize ourselves, but we never imagined that the break would last for four years! There were some fierce detractors and though I am very tenacious, it was not possible for us to return until now”. “ statism was never his way of life”. “Time has passed and I have aged and we all know what that means. I don't want to feel ridiculous. My hair cannot take any more bleaching, the narrow ties are no longer in style, and wearing running shoes is no longer ok with the public that “ STATISM WAS NEVER HIS WAY OF LIFE ”. used to be my fans. It is not advisable to repeat oneself. The essence remains unchanged. I have aged”. Produced by the Department of Culture, the Cuban Art Institute and Cinematographic Industry and the Cuban Radio and Television Institute, this season has seventy episodes, where writers, plastic artists, ballet dancers, historians, musicians, TV hosts, comedians, and producers of film, TV and theater“ and up to meteorologists ” will sit down and talk about their lives. Going back to controversy, Amaury insisted that despite he prefers anything but “being too still and distant ”, he did learn that “when one is not in tune with what the other thinks and takes his power for granted, his head should be dunked in a bucket of frozen water so as to ensure that passion does not lead one to wander, intoxicated with nonsense ”. “I am working so much on the program that if starting from the first, with sixtynine to go, I begin to read everything that is written, for or against, I would quit and I cannot allow myself to do that". Fotos: Cortesía del entrevistado TV FILM INDUSTRY ROBERT KRAFT I'M LOOKING FOR A GOOD STORY MORE INFORMATION TO FILM IN CUBA WWW.VISTARMAGAZINE.COM A sixth visit to Cuba can not be a coincidence. In the case of Robert Kraft, it’s because he declares himself "hopelessly in love with this country, its music and its people." Back to the island to participate in the theoretical sessions of the 14th Exhibition of Young Filmmakers of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), this prestigious American composer "that perhaps had in another life a bit of Cuban", confessed that every time he comes to this land he does so with the hope of finding a story to film here, "because this is a beautiful place to make a movie." Why Cuba again and again? When the moment came to write that song I thought about what would Cuban boleros sound like. filmmakers, listening to new composers and perhaps introduce them to wider audiences. I might find some magic. Which Cuban musicians do you enjoy listening to? What can we expect from your workshop and conferences? Celia Cruz, Arsenio Rodríguez, la Fania All Stars, Arturo Sandoval, Irakere, Paquito D’Rivera y Leo Brouwer. In the workshop I hope to teach musicians a little about the specific techniques of incorporating music in a film, which is very different from being just a musician or composer. In the lecture I will show examples, using the movies I've worked on, on how the music changes a film. For many reasons, because although I tell myself that this does not work here and this could be easier, I still feel every morning when I wake up in Cuba, that I love her, I love all of it, its music, its people. You were nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe for co-writing "Beautiful Maria of My Soul", the theme from Mambo Kings. Did you know Cuban music already? No, and that's the strange thing. I never understood why I was chosen to write the music for Mambo Kings. I had to do research on Cuban music of the 50s. I had teachers in NY, including Tito Puente. 56 April 2015 The fact that you are here, at an event organised by and for the new generation of filmmakers shows that you are committed to the film industry and music written for cinema and TV... Absolutely. I am very happy to share what I know and I love meeting new talents. Very selfishly I'm interested in seeing new www.vistarmagazine.com What is more difficult for you when composing music for a film? Politics. You have to be political, very diplomatic, that's the hardest “THE YOUNG FILM INDUSTRY HAVE A FUTURE. THEY DO BECAUSE ONE CAN TELL HOW EAGER THE MEMBERS ARE, AND THESE FIVE DAYS ARE THE CLEAREST EVIDENCE”. MARISOL RODRÍGUEZ part for a composer. The film composers have to learn to say: what you need, that's my job. They will have to learn to paint another person’s house. THE YOUNG FILM-MAKERS HAVE THE WORD Finally the US and Cuban governments are shaking hands. Do you think that American filmmakers would be interested in making movies and working with Cubans on the island? When this number is issued, the Exhibition of Young Filmmakers of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) will have completed the first day of its 