LÁZARA RIBADAVIA (Havana, 1966)
''Pirata de pueblo adentro, mulata por armonía,
quimera que empuja el viento, contraste y algarabía"
I came across a video of Lázara Ribadavia playing her song 'Razones' on Cuban television and I immediately felt a connection with this song and with Lazara's singing. My curiosity to search further into her repertoire led me to discover many beautiful songs full of with inspiring poetry.
Lázara Ribadavia once said, "I have to say what I feel, if not, I die of sadness." She expresses her feelings with such eloquence and depth that many say she writes "smart songs". Lázara's lyrics are full of poetic images, metaphors and puns. Her songs, accompanied by her skillful guitar playing, are intimate, soulful, spiritual and at the same time show engagement with current events.
Born in the historic Havana neighborhood of El Cerro, Lázara grew up surrounded by guitars and boleros. Her parents Jorge Ribadavia and Lázara Ventosa, her great inspiration, nurtured and supported her love of music. She also received from them her first guitar at the age of three, another when she was five and later when she turned 13. She sang since her childhood the songs she learned at home from her parents and their friends. During family gatherings they would always set aside a special moment for the niña (little girl) to play her guitar and sing. She says that it was a privilege to grow up surrounded by music.
Lázara studied philosophy in Moscow and followed advanced musical studies with the famous guitar teacher, Leopoldina Núñez, who she says transformed the way she plays guitar. Around the 90's, she was given the opportunity to lead a music circle called "La Peña del Azar" in a cinema in Havana. These were difficult economic times for people in Cuba. At this moment where all seemed to come to a stand still, El Azar allowed cultural Havana to breath. Lazara says that in spite of the hard times, they created a bubble where everyone could let out a sigh of relief. When one walked into El Azar, nothing hurt and there was plenty of love shared by all.
Lázara Ribadavia has toured extensively in Latin America and Europe, lived for 10 years in Madrid, and now lives in Mexico City.
For many reasons, I chose to include 'Razones' in my CD Mujeres de Luna. With its uplifting rhythm and positive message, this song felt like a good way to end the CD as well as the live concerts of our tour. This song has a timely message worth sharing with everyone. With optimism it overrides the bad news from around the world with the assurance that love heals, unites, and brings happiness to all beings.
"Qué grande es tu corazón, qué buena suerte la mía,
quién me pagó con tu amor, como me alivias la vida'"
Lázara Ribadavia once said, "I have to say what I feel, if not, I die of sadness." She expresses her feelings with such eloquence and depth that many say she writes "smart songs". Lázara's lyrics are full of poetic images, metaphors and puns. Her songs, accompanied by her skillful guitar playing, are intimate, soulful, spiritual and at the same time show engagement with current events.
Born in the historic Havana neighborhood of El Cerro, Lázara grew up surrounded by guitars and boleros. Her parents Jorge Ribadavia and Lázara Ventosa, her great inspiration, nurtured and supported her love of music. She also received from them her first guitar at the age of three, another when she was five and later when she turned 13. She sang since her childhood the songs she learned at home from her parents and their friends. During family gatherings they would always set aside a special moment for the niña (little girl) to play her guitar and sing. She says that it was a privilege to grow up surrounded by music.
Lázara studied philosophy in Moscow and followed advanced musical studies with the famous guitar teacher, Leopoldina Núñez, who she says transformed the way she plays guitar. Around the 90's, she was given the opportunity to lead a music circle called "La Peña del Azar" in a cinema in Havana. These were difficult economic times for people in Cuba. At this moment where all seemed to come to a stand still, El Azar allowed cultural Havana to breath. Lazara says that in spite of the hard times, they created a bubble where everyone could let out a sigh of relief. When one walked into El Azar, nothing hurt and there was plenty of love shared by all.
Lázara Ribadavia has toured extensively in Latin America and Europe, lived for 10 years in Madrid, and now lives in Mexico City.
For many reasons, I chose to include 'Razones' in my CD Mujeres de Luna. With its uplifting rhythm and positive message, this song felt like a good way to end the CD as well as the live concerts of our tour. This song has a timely message worth sharing with everyone. With optimism it overrides the bad news from around the world with the assurance that love heals, unites, and brings happiness to all beings.
"Qué grande es tu corazón, qué buena suerte la mía,
quién me pagó con tu amor, como me alivias la vida'"
- Estrella Acosta, December 3, 2017
YAIMA OROZCO (Santa Clara, 1980)
"Salta, prueba dar jirones contra tu verdad,
Anda, como si fueras marea, dejate llevar"
Anda, como si fueras marea, dejate llevar"
While searching for young female composers in Cuba, I asked a musician friend to recommend any young women who were creating interesting songs. He told me about a young singer-songwriter, Yaima Orozco, from the city of Santa Clara. After watching her YouTube videos and listening to the music, I fell in love with her singing and her songs. It was difficult to choose just one song, because I liked so many of them. Later I came upon a new recording she made with Catalan guitarist Alfred Artigas. Dias Que Quiero was the perfect choice for my cd Mujeres de Luna. It is so right for me, since I have always loved singing Brazilian music; this song is the perfect combination of Brazil and Cuba. The lyrics also convey a positive message. I am a fan!
