BAm MUSIC January 16, 1979 NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Press Contact: John Hewlett/Philip Rinaldi 30 LAFAYE TTE AVE .. BK L YN. N.Y. 11 2 17 PRESS OFFICE PHONE: (212) 636-4123
SILVIO, CUBA'S SINGING STAR, TO MAKE N.Y. DEBUT AT BAM, FEB. 10 Popular Folk Singer Pablo Milanes Will Share Single NY Concert
Silvio Rodriguez, the star of popular music in Cuba, will make his New York debut at the Opera House of the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Friday, February 10, at 8pm. Popular Cuban folk singer Pablo Milanes will appear with Silvio in concert at BAM. Silvio and Pablo are at the forefront of Cuban popular music, and in their country they are accorded the kind of tribute once given here to Sinatra, Presley, and the Beatles. They are generally recognized as the finest interpreters of the new Cuban song ( "la Nueva Trova"). Though they have synthesized many influences (including Che Guevara, Jose Marti, Beethoven, and the Beatles) in their music, the songs remain vibrant reflections of the struggles in society and the world about them. Silvio and Pablo's performance will be the culmination of FESTIVIDAD '79 -- A Celebration of the Hispanic Arts at BAM. For ticket information call (212) 636-4100. ### lr
CUBAN MUSICIANS -- PA»LO MILAHES AND SILVlO RODRIGUEZ TOUR U,S,
PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Frances Kissling or Sandra Levinson 685-9038
Two of Cuba's moat prominent and popular singer-composers,
Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo Milanes, will begin a three-week U.S.
tour on February 2. They are the most well-known representatives of the "Nueva Trova" (New Song) movement, made up of singers and musicians who weave together classic Spanish forms and African rhythms, modern music and Cuba's revolutionary experiences.
This music -- sensitive, poetic, lyrical and committed -- is among the most significant of Cuba's cultural currents.
Silvio Rodriguez is a 32-year-old professional musician who has worked praviously as a waiter, soldier, journalist and
fisherman. Since he made his first Cuban television appearance in 1967, he has written music for many Cuban films, helped
found the Grupo de Experimentacion Sonora del IoC.A.I.C. (the
Cuban Film Institute's experimental music group), and recorded over a dozen LP recorda. Rodriguez ~s frequently invited to international music festivals, and has toured Europe extensively, as well as Chile, the U.s.s.R., Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Panama. This is his second u.s. visit.
Pablo Milanes, 36 years old, began his career in 1959 as a member of the Cuarteto del Rey. For several years he per- formed either alone, accompanying himself on a guitar, or with other groups in night clubs around Cuba, until he eventually became involved in the protest song center of Cuba's Casa de las Americas. In 1969, he joined the Grupe de Experimentaci6n
Sonora del I.C.A.I.C., and has remained a prime exponent of the Nueva Trova movement ever since. He too has toured inter nationally to critical acclaim. This is Milanes' first visit to the u.s.
Silvio and Pablo (as they are popularly known) will per form in Washington, D.C. at All Soul's Church on February 2; at the Bardovan Opera House in Poughkeepsieu New Yorku with
Pete Seeger on February 9; at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City on February 10; at Manhattan's Museo del
Barrio on February 14; at Hostos College in the Bronx, New
York Cityu on February 15; the University of Connecticut at
Storrs on February 17; and at the John Hancock Hall in Boston on February 19.
A press party and welcome reception will be held at 7 p.m. at the Cuban Interests Section of the Czechoslovak Embassyv at
2639 16th Street N.W.u Washington, D.C. on February 1. A similar reception will be held in New York City on February 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Center for Cuban Studies, 220 East 23rd
Streetu 8th floor.