14th edition, after being inaugurated late in the afternoon with the opening of an exposition by Cuban filmmaker and painter Nicolas Guillen Landrian (1938-2003), and the national premiere of one of the movies that has created great expectations in the last few months: The work of the century, second feature film by Carlos M. Quintela. Over seventy films are included on the 14th Exhibition, forty-seven of them in the main competition, and nine documentaries from Guillen Landrian. However, this Exhibition is not only composed of films, which I know of a filmmaker and producer who would be happy and absolutely desperate to make a movie here and you're looking at him. I'm looking for the right film to do in Cuba, with a Cuban director. I’m seeking a story, a human story, because this is a beautiful place to shoot. will be on the movie theaters of Havana from March 31 to April 5, according to Jorge del Sol, coordinator of the event. Workshops and lectures -such as the one by renowned American composer Robert Kraft-, panels, presentations of publications –amongst them will be VISTAR Magazine-, debates, tribute tables, exhibitions, international film series and the sessions Moving ideas, all will be part of the theoretical meetings of a an event that each time looks more like its protagonists. "Perhaps the difference between this year and the previous one is that the majority of the most interesting works come from filmmakers who do not have a trajectory, or if they do, they have not placed it at a visible level," assured Juan Carlos Calahorra and Alejandro Alonso, members of the Board of Directors. "This will be an interesting edition, both for the topics and the ways to approach them." "We have been working very hard. We have merged to the group working on the event, and I hope people realize what we have done, we´ve concentrated on the promotion, so that the works reach a wider audience, other areas of the capital", said Calahorra, laureate director, chosen this year to be in charge of Bisiesto, the Journal of the Exhibition. "The young film industry have a future," insisted Marisol Rodríguez, Director of the Exhibition. "They do because one can tell how eager the members are, and these five days are the clearest evidence". www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 57 FILM INDUSTRY FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS THEORETICAL ENCOUNTERS WORKSHOPS Against the Void Nicolás Guillén Landrián Tuesday, March 31, 1:30 pm lobby of the Charles Chaplin cinema Moving Ideas Location: C.C.C. ICAIC Fresa y Chocolate Hours: 1:30 and 4:00 pm "Composing music for films: a challenge" Starts Wednesday 1st, 10:00 am, PM Record Studios Lecture by Robert Kraft, distinguished professor and specialist in Hollywood film music. He has supervised the music for films like Avatar, Titanic, Moulin Rouge, Black Swan, among others. The Object as Consolation Yomer Montejo Tuesday, March 31, 5:00 pm c.c.c. gallery ICAIC “Fresa y Chocolate” Posters New Designers Wednesday, March 1, 1:30 pm 23 y 12 Cinema Events - Re-animation - The power of gender - Ways to narrate Conference "Music in Films" Robert Kraft Friday 3, 10:00 am, Cuban Art Factory Tribute table to Nicolás Guillén Landrián: "The myth and the legacy" Saturday 4th, 10:00 am, C.C.C. ICAIC Fresa y Chocolate Table: "Summary of history. What, how and for whom does the young cinema narrates?" Wednesday, 1, 2:00 pm, C.C.C. ICAIC Fresa y Chocolate Table: "Presentation of publications: Cuban film-making-Vistar" Thursday 2, 2:00 pm Servando Cabrera Gallery (23rd Ave and 10th St, Vedado) 58 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com Fundraising for film projects (Making Films) Taught by: Séverine Roinssard Time: 9:00 am Location: 6th floor room (registered only) Screenplay (Making Films) Taught by: Yolanda Barrasa Time: 9:00 am Location: Casa del Festival (registered only) A SEX SHOP IN HAVANA By: Daniel G. Alfonso There is a new place to visit in Havana these days, and I´m not referring to a bar or nightclub, but to a sex shop. People just have to go to the Galiano Gallery to realize that the site has been completely transformed, from the giant poster affixed to the facade to the interior of the building. This change -so favorable to the gallery- is due to the recent exhibition (Pink, 20 / Feb-23 / March / 2015) by young artist Marlys Fuego, who through elements such as consumerism and advertising, approaches questions that revolve around the world of Eros, very recurrent theme in her production. But, why recreate a sex shop? According to the artist, after visiting the Museum of Sex in New York and some sex shops, her way of seeing and understanding the erotic as a global phenomenon expanded. Building