A Tale of Two Cities: From Havana toHamburg
Born in the largest Caribbean island, the brilliant bandleader/pianist/composer/arranger
Ricardo Álvarez studied in Havana and worked with various rock, funk, jazz, and pop groups in
his native nation, before he...
More
A Tale of Two Cities: From Havana toHamburg
Born in the largest Caribbean island, the brilliant bandleader/pianist/composer/arranger
Ricardo Álvarez studied in Havana and worked with various rock, funk, jazz, and pop groups in
his native nation, before he migrated to Germany in the 1990s.
Sooner than later, the Havanese
expatriate became one of the main catalysts of Antillean music in Europe, particularly after
founding the big band appropriately called Cubanísimo, comprised of eleven instrumentalists and
a couple of lead singers, all of whom happen to be fellow Cuban exiles who found permanent
refuge in the reunified native land of Beethoven.
Their passionate dedication to the contemporary
interpretation of multiple Cuban genres and styles is truly revealed throughout the repertoire of
their second recording, as documented in the following paragraphs.
The Cubanocentric Repertoire: “Cubanísimo” means “Extremely Cuban”
The lyrics of the opening track, Álvarez’s “Marketing”, could be
Less