Yaima belongs to a new wave of singer-songwriters from Santa Clara that gave the great musical traditional of her region a fresh start in the 21st century. Her songs are also influenced by South-American folklore, Brazilian music and international pop. She studied musical education at the local university, where she also learned to play the guitar. Soon after she started performing at El Mejunje, where the young musicians of her generation met and still meet every Thursday. As a result of these meetings, in 1997 a group of 15 musicians that call themselves La Trovuntivitis was formed. This motivated and inspired Yaima to create and record her own songs. In recent years, Yaima Orozco has toured in Argentina and in Spain, where she recorded a beautiful album, Gracia, available on Bandcamp.com.
At this moment she is touring in Argentina with La Trovuntivitis, celebrating their 20 year anniversary.They are accompanied by several Cuban and Argentinian musicians, playing their own compositions in a wide variety of genres from Cuba (són, chachachá, bolero, timba) and from around the world (rock, reggae, chacarera, bossa).
Recently the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad interviewed me about the Mujeres de Luna project. They published an online version (see my press page) and included a link to Yaima Orozco's song Debo Dejar :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PFz_HATpKg .
The song I chose from her album Gracia, Dias Que Quiero, tells us that even when we find ourselves in a beautiful new place, in love with a full moon shining, we can not determine our destiny. So, jump over your own hurdles and let yourself float away like the waves. Let it be.
Yaima belongs to a new wave of singer-songwriters from Santa Clara that gave the great musical traditional of her region a fresh start in the 21st century. Her songs are also influenced by South-American folklore, Brazilian music and international pop. She studied musical education at the local university, where she also learned to play the guitar. Soon after she started performing at El Mejunje, where the young musicians of her generation met and still meet every Thursday. As a result of these meetings, in 1997 a group of 15 musicians that call themselves La Trovuntivitis was formed. This motivated and inspired Yaima to create and record her own songs. In recent years, Yaima Orozco has toured in Argentina and in Spain, where she recorded a beautiful album, Gracia, available on Bandcamp.com.
At this moment she is touring in Argentina with La Trovuntivitis, celebrating their 20 year anniversary.They are accompanied by several Cuban and Argentinian musicians, playing their own compositions in a wide variety of genres from Cuba (són, chachachá, bolero, timba) and from around the world (rock, reggae, chacarera, bossa).
Recently the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad interviewed me about the Mujeres de Luna project. They published an online version (see my press page) and included a link to Yaima Orozco's song Debo Dejar :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PFz_HATpKg .
The song I chose from her album Gracia, Dias Que Quiero, tells us that even when we find ourselves in a beautiful new place, in love with a full moon shining, we can not determine our destiny. So, jump over your own hurdles and let yourself float away like the waves. Let it be.
- Estrella Acosta, November 4, 2017
Yaima Orozco
LIUBA MARÍA HEVIA
"Vengo a regalar el canto / que me ha pedido este tiempo
vengo salvando distancias / vengo a compartir inviernos"
I first heard Liuba María Hevia (born Santa Clara, 1964) sing at a festival in Havana, in the late nineties. I had never heard someone play Cuban country music in such a sophisticated and original way. The beautiful color of her voice was mesmerizing. Her songs are pure poetry and her choice of instrumentation and arrangements made a lasting impression on me. Back then, when I started putting together a repertoire for my country music project and CD Alma Guajira, I included one of her songs, 'La Guayabita', and I still like to sing it today. One of my favorite songs by Liuba, 'Ofrenda', is now featured on our new CD Mujeres de Luna, in a beautiful new arrangement by our pianist and musical director, Marc Bischoff.
Liuba María was part of the nueva trova-movement of 1982, yet her poetic lyrics speak more of love, solitude and the beauty of everyday life. Her collaboration with great Cuban artist and poet Ada Elba Pérez contributed to some of her best songs. Her music, full of melodic and rhythmic variety, shows a contemporary view of Guajira (Cuban country music), as well as son, danzón, habanera and South-American styles like tango, milonga and vallenato.
Her groups are distinguished by the use of bowed strings like violin and cello. She also uses traditional Cuban instruments like the 'tres' with three double strings and the 'laud', a lute with six double strings, along with guitar and percussion.
She recorded over a dozen albums and performed on many international tours. Her award-winning videos and recordings for children, as well as her devoted social work with them in schools and hospitals, earned her an appointment as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Her timely song 'Ofrenda' speaks of hope, something we need to cultivate today. Liuba says that she is like a bird that never tires of singing, and through her music she wants to find a common language for all to unite. A great message to contemplate during this full October moon.
Liuba María was part of the nueva trova-movement of 1982, yet her poetic lyrics speak more of love, solitude and the beauty of everyday life. Her collaboration with great Cuban artist and poet Ada Elba Pérez contributed to some of her best songs. Her music, full of melodic and rhythmic variety, shows a contemporary view of Guajira (Cuban country music), as well as son, danzón, habanera and South-American styles like tango, milonga and vallenato.
Her groups are distinguished by the use of bowed strings like violin and cello. She also uses traditional Cuban instruments like the 'tres' with three double strings and the 'laud', a lute with six double strings, along with guitar and percussion.