a sex shop as a creative challenge, besides being a reality outside our context, allowed her to deploy a series of pieces that summarize an extended period of work with her usual iconography. Then, inside the gallery, the viewer witnesses a comfortable and elegant environment in which the senses are stimulated through a series of works that go from painting to photography, installation and video installation. Selling various erotic items is commonplace in this type of establishment. One can purchase from magazines to sex toys. For that reason, and to stay attuned to her initial conception, Marlys developed the installation Unveiled, consisting of a showcase in which craft dildos can be purchased at 10 cuc each, a reasonable price for the average people. Eroticism, so innate to humans, is a state where the hidden feels desired and longed; therefore, fantasy and imagination take center stage. Both elements are visible on the video installation Inside, where the recipient is exposed to a one-minute projection of adult films fragments; mock of the audiovisual display in some sex shops. Marlys likes to involve the audience; without them, some pieces lose their meaning; for example, Shining, a chair made of shiny sequins (refers to kitsch) positioned so that visitors interact with it. Thus, we approach an object that allows self-satisfaction. The exhibition has been carefully designed so the viewer's retina is never saturated with too much information. The idea of conceiving a sex shop in Havana, albeit briefly, is a step forward in a context like ours, that even in the 21st Century we still behold certain patterns of freedom with suspicion and distrust. Pink is a free zone where everything is possible. Purchase your product and live your sexuality without any ties. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 59 CUBANS OVERSEAS THINGS THAT VISTAR TOLD YOU ABOUT JOEL When he was a child, he would tell his parents he would not be a dancer. He is fond of movies and auto mechanics. JOEL CARREÑO Giselle is one of his favorite ballets. By: José Ernesto González Mosquera 60 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com Fotos: Cortesía del entrevistado “ WE CARRY OUR CUBAN IDENTITY IN OUR BLOOD”. The Carreño family name is engraved in the history of Cuban and universal ballet in diamond letters. Joel, the youngest of the family, has triumphed for five years already in Nordic lands as Principal dancer of the National Ballet of Norway. His family tree would be enough to admire his lineage; his uncle Lazaro was very successful during the golden age of the National Ballet of Cuba, his cousin Alihaydee was Prima Ballerina of the company and a tasteful female referent, and his brother Jose Manuel is one of the world's dance stars. "The family name, knowing where you come from, always carries a weight with it. I see it as a crash course to try to be better, not as pressure to try to prove something." Joel Carreño does no attempt to show, he succeeds on doing it. His performances move, just as he impresses with his powerful and precise technique. Who would think that being a dancer was never his primary dream, but a taste that caught him in time? In 2010, he took leave of his audience, family, friends and company to try his luck in the cold northern lands as part of the cast of the National Ballet of Norway. "The cold is a shock. When we arrived in 2010 it was the coldest winter in a century. But that did not matter. I must say that I feel at home. The atmosphere is unusual compared to what one experiences in other ballet companies, we all seem a big family. They may not be as outgoing or open as Cubans, but they are friendly and respectful." Joel danced for twelve years in Cuba; time in which he performed all major roles, but as he declared: "I felt that I needed another challenge, another repertoire, another vocabulary, and that is what I have now in Norway, what have made me understand and see the dance differently, realize that I can contribute a lot more to my dance, much more than what I learned in Cuba." It is said that Cubans stand out on stage. "We are different in how we play the characters, in how we stand on stage, in the way we dance, the desire and passion we put into what we do; and that is appreciated by our maîtres and partners." His performance as Swan Lake´s Prince Siegfried on the International Ballet Festival last November marked his reunion with the Cuban public and his fellows of many years in the National Ballet of Cuba. "I try to come back every year to be with my family. But what I felt when I found myself in the backstage with my colleagues… the warm applause of the Cuban public, believe me, it is indescribable; nerves before, happiness