The tour of Silvio and Pablo is being sponsored by the
Center for Cuban Studies, a non-profit educational institution, as part of it• cultural exchange program. Silvio and Pablo: Background information on the roots of Cuban music
The roots of Cuban music can be found in the unwritten pages of Cuba's history, in the slave songs, the songs of the countr¥side, the songs of the people. Many Spaniards came to Cuba to escape from a poor and miserable existence. A few became white lords 0 but most ton tinued their struggle through life without name or money. They had brought with them their songs and their instruments, and these blended with those brought by the African slaves. New instruments were developed from the original instru ments and with these the people accompanied themselves to their adaptation of the Spanish decima: the Cuban punta. The poet's ability would be tested in controversias: singing contests in which each participant had to improvise, in verse, an answer to the other's challenge. The themes ranged from love to philosophicaly discussions. This tradi tion still lives, with harmonic and rhythmic variations from region to region. Although the Spanish roots of Cuban folk music are obvious, African influence is also strong. In fact, many blacks went to Spain with the Arab invaders in the 8th century, and many black slaves had already been brought to Spain before the discovery of America. These left some of the best poetry of the Golden Century, their undeniable trace. The music brought to Cuba by the Africans followed a different path. The slaves had been forced out of their lando stripped of their possessions, their children, their language and their religion. With white culture imposed on them 0 they had to learn a new life: the slave dwelling behind the mansion, a legal ban on their 11Wild, strange 11 songs and dances that couldn't be understood by Cuba's ruling classes. Newly-arrived slaves would seek each other out and together, in secret, they worked to keep alive the traditions that would inevitably start to fade within the new reality that was slowly absorbing them. Yorubasu Lucumies or santeros; Congas or paleros; nanigos or Abakuas; these African groups found a hiding place in the urban centers that would help them, and their traditionsu survive. The music of the Yorubas has always had a wide range of melodies and rhythms. The fundamental instrument of this music u used primarily in religious ceremonies, is a set of drums 0 bata.
The Congas use a set of drums known as yuca (caja 0 mula and cachimbo), as well as other drums such as the kinfutti, which is played by friction. The language of their religious ceremonies is a mixture of Spanish and the native language of their ancestors. Roots of Cuban music 2/
The Abakuas organized themselves into very strict socie ties during the 19th century, but whites were gradually per mitted to participate. Their instruments include soft ritual drums such as the empeg6, the ekueffon and the enkr1carna. They also have drums of a rich and exquisite sound such as the bonk6~ encherniya, kuchi-yerema, obiapa and bienkom6. Along with their drums, all of these gxoups brought with them a rich collection of songs and dances. Cuban popular music is the product of a long process of transculturation. The Indian element, however~ in contrast to many other Latin countriesg is practically non-existent. The Indians• extinction at the hands of the Spanish conquerors left the Cubans without a musical note from the Indian heritage. The rumba and the ~ are perhaps the two forms of popular Cuban music that best reflect their hybrid origins. They are also the most well-known both within Cuba and abroad. The rumba is an elegant blend of music and danceq singing of the history, daily life, sadness and hope of the Cuban people. Filled with the sounds and smells of the city, the slurngs, the backyard meeting, is the guaguanco. From the countryside, strong and improvised, like the punto, comes la columbia. Soft and quiet, the yamba is the rumba of the old folks. The §£ll began as a brio of guitar, maracas and clave. From that it grew to groups of seven or eight members in the cities. Added to the original sound were the marimbula and bungas, substituted later by the bass. Then carne bongos and the tres. Trumpets were added to play the melody and the singers harmonized in two voices. As one writer from the nueva trova movement has put it, today "workers and peasants, students and professionals sing . together the freedom song that has allowed them to grow within their traditions to the real Cuban feeling. Young and old hands are digging into their roots and building the future from the best of the past. 11 SILVIO RODRIGUEZ AND PABLO MILANES: Biographical data
Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo Milanes have grown up with the
Cuban Revolution: they were 12 and 16 respectively at the time
of the revolutionary victory in 1959. Their poetry and their
music reflects a youthful perspective on the intervening 20
years, chronicling the hope and energy of the new Cuba. Theirs
is the first generation, the generation of rapid change, struggle,
nurturing ideas. It is the generation of the early years --
the mass literacy campaign, the first Agrarian Reform, the new
schools in the countryside. Theirs is the generation of develop
ment, and they sing of it with sensitivity and beauty. Their
lyrics reflect world events -- Angola, Vietnam, Chile -- as
well as specifically Cuban events, such as the Bay of Pigs
invasion. But they also sing of loveu loss and painu the range
of human emotiono the poetry of everyday life. Their styles
reflect Cuban traditions, but also incorporates musical influences
from all over the world, including the u.s.
Pablo Milanes is 36, born in Bayamo, Cuba; a composer and
singer who began his career as a nightclub singer in 1959, then
joined Havana's Protest Song Center and the "Nueva Trova 11 (New
Song) movemento He has appeared at the Festival of Political
Songs in Berlinu G.D.R., 1972: the Reuni6n de Asentarnientos
Hurnanos in Venezuela: Los Jornadas de la Cultura Cubana in
Mexico, Poland and Bulgaria: the World Festival of Theater, Silvio and Pablo background information 2/ dedicated to Latin American Culture, in France; the Victor Jara
Festival in Italy, and the Nueva Trova Spectacular in Spain.