She recorded over a dozen albums and performed on many international tours. Her award-winning videos and recordings for children, as well as her devoted social work with them in schools and hospitals, earned her an appointment as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Her timely song 'Ofrenda' speaks of hope, something we need to cultivate today. Liuba says that she is like a bird that never tires of singing, and through her music she wants to find a common language for all to unite. A great message to contemplate during this full October moon.
- Estrella Acosta, October 5, 2017
MARTA VALDES (Havana, 1934)
Marta Valdés has been my idol for many years. Several of her songs are part of my repertoire. In 2015, I got to meet Marta briefly, and recently, I had the opportunity to visit with her for three wonderful hours at her home in Cuba. She has a young spirit and a vivid memory. During our conversation, I felt as if I was watching a movie of her life. When I asked if there were difficulties for a female musician in the 1950s, she dismissed the question as unimportant. Her great advice was that if one wants to get to know a composer, one should dive deeply into their music. Therein lies the secret of their life.
Already a legend during her lifetime, Marta writes canciones, full of unexpected turns, in her harmonies and melodies as well as in her lyrics. She began learning the guitar early in life, studying with Francisqueta Vallalta and later with Leopoldina Núñez. Marta graduated from the University of Havana with a degree in philosophy and literature. At the age of 21, she decided for a career in music. During this period, she wrote her first songs that were soon performed by Cuba's top musicians like Bola de Nieve, Elena Burke and Vicentico Valdés. She also wrote music for theatre groups. Meanwhile, she continued studying classical composition with various teachers, including the famous Cuban composer Harold Gramatges.
A serious composer, Marta chose to perform her own songs in an intimate setting for an attentive audience. If she felt that during a performance she was not getting the respect and attention she deserved, she would pack up and leave. However, I know that she had many fans who attended every recital she gave, and listened immersed in silence and respect for her.
Marta Valdés has never stopped evolving. Her love for jazz, as well as classical music, is readily discernible in her songs. In my upcoming tour and album, Mujeres de Luna, we play two of her most beautiful compositions, Canción Fácil and Canción Dificil, that are great examples of her evolution as a musician, composer and lyricist.
Gracias Marta, I hope we meet again soon!
Already a legend during her lifetime, Marta writes canciones, full of unexpected turns, in her harmonies and melodies as well as in her lyrics. She began learning the guitar early in life, studying with Francisqueta Vallalta and later with Leopoldina Núñez. Marta graduated from the University of Havana with a degree in philosophy and literature. At the age of 21, she decided for a career in music. During this period, she wrote her first songs that were soon performed by Cuba's top musicians like Bola de Nieve, Elena Burke and Vicentico Valdés. She also wrote music for theatre groups. Meanwhile, she continued studying classical composition with various teachers, including the famous Cuban composer Harold Gramatges.
A serious composer, Marta chose to perform her own songs in an intimate setting for an attentive audience. If she felt that during a performance she was not getting the respect and attention she deserved, she would pack up and leave. However, I know that she had many fans who attended every recital she gave, and listened immersed in silence and respect for her.
Marta Valdés has never stopped evolving. Her love for jazz, as well as classical music, is readily discernible in her songs. In my upcoming tour and album, Mujeres de Luna, we play two of her most beautiful compositions, Canción Fácil and Canción Dificil, that are great examples of her evolution as a musician, composer and lyricist.
Gracias Marta, I hope we meet again soon!
- Estrella Acosta, September 5, 2017
Marta Valdés
ELDA CARRILLO
'Cuando la suerte toque a tu puerta / ábrele pronto, no te demores'
Elda Carrillo (Perico, 1933 - Havana, 2009) left a legacy of more than 100 songs that were interpreted by some of Cuba's top vocalists like Omara Portuondo, Moraima Secada and Elena Burke. She was a clothes designer and seamstress by profession and also a teacher in that field, but she was always striving to integrate her love for music and for fashion design.
She held over twenty fashion shows in Cuba and abroad, where she showed her designs. During her shows the models on the catwalk alternated with dancers, who performed to Elda's own songs which were played in the background, a new formula that was highly appreciated by the attendants. Several homages were given to her for her work as a cultural promoter in Havana and for her artistic work. She was also honored for bringing cultural activities to patients in hospitals. Among the many recognitions she received was the title 'La Gloria de la Cultura Cubana' - 'The Glory of Cuban Culture'.
Many people in Havana still remember the house concerts, called 'La Peña de Elda', that she organized at her home in El Vedado, the neighborhood where I grew up. During several decades, Cuba's most popular musicians frequented her music sessions in the beautiful living room of her home, which also functioned as a paladar (private restaurant), named after her daughter Amor.
Elda was a jovial, charismatic person, impassioned with music, just like her daughter, whom I first met in Amsterdam, when she was playing trombone with the classic all female Cuban band Anacaona. We have become very good friends since those days, and it was via Amor that I ended up spending time with Elda and her wonderful family in that beautiful home in Havana. This was around the year 1999, when I was busy preparing material for my CD and theater project . I met several musicians at her home, among which her favorite guitarist, Rey Ugarte, who regularly accompanied Elena Burke and also made a recording with her in which all songs were by Elda. Rey later wrote an arrangement for my band that we recorded on 'Estrella's Guajira'.