when the curtain closed. You miss the Cuban audience, and I wanted them to notice how much I had progressed. I will always be ready to dance in Cuba again". www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 61 THINGS THAT VISTAR TOLD YOU ABOUT YOLANDA CORREA CUBANS OVERSEAS She is a fond of chocolate. She was born in Holguín. Her favorite ballet is Giselle. Fotos: Cortesía de la entrevistada YOLANDA CORREA “ CUBA WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY DANCE” Her beginnings were in gymnastics. After four years dancing with the National Ballet of Norway, her return to the Cuban scene was highly expected during the past International Ballet Festival of Havana, where the Prima Ballerina Yolanda Correa returned as Odette / Odile in the classic Swan Lake. By: José Ernesto González Mosquera Yolanda Correa (Yolandita, as her friends and admirers call her) is an exceptional dancer. It's not just her beauty or fascinating technique on stage that makes us surrender at her feet; it is also the ability to turn each character into an interpretation lesson, to make the public dream with every movement or slightest gesture. She lives in Oslo since 2010, but says that the Nordic cold remains in the background when compared to what she has learned since she joined the Norwegian company. "We were welcomed with love, and we were given the opportunity to dance the whole repertoire of the company, both classical and contemporary. We performed plays by Jiry Kilian, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Glen Tetley. I think that for any dancer, or at least for me, being in a place where you feel good about what you do, with the people around you, is enough." For Yolanda, evolution is very important. Her performance was recognized in 2012 with one of the most significant prizes of the global dance circuit: the Positano Premia La Danza Léonide Massine, previously obtained by myths like Margot Fonteyn, Alessandra Ferri, or Rudolf Nureyev. "I like changing, I like exploring new movements and ways of dancing. I like growing and polishing myself with the details. Whenever I dance I combine what I have learned in Norway with what I learned in Cuba, and from there I present the best mixture. But I always carry with me details of Yolanda." After four years without dancing in Cuba, she was looking forward to reuniting with her audience, which appreciated a performance of Swan Lake. "The Cuban audience is special, much more open to express themselves, to say what they think. It's part of our culture, such as dance, music and warmth, which makes us uninhibited. The European public is more reserved, which differs from cold because they are not, they are very affectionate, but with respect and distance. I can’t say I feel alone because we are a big family in the Norwegian company, but I always miss my family, my friends, my peers, with whom I shared and learned at the National Ballet of Cuba. I am Cuban, and Cuba will always be in my dance." www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 63 INSPIRATION GABRIELA GUTIÉRREZ Graphic Design & Ilustration [email protected] conditions like the ones in March 1993, the avalanche of parades and political events that rallied the country, the visit of the Pope John Paul II, and especially, the continuous presence of Fidel Castro as leader of the Cuban Revolution during most of these events. Witnessing certain current circumstances relieves my hopelessness of not seeing some others that took place when I was still a child. The image of Cuba has changed from my beginnings until today. I look at my 20-year-old photographs and they seem to be of a different country. The new one looks much better. And although the first one was more pictur- PHOTOGRAPHY ADALBERTO ROQUE KNOWING HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH CUBA IS A CHALLENGE Painter, teacher, creator or photographer, definitions are not as important in Adalberto Roque as the work itself or the sentiment behind it. The thousands of images taken over more than 30 years, documenting what´s been happening in Cuba, serve as testimony of the necessary commitment that must lie, according to him, behind a good photo. “I am well aware of the respect I owe to the subject and of the incredible luck I have had witnessing instances and events that will not repeat”, he claimed, as he pointed to the Cuban painter Raúl Martínez as one of his first teachers. “He told me on several occasions that if I was not able to listen to the breath of a person while photographing him/her, it was because I was lost and unable to understand 66 April 2015 anything that was going on. My style is respect and closeness. When I photograph workers, I am usually drenched in