Silvio Rodriquez is 32, born in San Antonio de los Ba~os,
Cubao He began singing as an amateur in the Army; first pro fessional appearance on Cuban television in 1967; composer of music for Cuban films; co-founder of the Grupe de Experimenta ci6n Senor del I.C.A.I.C.; has recorded over a dozen LP's solo and with groups. Has appeared at the 6th Congress of Chilaan
Communist Youth, 1972; the 3rd Festival of Political Song,
Berlin, GoD.R., 1972; the Moscow Film Festival, 1975; the Week of Solidarity with Uruguay in Mexicoq 1977; Seven Days with the People, Dominican Republic, 1974; Tribute to Victor Jaraq
Italy, 1977; Week of Solidarity with Uruguay in Panama, 1978;
In Concert with Cuba ~n New York, 1978; the 11th World Youth
Festivalq Havana, 1978. He has also toured in Venezuela, Spain,
France and Angola. Silvio formerly worked as a waiter, designer,
journalist, soldier and fisherman. Silvio and Pablo: Background info on the Nueva Trova song movement in Cuba
The nueva trova (new song) movement is intimately bound to the dynamic of Cuban history, reflecting the cultural cur- rents of Cuba's past, present and future. Originally, the
Cuban trovadore traveled from town to town, from house to house, sinqing not only of historical events, but of universal human concerns such as love, death, loss and purpose, much in the tradition of the European troubador of the Middle Ages.
Specifically Cuban musical forms, such as the ~, an Afro-
Spanish form, and the bolero, with Romantic Spanish roots, pre- dominated, and were further developed by the trova movement.
During Cuba's War of Independence in the late 19th century, the trova sustained Cuban cultural connections throught the ruptures of civil war. Today, all over Cuba, many trovadores, some 70 or
80 years old, continue performing the classic trova songs.
The new trova -- an outgrowth of the Cuban Revolution is a direct descendant of the original trova form, yet nueva trovas are not motivated simply by nostalgia. During the 1940's and
1950's especially, Cuban music was heavily influenced by North
American conceptions of what the Latin sound should be -- music a la Xavier Cugat and Tito Puente. However, with the worsening of Cuba-u.s. relations in the 1960's, the demand for this kind of music disappeared, symbolizing as it did u.s. dominance of the Cuban situation. As a result, Cuban national music was The Nueva Trova Song Movement 2/ revitalized. A wave of new music composition took place, mainly by very young Cuban poets and musicians, many of whom had not been heard from before. Setting typically Cuban music to the new poetry was a way of connecting with classic trova traditions. Today's new trovas also reflect experimentation with modern music forms. Thus, the Nueva Trova is a crucial component of the new Cuban identity, chronicling the difficulties and the promise of the new Cuba. Representatives of the move ment, such as Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo Milanes, travel Cuba and the world singing its word. SILVIO AND PABLO -- Appearance schedule
Thurs., Feb. 1 Welcome and press party, 8 p.m. Cuban Interests Section 2639 16th St. N.W., Wash. D.C.
Fri., Feb. 2 Concert, 8 p.m. All Soul's Church 16th and Harvard St. N.W.
[Contact for Washington events is Aviva Kempner, (202)462-7528]
Wed.() , Feb. 7 Welcome and press party 0 5-7 p.m. Center for Cuban Studies 220 East 23rd Street, 8th fl. New York City
Fri., Feb. 9 Concerto 7:30 p.m. Bardavon Opera House 35 Market Street Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (w Pete Seeger)
Sat., Feb. 10 Concerto 8 p.m. Brooklyn Academy of Music 30 Lafayette Ave. Brooklyn, N.Y.
Wed., Feb. 14 Musical talk, 8 p.m. Museo del Barrio 5th Ave. and 105th St., NYC
Thurs., Feb. 15 Concert, 12:30 p.m. Combo Room, Hostos College 475 Grand Concourse Bronx, N.Y.
[Contact for New York events: Frances Kissling or Sandra Levinson, Center for Cuban Studies, (212)685-9038]
Sat. 6 Feb. 17 Concert, 8 p.m. Jorgenson Hallo Univ. of Conn. Storrs, Conn. Contact: Isnoel Rios (203)486-2204
Mon. 0 Febo 19 Concert, 8 p.m. John Hancock Hall, 180 Berkeley St. Boston, Mass. Contact: Center for Cuban Studies, NY