This was a very special occasion for me, to be spending time with Elda, sitting next to the grand piano in the space where so many great Cuban musicians had regularly met and socialized. Her gatherings, under the artistic direction of Amor, were the place for musicians and music lovers to be.
The song I chose from her repertoire is called 'La Suerte', which means 'Luck'. I feel very lucky to have met Elda Carrillo. Her daughter Amor and her grandchildren Ian and Yael are still close friends whom I love dearly. During this full moon of August, I feel Elda's presence and glow surrounding us.
She held over twenty fashion shows in Cuba and abroad, where she showed her designs. During her shows the models on the catwalk alternated with dancers, who performed to Elda's own songs which were played in the background, a new formula that was highly appreciated by the attendants. Several homages were given to her for her work as a cultural promoter in Havana and for her artistic work. She was also honored for bringing cultural activities to patients in hospitals. Among the many recognitions she received was the title 'La Gloria de la Cultura Cubana' - 'The Glory of Cuban Culture'.
Many people in Havana still remember the house concerts, called 'La Peña de Elda', that she organized at her home in El Vedado, the neighborhood where I grew up. During several decades, Cuba's most popular musicians frequented her music sessions in the beautiful living room of her home, which also functioned as a paladar (private restaurant), named after her daughter Amor.
Elda was a jovial, charismatic person, impassioned with music, just like her daughter, whom I first met in Amsterdam, when she was playing trombone with the classic all female Cuban band Anacaona. We have become very good friends since those days, and it was via Amor that I ended up spending time with Elda and her wonderful family in that beautiful home in Havana. This was around the year 1999, when I was busy preparing material for my CD and theater project . I met several musicians at her home, among which her favorite guitarist, Rey Ugarte, who regularly accompanied Elena Burke and also made a recording with her in which all songs were by Elda. Rey later wrote an arrangement for my band that we recorded on 'Estrella's Guajira'.
This was a very special occasion for me, to be spending time with Elda, sitting next to the grand piano in the space where so many great Cuban musicians had regularly met and socialized. Her gatherings, under the artistic direction of Amor, were the place for musicians and music lovers to be.
The song I chose from her repertoire is called 'La Suerte', which means 'Luck'. I feel very lucky to have met Elda Carrillo. Her daughter Amor and her grandchildren Ian and Yael are still close friends whom I love dearly. During this full moon of August, I feel Elda's presence and glow surrounding us.
- Estrella Acosta, August 6, 2017
TERESITA FERNANDEZ
'I am a traveling teacher and minstrel, poor, nomadic and free'
Born December 20, 1930 in Santa Clara, Cuba, Teresita Fernández was a singer, songwriter, storyteller and school teacher who during her remarkable career was initially known by various generations for her children's songs. They called her 'la cantora mayor', the great singer, because of her great contribution to the Cuban songbook.
Growing up in a family of music lovers she developed a curiosity for music and poetry. When she was 4 years old she started singing on the local radio station of Santa Clara, Radio CMHI, in a program directed by her mother. At an early age Teresita taught herself to play the guitar. She learned to play basic guitar chords from a cigar maker, Benito Vargas, who would nightly serenade in her hometown. She sang at parties and for guests at home, always accompanying herself on the guitar. Later in life she studied and became a teacher in Santa Clara. Afterwards she obtained her doctorate at the University of Havana and thereafter she decided to choose for a musical career. Her biography quotes Teresita as saying: 'I am a teacher that sings.' She considered her lyrics as important as her music: 'A song is a marriage between poetry and music'.
Her childhood is reflected in her songs and that is why children identify with them and like her songs so much. She grew up surrounded by nature and by animals, which she says are the inspirations for her songs. Her popular song 'Mi Gatico Vinagrito' is about a scraggy, stray cat she brought home to her parents. When her father saw the ugly kitty, he said let's name him 'Vinagrito' (little vinegar). Although the cat suffered many mishaps during his lifetime, he lived a long life. During my childhood in Cuba I sang this song and many more of hers. 'Dame la Mano' was my favorite and is the one that I have remembered all my life. As an adult I rediscovered more of her popular children's repertoire and also many beautiful songs written by her for adults, which are performed by many artists in Cuba and are now part of my repertoire.
What I admire about Teresita is that she never wanted to sacrifice her integrity and way of life in order to gain fame and fortune. She was a simple country girl with an unglamorous demeanor not fitting the mold of the female artists of her generation. For a long time she went unnoticed by music and television producers, yet she caught the eyes and ears of some of Cuba's most important musicians like the Hermanas Martí, Sindo Garay and most importantly Ignacio Villa, known as Bola de Nieve, who invited her often to participate in his concerts at Club Monseigneur in Havana.
Bola de Nieve once told her 'Usted no necesita más adorno que la canción': 'You don't need any more adornments than your song.'
She then finally got her own regular club booking at 'Coctel', where she remained for many years and where she herself extended a helping hand to many young 'trovadores'. She got to participate in various programs on television and radio, worked in many small theaters and is also remembered for the Sunday morning concerts she gave for fifteen years in the Lenin Park in Havana, where many celebrities would attend.
We said goodbye to this amazing 'Mujer de Luna' on November 11, 2013. Teresita Fernandez was a troubadour for children and for grown-ups that would like to be children again.