their sweat. This is the reason why I have never learned how to work with a telephoto lens”. Considered one the best photographers in Latin America, Roque works in the correspondent’s office in Havana of the news agency France Press, also as a film maker, and his name has appeared in important newspapers worldwide, masterly sharing his vision of the island. Without any other differences than the qualifiers journalistic or artistic for a photo, what needs to be always there is the reflection of “the photographer’s soul, which, when absent, is easily identified by the distantness with the subject, the indifference with what is being photographed and www.vistarmagazine.com the indiscriminate use of photographic tricks to make the viewer believe there was a connection”. One would think that with such a vast work, details of how each image was captured would escape memory, but Roque reassured us that there is always a print in him of what the day was like or how the people felt, which is relived when he sees a snapshot. “They are my biggest collection of what I have lived”. He sees his experiences as photographer/reporter directly related with the historical periods of the country. He remembers one of them, from 1990 to 2006, as a period of “several news and key events such as the Cuban Special Period, which influenced all social spheres of the country, the exodus of Cuban rafters, the return of Elián, extreme weather esque because it was more primitive, I prefer the new one since it offers a better environment for my compatriots. Knowing how to photograph is a challenge, because I am aware that, in 30 years, these photographs will be as well of an ancient and very different country”. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 67 FINE ARTS GEO-GRAPHICS FROM HAVANA To demonstrate that Cuban designers have no limits, the Cuban Art Factory (Fabrica de Arte Cubano – FAC) hosts the Geo-graphic display, a joint exhibition in which twenty-eight Cubans and several international artists participate. A selection of posters, characters, visual identities, luminaries and novel utilitarian objects, captivate the visitors’ attention, and it also managed to break the record of affluence to the FAC on opening days. If you have not enjoyed it yet, discover it along VISTAR. CUBA IN SIGHT IN FRANCE All the creativity and artistry of the tremendous Cuban designers went all the way to France in March. The exhibition of posters "Cuba in Sight!" stormed the Besançon Museum of Fine Arts, to show a vast and diverse collection that establishes a dialogue between semantic and formal associations of the works. Nelson Ponce, Raúl Valdés (Raupa), Michele Miyares Hollands, Giselle Monzon, and Edel Rodríguez (Mola) were in charge of representing the island’s design on French soil, with an overview of the history of the poster in Cuba. 68 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 69 Ballet GRETTEL MOREJÓN OF PREMIERES AND SLEEPING BEAUTIES By: José Ernesto G. Mosquera Grettel Morejon is Principal Dancer of the National Ballet of Cuba because she set out to achieve it. The petite great actress from the Cuban company debuts these days with the Sofia Ballet in the role of Aurora in in Marius Petipa’s version of the classic Sleeping Beauty. 70 April 2015 ilda in Coppélia, the Fairy in The Nutcracker. All she has left is Aurora, the princess that is to some the most genuine expression of classical technique, and one of the most significant roles in the career of a dancer. Now the challenge is greater, since she will debut outside Cuba and away from her public with Marius Petipa’s Russian version of Sleeping Beauty on a tour around Italy, invited by the Sofia Festival Ballet and, as a Cuban saying goes, she will go and “dance at the spinning top’s house”. "It is actually the version they perform at the Bolshoi, with some changes introduced by a Bulgarian prima ballerina called Vesa Tonova. It is very different from the Cuban interpretation. Aurora’s appearance on the scene is the hardest thing the ballet has for me, because she enters jumping all the time. It is a very fast version, and with complicated movements, that demands a lot from the dancers in terms of technique. We (in Cuba) have a slightly calmer version, with more pantomime and interpretation." Last time Grettel danced the www.vistarmagazine.com pas de deux Sleeping Beauty, was as a student, along with Dani Hernandez, at the National School of Ballet. But this does not worry her because she says she always has Aurora in her. "Now in Bulgaria I had only six days to prepare the ballet along with my partner and the company. What matters is the experience gained. What an artist looks for is to be in constant creation. And