Vistar Magazine No.13

Transcription

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.
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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]
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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
[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
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
¡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
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
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 ”.
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
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.
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
“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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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 ...
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,
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
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.
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,
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”.
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
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
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."
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
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
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
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
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".
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
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.
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
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".
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."
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
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”.
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
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
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-
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.
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
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
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
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
CONCERT OF ISSAC DELGADO
SATURDAY APRIL 11
LA CECILIA
2
Caracol Records
ES TU MIRADA
8
VOLVERÁS
4
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
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
Sony Music Latin
MI MULATA EN LA HABANA
7
1
TOP TROVA & FUSION
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
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

Vistar Magazine No.13

Transcription

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