Growing up in a family of music lovers she developed a curiosity for music and poetry. When she was 4 years old she started singing on the local radio station of Santa Clara, Radio CMHI, in a program directed by her mother. At an early age Teresita taught herself to play the guitar. She learned to play basic guitar chords from a cigar maker, Benito Vargas, who would nightly serenade in her hometown. She sang at parties and for guests at home, always accompanying herself on the guitar. Later in life she studied and became a teacher in Santa Clara. Afterwards she obtained her doctorate at the University of Havana and thereafter she decided to choose for a musical career. Her biography quotes Teresita as saying: 'I am a teacher that sings.' She considered her lyrics as important as her music: 'A song is a marriage between poetry and music'.
Her childhood is reflected in her songs and that is why children identify with them and like her songs so much. She grew up surrounded by nature and by animals, which she says are the inspirations for her songs. Her popular song 'Mi Gatico Vinagrito' is about a scraggy, stray cat she brought home to her parents. When her father saw the ugly kitty, he said let's name him 'Vinagrito' (little vinegar). Although the cat suffered many mishaps during his lifetime, he lived a long life. During my childhood in Cuba I sang this song and many more of hers. 'Dame la Mano' was my favorite and is the one that I have remembered all my life. As an adult I rediscovered more of her popular children's repertoire and also many beautiful songs written by her for adults, which are performed by many artists in Cuba and are now part of my repertoire.
What I admire about Teresita is that she never wanted to sacrifice her integrity and way of life in order to gain fame and fortune. She was a simple country girl with an unglamorous demeanor not fitting the mold of the female artists of her generation. For a long time she went unnoticed by music and television producers, yet she caught the eyes and ears of some of Cuba's most important musicians like the Hermanas Martí, Sindo Garay and most importantly Ignacio Villa, known as Bola de Nieve, who invited her often to participate in his concerts at Club Monseigneur in Havana.
Bola de Nieve once told her 'Usted no necesita más adorno que la canción': 'You don't need any more adornments than your song.'
She then finally got her own regular club booking at 'Coctel', where she remained for many years and where she herself extended a helping hand to many young 'trovadores'. She got to participate in various programs on television and radio, worked in many small theaters and is also remembered for the Sunday morning concerts she gave for fifteen years in the Lenin Park in Havana, where many celebrities would attend.
We said goodbye to this amazing 'Mujer de Luna' on November 11, 2013. Teresita Fernandez was a troubadour for children and for grown-ups that would like to be children again.
- Estrella Acosta, July 9, 2017
Teresita and Bola de Nieve
MARIA TERESA VERA
The grand lady of Cuban music
Singer, guitarist and composer María Teresa Vera was my inspiration for the Mujeres de Luna project. The first time I heard her recordings I fell in love with her voice, the way she delivered her songs and of course the compositions themselves. One of her trade marks, just like great jazz singer Billie Holiday, is that she always made spontaneous variations to the melodies of these songs, giving them a creative and personal touch.
Born in 1895 into a poor family in Guanajay, a small city in the province of Pinar del Rio in the west of Cuba, she learned to play guitar and to sing from a cigar roller named José 'El Negro' Diaz. In 1911, when she was 16 years old, she performed for the first time in Havana. She quickly became a professional musician and songwriter, and a very popular one - and that during the early 20th century, when such a career was virtually unheard of for a woman. She sang trova, a rural folk song style that predated the son, and her fame as a trovadora has endured to this day. She helped lay the foundation for the explosion of Cuban music in the '30s and '40s.
María Teresa was discovered when she sang the song Mercedes by Manuel Corona which became an instant success - the first time she sang it in the theatre the audience demanded her to repeat it six times. She traveled to New York as early as 1918 to perform and record with the first of several duo partners, Rafael Zequeira, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. They made at least five trips there and recorded hundreds of tunes, but most of those have not survived. It is hard to believe, but these records were made in the days of acoustic recording, when you had to sing into a big horn to make a needle scratch the sound waves onto fragile discs, that were later reproduced and played on a wind-up phonograph...
She also performed in duo formation with Manuel Corona, later with Miguelito Garcia and finally with Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, with whom she sang for more than 25 years.
She was a true pioneer. In 1926 she was the first woman to lead a band (with for the rest only male musicians) which she named Sexteto Occidente (western sextet). This name came about because she started a new way of playing the son, a musical style that was originated in the eastern province of Cuba, Oriente. Her way of playing the son was named Son Habanero. In her band played the famous composer, bassist Ignacio Piñeiro. They quickly caught the attention of the record label Columbia, which soon gave her the contract to record with her band in New York. They had great success, both in Havana and in New York.
María Teresa retired in 1962 due to illness and passed away three years later, yet her status as one of Cuba's greatest female singers has lasted until today. Her fame as a trova singer lasted well after the style was eclipsed by other popular styles and her songs continue to be recorded by musicians all over the world. Her signature tune, Veinte Años, has become a standard.
She inspired many musicians and also many poets. Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén wrote this beautiful poem inspired by María Teresa Vera (English translation below):
Born in 1895 into a poor family in Guanajay, a small city in the province of Pinar del Rio in the west of Cuba, she learned to play guitar and to sing from a cigar roller named José 'El Negro' Diaz. In 1911, when she was 16 years old, she performed for the first time in Havana. She quickly became a professional musician and songwriter, and a very popular one - and that during the early 20th century, when such a career was virtually unheard of for a woman. She sang trova, a rural folk song style that predated the son, and her fame as a trovadora has endured to this day. She helped lay the foundation for the explosion of Cuban music in the '30s and '40s.