changes influence this as well. When you are taken out of your environment, you truly get to know how the world of dance, and of fine arts in general, is moving." The petite Grettel that charmed us so often with Clara in The Nutcracker assures that she does not think of the debuts, because they are just that, a moment to break the ice. Each role she manages to play makes her feel content with herself, never satisfied, because she feels that she can always work harder. Aurora in Sleeping Beauty is another step in her career. All that is left is to watch her perform this character in the Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso´s version of this classic. Time will tell. © Gabriel Dàvalos Grettel was well-appreciated by Italian businessman Massimo Masselli four years ago, when he witnessed her dancing the pas de deux Flames of Paris during the Ballet Festival of Havana, and said: "Grettel Morejon is a dancer with a strong personality despite her seeming naïveté. She is an interpretive gem for each character she plays, however small; and she increasingly develops her technique as a means of expression, not as a pyrotechnical end." "I had a very good preparation during my school years, both elementary and middlelevel, with teachers like Sarita Martinez Reyes and Moraima Martinez, in L and 19, Havana; or Adria Velazquez, Mirta Hermida, and teacher Fernando Alonso at the National Academy of Fine Arts. In addition, we were demanded to go see National Ballet performances. I grew up watching Lorna Feijoo, Alihaydee Carreño, Viengsay Valdes, and Anissa Curbelo dance, and they were an example of discipline and rigor for me," says Grettel. The young woman has proved herself as Odette / Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Swan- www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 71 Dance - Theatre ROSARIO CÁRDENAS BEYOND A BLIND SPOT By: José Ernesto G. Mosquera TAKE A SELFIE AT CAFÉ CORNER B Street N. 534 b/ 1ra.and 3ra. Vedado 53(7) 837 1220 THE PUB IN OLD HAVANA OPEN 12:00 P.M. TO 12:00 A.M. Brasil (Tte. Rey) Street N. 306 b/ Aguacate and Compostela, La Habana Vieja. Tel: 53(7) 861 5014 www.artepubcuba.com Punto Ciego (Blind Spot), the latest proposal by Rosario Cardenas and the company she directs since 1989, experimentally suggests an approach to social issues often (un)known and excluded from people´s perception. Cardenas makes use of video-mapping to reflect the optical complexities leading to the occasional loss of the visual perspective in order to present a discursive absurd marked by the things that we do not see and those that we want to conceal in our social relations. The proposal does not involve only dance, performance, or theater but it is rather a combination of the three of them based on sharp and powerful symbols with the purpose of penetrating insensibility, human relations, and the interaction between people and the environment. RETAZOS 28 YEARS LATER Danza Teatro Retazos Company, directed by National Dance Prize winner Isabel Bustos, celebrated its 28th anniversary by reviving several highlights of the company´s repertoire. Momentos (Moments) allowed the audience to admire, in perspective, the comprehensive dancing language that has characterized the esthetics of this company from Havana. Apart from the use of technique and movement, what is most relevant about Retazos is its ability to penetrate the inner being and the issues addressed through the choreography in a way in which dancers are free to approach the piece and themselves from their individual experiences. www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 73 CUBAN CHARTS BY: CUBAMUSIC.COM TOP SINGLES 1 Los Van Van LA MODA (KERATINA) EGREM Van Van is Cuba, for its +371 148 followers on Facebook. "The Fashion" has a level of rotation on radio of 6.823%, a weight in the industry for Spotify (Tropical Segment 0.6282%), the tweets come from markets such as Peru, USA, Venezuela and Mexico. 2 Will Campa y La Gran Unión feat Orland Max LA BAMBINA Independant 3 Gente D' Zona (GDZ) feat Pitbull PIENSA (DILE LA VERDAD) Mr 305 Records 4 Ángeles MI CARRITO Around The Music 5 1 2 Raúl Paz feat Laritza Bacallao 5 Alex Cuba Pupy y Los Que Son Son CONGA PELOTERA EGREM 9 Yotuel (Orishas) VOLVERÁS Sony Music Latin 10 David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera OLVIDA QUE TE OLVIDE EGREM ES TU MIRADA 74 April 2015 www.vistarmagazine.com Buena Vista Social Club BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB PEDACITO 3 Varios Artistas LATIN HITS 2015 CLUB EDITION 6 Qva Libre DÉJAME BESARTE 4 7 Calle 13 feat Silvio Rodríguez OJOS COLOR SOL El Abismo Records 8 Raúl Paz feat Alain Daniel 9 Adrian Berazaín 10 TOCAR UN SUEÑO NECESITO UN BOLERO Sony Music 