A photo of my copy of "Llegó la Verdad" on the seat by my departure gate

I totally lucked out! I took a very brief trip to Cuba where I was never able to hook up with Emilio Frias "El Niño" and Pachy Jr. for the interview I have been wanting to about La Verdad. But as luck would have it, while going through security at José Martí airport, I looked up and saw that just two people ahead of me in  line was Emilio. They were on their way to Cancún for the Mayan congress. We hugged, he introduced me to his mom and he gave me the very first copy of the new CD "Llegó La Verdad". Hot off the presses! I knew the news would be out by the time I reached Stockholm (a 16 hour trip) but at least I know I was the very first person to get a copy. As I expected, it is a brilliant album worth the wait. A full review will be coming soon, but let me just say that the songs you have already heard as demos have been re-recorded/re-mixed and sound better than ever. There are 3 songs I haven't heard at all previously. Also worth noting, the new version of "La Mata" no longer features El Micha like the demo did, and "Seguir viviendo" is a Manolito Simonet arrangement with an intro that really brings to mind a "Loco por tus besos" vibe.

Below is a track & genre listing, which you might find interesting. All arrangements are by Wifredo Naranjo "Pachy Jr." and Dayron Ortega except as listed below. The hard copy is on sale in Havana at the EGREM stores. I don't know yet what the iTunes and other digital outlets release date will be.

1. La verdad (son)
2. Ese soy yo (son)
3. Dime cuanto (son)
4. Mi música (son)
5. Seguir viviendo (son - arr. & piano Manolito Simonet)
6. Loco pero te amo (son)
7. La mata (mozambique)
8. Verdad amarga (bolero - arr. Emilio Vega)
9. Piénsalo (timba feat. El Yonky)
10. Yo sí camino La Habana (son)

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This truly was an excellent year for recordings by Cubans around the world, and the results of Cubadisco 2013 reflected this fact in both the nominations and the list of winners.   You can read our complete article in English here.



Esto realmente fue un año excelente para grabaciónes por cubanos en todo el mundo, y los resultados de Cubadisco 2013 reflejan este hecho, tanto en los nominaciones y la lista de ganadores.  Se puede leer nuestro articulo completo en español aquí.

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Tomorrow, September 18th, Buena Fe will perform at Miami-Dade County Auditorium with guest Frank Delgado. This year's show is a tribute to contemporary Cuban cinema including audiovisual segments. I can't make the Miami show, but I was in Havana and caught two of the rehearsals where they were preparing for the Miami show.

The first day, Israel missed the first hour of rehearsal because he was giving interviews. The second day they really focused on coordinating the audiovisual part of the show. Someone brought a smart TV that is supposed to work with gestures and voice control. No one could ever get that working, but they did get the video sections of the performance set up, however, you will get no spoilers from me! Below is a little montage of moments from the rehearsals on September 9 and 11, 2014.

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Videography by Tom Ehrlich of http://timba.com
Mastering by Michael Lazarus of http://latinmusicmastering.com

New song by Alexander Abreu & Havana D' Primera called "Rosa La Peligrosa", which will be included in their third album. One peculiarity of this song is that during the main coro section Alexander and the other singers lift one fist and turn, as if they were revving up a motorcycle. You will see it when they sing "Trabájala" (for example at 4:58).

Special thanks to Lisa Bautista and Jessi Abraham of Yoshi's San Francisco http://yoshis.com/sanfrancisco

Alexander Abreu - leader, vocals, trumpet
Tony Rodríguez - piano
Avis Tobías - bass
Harold Díaz Escobar - teclado
Keisel Jiménez - drums/percussion
Guillermo del Toro Varela - drums/percussion
Mauricio Gutiérrez Upman - drums/percussion
Amaury Pérez Rodríguez - trombone
Jannier Rodríguez - coro
Enrique Luis Pérez - coro
Rogelio Nápoles - guitar
Uyuni Martínez Romero - trumpet
Orlando Jesús Vázquez - trumpet
Angel Batule - sound engineer

Tema nuevo de Alexander Abreu y Havana D' Primera titulado "Rosa La Peligrosa", que será incluido en su tercer disco. Una peculiaridad del tema es que cuando cantan el coro principal Alexander and y los coristas suben un puño y lo tiercen, como si estuvieran acelerando una motora. Lo verás cuando cantan "Trabájala" (por ejemplo a los 4:58).

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