María Teresa was discovered when she sang the song Mercedes by Manuel Corona which became an instant success - the first time she sang it in the theatre the audience demanded her to repeat it six times. She traveled to New York as early as 1918 to perform and record with the first of several duo partners, Rafael Zequeira, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. They made at least five trips there and recorded hundreds of tunes, but most of those have not survived. It is hard to believe, but these records were made in the days of acoustic recording, when you had to sing into a big horn to make a needle scratch the sound waves onto fragile discs, that were later reproduced and played on a wind-up phonograph...
She also performed in duo formation with Manuel Corona, later with Miguelito Garcia and finally with Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, with whom she sang for more than 25 years.
She was a true pioneer. In 1926 she was the first woman to lead a band (with for the rest only male musicians) which she named Sexteto Occidente (western sextet). This name came about because she started a new way of playing the son, a musical style that was originated in the eastern province of Cuba, Oriente. Her way of playing the son was named Son Habanero. In her band played the famous composer, bassist Ignacio Piñeiro. They quickly caught the attention of the record label Columbia, which soon gave her the contract to record with her band in New York. They had great success, both in Havana and in New York.
María Teresa retired in 1962 due to illness and passed away three years later, yet her status as one of Cuba's greatest female singers has lasted until today. Her fame as a trova singer lasted well after the style was eclipsed by other popular styles and her songs continue to be recorded by musicians all over the world. Her signature tune, Veinte Años, has become a standard.
She inspired many musicians and also many poets. Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén wrote this beautiful poem inspired by María Teresa Vera (English translation below):
Guitarra
Fueron a cazar guitarras
bajo la luna llena
y trajeron ésta,
pálida, fina, esbelta,
ojos de inagotable mulata,
cintura de abierta madera.
Es joven, apenas vuela.
Pero ya canta
cuando oye en otras jaulas
aletear sones y coplas.
Los sonesombres y las coplasolas.
Hay en su jaula esta inscripción:
Cuidado: sueña.
________
Guitar
They went out hunting guitars
under the full moon
and brought back this one:
pale, elegant, shapely,
eyes of inexhaustible mulatta,
a waist of open wood.
She's young, she barely flies.
But already she sings
when she hears the flutter
of sones and couplets
in other cages.
The somber sones and the lonely couplets.
There is this inscription on her cage:
Beware: she dreams.
Fueron a cazar guitarras
bajo la luna llena
y trajeron ésta,
pálida, fina, esbelta,
ojos de inagotable mulata,
cintura de abierta madera.
Es joven, apenas vuela.
Pero ya canta
cuando oye en otras jaulas
aletear sones y coplas.
Los sonesombres y las coplasolas.
Hay en su jaula esta inscripción:
Cuidado: sueña.
________
Guitar
They went out hunting guitars
under the full moon
and brought back this one:
pale, elegant, shapely,
eyes of inexhaustible mulatta,
a waist of open wood.
She's young, she barely flies.
But already she sings
when she hears the flutter
of sones and couplets
in other cages.
The somber sones and the lonely couplets.
There is this inscription on her cage:
Beware: she dreams.
We play (and recorded) Esta Vez Toco Perder from 1914, with lyrics by Emma Nuñes, and Dime Que Me Amas with lyrics by her foster sister Guillermina Aramburo.
- Estrella Acosta, June 9, 2017
MARGARITA LECUONA:
"Por el corazón, por la mente, por la voluntad, por el gusto, por mi vida toda, la música"
Tonight, as the full moon shines into my living room, I reflect upon the beautiful lyrics of Margarita Lecuona's song Eclipse.
In this song Margarita compares the suffering the loss of a love would bring to the feeling of sadness caused by the absence of light on the sea, when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. She says that just the thought that this could ever happen makes her despair.
Eclipse de luna en el cielo
ausencia de luz en el mar
sufriendo de amargo desvelo
mirando la noche me puse a pensar...
This song, amongst the most popular in the later years of her career, was premiered in 1943 during a tour she made around Brazil, and to me it seems she was influenced by the music she heard around her over there. Eclipse since then has been recorded by several Brazilian artists like Ivan Lins, João Gilberto and Nana Caymmi, and by many other Latin American musicians.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Margarita was a guitarist and vocalist, and the composer of more than three hundred songs. She was also a professional ballerina, choreographer, dance teacher, and an actress, but at one point in her multifaceted career she chose to dedicate herself exclusively to her music. Coming from a wealthy family (her father was a Cuban consul in NY, Spain and Portugal), she got to travel the world at an early age, which added to her great education and cultural experience.
One could say that she decided to launch her career as a musician at the right place and at the right time - in the 1930's, a moment when Cuban popular music was becoming famous outside of the island. With her guitar and voice and her great songs she conquered the music scene in Cuba and abroad. She sang her debut as a singer accompanied by her guitar, took place when she was 20 years old. She, like other composers of the early 1900's, took interest in the music of Cuba's African heritage and incorporated it in her music and lyrics. When she was in her twenties she already wrote two classics of the Afro-Cuban repertoire, Babalú Ayé and Tabú, that gained worldwide fame.