5 OCHÚN Septeto Santiaguero feat Jose Alberto "El Canario" HAY UN RUN RUN Canarios Records CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY AND THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ORCHESTRA Buena Vista Social Club EL CHAN CHAN Nonesuch Records 3 Omi ft Descemer Bueno 14 DE FEBRERO Independant 4 Los Van Van 5 Raúl Paz LA MODA (KERATINA) EGREM CHIQUITA EGREM Leoni Torres feat Kelvis Ochoa & Alexander Abreu ES TU MIRADA EGREM / Cubamusic Records “Es tu mirada” (It's the Way You Look), novelty by Leoni Torres, a clip on YouTube that exceeds the 8556 downloads in just six days, a level of rotation on radio of 6,676%, and about 10,448 likes from his official page on Facebook. For Spotify, its success factor in streaming is +41%, for Lucas it is one of the most popular. Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor CERRANDO FILAS (EN VIVO) Planet Records 6 El Niño y La Verdad LLEGÓ LA VERDAD EGREM 7 Varios Artistas LATIN HITS 2014 CLUB EDITION 7 Osmani García TAXI Planet Records 8 Varios Artistas 9 Varios Artistas 10 Suave Tumbao I DANCE CUBAN SALSA Cubamusic Records FIESTA LATINA 2015 -50 LATIN CLUB HITS Urban Latin Records Urban Latin Records 8 Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor 9 El Niño Y La Verdad MI MULATA EN LA HABANA Planet Records DIME CUÁNTO EGREM 10 TUMBAO SIN FRONTERAS Cubamusic Records EGREM Bis Music 2 PIENSA (DILES LA VERDAD) Mr 305 Records 6 Gilberto Santa Rosa Cubamusic Records One of the favorites of the younger audience, Qva Libre "Let Me Kiss You", its level of rotation on radio is 4.779%, undoubtedly one of the most promising artists (Latin Alternative Segment: Freq-: 0.5272, weight- 0.78171) for Spotify (22.6% popularity). It is one of the most favored by Lucas. Gente D' Zona Planet Records EGREM REALIDAD QUE NO ESCOGIMOS 1 Nonesuch Records EGREM / Cubamusic Records CONCERT OF ISSAC DELGADO SATURDAY APRIL 11 LA CECILIA 2 Caracol Records ES TU MIRADA 8 VOLVERÁS 4 EGREM / Cubamusic Records PEDACITO Buenavista arrives, backed by +125 665 followers on Facebook, a streaming of 591,869 listeners according to last.fm, leaning on their YouTube channel with 18,549 subscribers. According to Spotify the factor of expected success of the albums is +54%, the iTunes single "Tiene Sabor" (It has Taste) is a highlight. Independant Leoni Torres feat Kelvis Ochoa & Alexander Abreu Leoni Torres feat Kelvis Ochoa & Alexander Abreu EGREM World Circuid Ltd. Omi feat Descemer Bueno 3 Planet Records Raúl Paz feat Laritza Bacallao LOST AND FOUND 14 DE FEBRERO Yotuel (Orishas) TOP PERFORMER Buena Vista Social Club Sony Music Latin MI MULATA EN LA HABANA 7 1 TOP TROVA & FUSION Maykel Blanco y Salsa Mayor 6 TOP ALBUMS Alexander Abreu y Havana D' Primera PROHIBIDO Independant Leyend Up from last month Down from last month Stayed from last month New Entry on List CONCERT OF LOS DESIGUALES SATURDAY APRIL 25 DON CANGREJO www.vistarmagazine.com April 2015 75 Unload the music you like, the best in Mp3 HOT VIDEOCLIPS CONTACT US www.cubamusic.com 53(7) 6836875 53(5) 3858138 THE MOST COMPLETE CATALOG OF CUBAN MUSIC OF ALL TIMES # PERFORMER CLIP RECORD COMPANY 01 LOS VAN VAN La Moda EGREM 02 MARC ANTHONY Flor Pálida Sony Music Latin 03 ÁNGELES Mi Carrito Around The Music 04 WIL CAMPA Y LA GRAN UNIÓN FEAT MR JORDAN La Bambina Independant 05 ALAIN PÉREZ Hablando Con Juana La Rumba Producciones / Patakin Music 06 OMI FEAT DESCEMER BUENO 14 De Febrero Cubamusic Records 07 LEONI TORRES FEAT KELVIS OCHOA & ALEXANDER ABREU Es Tu Mirada EGREM / Cubamusic Records 08 DAVID CALZADO Y CHARANGA HABANERA Olvida Que Te Olvide Independant 09 YOTUEL (ORISHAS) Volverás Sony Music Latin 10 LARITZA BACALLAO Solo se vive una vez Planet Records 1 Maiker with Alexander Abreu 2 Lesyan Ferrer Quintana with 13 Maykel Blanco PICTURES WITH CELEBRITIES 3 Gina Martínez Duquesne with Enrique Molina 1 2 Your pictures could also appear in this section. Send your photos to [email protected] 4 DJ Rafiki with Vititi 5 Henry Manuel Batista 14 Salazar with Alain Pérez 6 Maylen with Lieter Ledesma 7 Javier with Randy Malcom 8 Arlan Galvez Alonso with Vania Vorges 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Anabel with Yulieski Gurriel Alejandro with Frank Delgado Arlena with El Lachy Mailyn with Osvaldo Doimeadios Yoana with Bony y Kelly Yoana and Yanet with Ele Alfonso Dj Leo and Nemo with Señor Rodríguez Yenisel with William El Magnífico Melannie with Chocolate Alberto with Paco León 9 Magdy, Wendy and Dianelis with El Príncipe 10 Dani with Hansel 11 Karina with los SMS 12 Taiyane with Chacal 13 El Villano and DJ Javier 15 22 16 with El Dany 3 4 5 6 7 17 18 21 9 2 8 19 10 22 23 [email protected] 11 12 20
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