Around these songs and many other compositions, she put together a theater show in which she participated as singer, director and designer. Afterwards, the famous singer Miguelito Valdés, Mr. Babalú, made that song internationally popular. At that moment, Margarita gained world fame, like few female Cuban composers of that time. Babalú Ayé, a song about the deity of the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria, quickly became famous in Hollywood, in movies and later on American television, as interpreted by Desi Arnaz in the 'I Love Lucy' show.
One of her great hits, Tabú, was premiered in 1934 by Italian/Spanish singer Eugenia Suffolli with arrangements by Gonzalo Roig accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of Havana. In Europe and USA it was played by many big bands and over the years it was recorded by performers as diverse as Artie Shaw, Bebo Valdés, the Kronos Quartet, Ska Cubano and the Tokyo Cuban Boys.
She married an Argentinian actor in 1947 and lived in Buenos Aires during the following eight years while touring around Latin America with her band, the 'Lecuona Cuban Girls', formed in 1942 and made up of her and two singer/guitarists, Coralia Burguet and Alicia Yanes. The name mirrored that of her distant cousin Ernesto Lecuona's band, the 'Lecuona Cuban Boys', which played extensively in Europe and made Margarita's songs popular on that continent.
After touring in Latin America, she went back to Cuba for a while around the mid '50s and then moved to the United States around 1960, where she finally stayed the rest of her life.
Little is written about her later life. She was only 50 years old at the time she left Cuba, so there is no reason to think that she would stop singing, playing guitar and composing. However, I have not yet found any stories documented. I wonder what happened to Margarita Lecuona during the last years of her life. Was she eclipsed by the shadow of a lost lover? I will go on searching to find the answer to these questions and continue my story.
In this song Margarita compares the suffering the loss of a love would bring to the feeling of sadness caused by the absence of light on the sea, when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. She says that just the thought that this could ever happen makes her despair.
Eclipse de luna en el cielo
ausencia de luz en el mar
sufriendo de amargo desvelo
mirando la noche me puse a pensar...
This song, amongst the most popular in the later years of her career, was premiered in 1943 during a tour she made around Brazil, and to me it seems she was influenced by the music she heard around her over there. Eclipse since then has been recorded by several Brazilian artists like Ivan Lins, João Gilberto and Nana Caymmi, and by many other Latin American musicians.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Margarita was a guitarist and vocalist, and the composer of more than three hundred songs. She was also a professional ballerina, choreographer, dance teacher, and an actress, but at one point in her multifaceted career she chose to dedicate herself exclusively to her music. Coming from a wealthy family (her father was a Cuban consul in NY, Spain and Portugal), she got to travel the world at an early age, which added to her great education and cultural experience.
One could say that she decided to launch her career as a musician at the right place and at the right time - in the 1930's, a moment when Cuban popular music was becoming famous outside of the island. With her guitar and voice and her great songs she conquered the music scene in Cuba and abroad. She sang her debut as a singer accompanied by her guitar, took place when she was 20 years old. She, like other composers of the early 1900's, took interest in the music of Cuba's African heritage and incorporated it in her music and lyrics. When she was in her twenties she already wrote two classics of the Afro-Cuban repertoire, Babalú Ayé and Tabú, that gained worldwide fame.
Around these songs and many other compositions, she put together a theater show in which she participated as singer, director and designer. Afterwards, the famous singer Miguelito Valdés, Mr. Babalú, made that song internationally popular. At that moment, Margarita gained world fame, like few female Cuban composers of that time. Babalú Ayé, a song about the deity of the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria, quickly became famous in Hollywood, in movies and later on American television, as interpreted by Desi Arnaz in the 'I Love Lucy' show.
One of her great hits, Tabú, was premiered in 1934 by Italian/Spanish singer Eugenia Suffolli with arrangements by Gonzalo Roig accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of Havana. In Europe and USA it was played by many big bands and over the years it was recorded by performers as diverse as Artie Shaw, Bebo Valdés, the Kronos Quartet, Ska Cubano and the Tokyo Cuban Boys.
She married an Argentinian actor in 1947 and lived in Buenos Aires during the following eight years while touring around Latin America with her band, the 'Lecuona Cuban Girls', formed in 1942 and made up of her and two singer/guitarists, Coralia Burguet and Alicia Yanes. The name mirrored that of her distant cousin Ernesto Lecuona's band, the 'Lecuona Cuban Boys', which played extensively in Europe and made Margarita's songs popular on that continent.
After touring in Latin America, she went back to Cuba for a while around the mid '50s and then moved to the United States around 1960, where she finally stayed the rest of her life.
Little is written about her later life. She was only 50 years old at the time she left Cuba, so there is no reason to think that she would stop singing, playing guitar and composing. However, I have not yet found any stories documented. I wonder what happened to Margarita Lecuona during the last years of her life. Was she eclipsed by the shadow of a lost lover? I will go on searching to find the answer to these questions and continue my story.
- Estrella Acosta, May 10, 2017
MARIA CERVANTES: "Music is my life"
While searching for Cuban composers born in the late 19th century, I was charmed when I heard a beautiful song in Spotify, recorded by pianist, composer and vocalist María Cervantes (1885 -1981), daughter of renowned pianist/composer Ignacio Cervantes. This recording was made in New York (1929) for Columbia Records. While reading about the successful career of Maria Cervantes, I discovered an emancipated, intelligent, talented, versatile woman, who was admired and loved by all. She was a pioneer for many female Cuban artists who have followed in her footsteps. She is a 'Mujer de Luna'.
The song that I discovered in Spotify, composed, played and sung by María, is 'Tus Manos Blancas'. Because of the wear and tear of the original 78 rpm, the lyrics were hard to understand. I asked a friend who was traveling to Cuba to look for the score. She found an old copy of the sheet music in Havana, made pictures with her phone, and brought them back to to the Netherlands. I finally understood the lyrics to this beautiful song and recorded it.
María grew up surrounded by music. She always knew she was an artist and started to play the piano when she was barely 3 years old. She could hardly reach the pedals, but when she heard music that she liked, she would rush to the piano and play it.
She studied piano from a very early age with her distinguished father and with other great piano teachers. When she was 13 she performed for the first time at Teatro Tacón, today called Gran Teatro de La Habana. In 1927 she made her first recording in Havana and in 1929 she married and went to live in New York. During the two years she lived there she made 21 recordings for Columbia Records. Throughout her life she performed in both New York and Havana at the best clubs and theaters as well as Cuban television and radio. She continued to record for Columbia Records. For years, through her personal charm and her special charisma to interpret her songs, María received the admiration and love of the public.
On piano María played the beautiful danzas composed by her father, and she also sang boleros, guarachas and sones. She had a very personal style that made you think of her ex-student, the great pianist/composer Ignacio Villa, better known as Bola de Nieve, who said that when she interpreted her hit song ¡A los frijoles, caballeros!, "a little black man climbed up her arm." María replied "Do you know that I am a great bongo player? And don't get me started on congas!"
¿Y qué me dice de Bola de Nieve? Él decía que cuando yo tocaba «¡A los frijoles, caballeros!» se me encaramaba un negrito en el brazo. ¿Sabe que soy tremenda bongosera? Y con las tumbadoras, ¡ni hablar!
María married three times. That was unusual for a woman at that time, living in a predominately Catholic country where divorce was a taboo. She was an emancipated woman who believed in her career and in her freedom, reason for which she divorced her second husband who was an extremely jealous man. She finally found her soulmate, married for the third time, and lived happily with him until he passed away.
After her last husband's death she retired for a while, but made a comeback in 1960 in a packed concert performance at the Fine Arts Museum. At that time she said: "I would have liked to retire from radio and theater, and for the public to remember me as I was, without glasses, grey hair, younger, but this was a second great debut that I do not regret because if I would have really retired, I would have died. Music is my life."
The song that I discovered in Spotify, composed, played and sung by María, is 'Tus Manos Blancas'. Because of the wear and tear of the original 78 rpm, the lyrics were hard to understand. I asked a friend who was traveling to Cuba to look for the score. She found an old copy of the sheet music in Havana, made pictures with her phone, and brought them back to to the Netherlands. I finally understood the lyrics to this beautiful song and recorded it.
María grew up surrounded by music. She always knew she was an artist and started to play the piano when she was barely 3 years old. She could hardly reach the pedals, but when she heard music that she liked, she would rush to the piano and play it.
She studied piano from a very early age with her distinguished father and with other great piano teachers. When she was 13 she performed for the first time at Teatro Tacón, today called Gran Teatro de La Habana. In 1927 she made her first recording in Havana and in 1929 she married and went to live in New York. During the two years she lived there she made 21 recordings for Columbia Records. Throughout her life she performed in both New York and Havana at the best clubs and theaters as well as Cuban television and radio. She continued to record for Columbia Records. For years, through her personal charm and her special charisma to interpret her songs, María received the admiration and love of the public.
On piano María played the beautiful danzas composed by her father, and she also sang boleros, guarachas and sones. She had a very personal style that made you think of her ex-student, the great pianist/composer Ignacio Villa, better known as Bola de Nieve, who said that when she interpreted her hit song ¡A los frijoles, caballeros!, "a little black man climbed up her arm." María replied "Do you know that I am a great bongo player? And don't get me started on congas!"
¿Y qué me dice de Bola de Nieve? Él decía que cuando yo tocaba «¡A los frijoles, caballeros!» se me encaramaba un negrito en el brazo. ¿Sabe que soy tremenda bongosera? Y con las tumbadoras, ¡ni hablar!
María married three times. That was unusual for a woman at that time, living in a predominately Catholic country where divorce was a taboo. She was an emancipated woman who believed in her career and in her freedom, reason for which she divorced her second husband who was an extremely jealous man. She finally found her soulmate, married for the third time, and lived happily with him until he passed away.
After her last husband's death she retired for a while, but made a comeback in 1960 in a packed concert performance at the Fine Arts Museum. At that time she said: "I would have liked to retire from radio and theater, and for the public to remember me as I was, without glasses, grey hair, younger, but this was a second great debut that I do not regret because if I would have really retired, I would have died. Music is my life."
- Estrella Acosta, April 11, 2017
