Habana Abierta
Habana Abierta is a Cuban band. They are part of a generation of composers, musicians, sculptors, authors, and actors that emerged in the early '90s with its own identity in Havana, even though some of their creations had already been well-known for some years in the island's cultural circles.
The origins of Habana Abierta go back to a personal project of music duo Gema y Pável, who wanted to produce a compilation of everything they and their peers had been doing in Havana clubs with few resources. Initially, Luis Alberto Barbería, Pepe del Valle, Carlos Santos, Boris Larramendi, Superavit, Andy Villalón, Kelvis Ochoa and José Luis Medina, backed by the NUBENEGRA recording label, released songs under the name Habana Oculta. In July 1996, most of them travelled to Spain (except for Carlos Santos, Raúl Ciro and Alejandro Frómeta: Superávit) to showcase their music at several festivals and clubs. They soon spurred interest among audiences and the media alike, as well as well-known Spanish artists and musicians. Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel, along with Ketama, were the first to show an interest and to take the initiative in a gradual and rich exchange with Habana Abierta, with whom they made music in Spain. BMG Ariola asked Gema y Pável to come up with a project that brought together a group of highly different singer-songwriters on the album, based on the individuality of each member as well as the combined expression of the diverse unity of Cuban music. Vanito Brown and Alejandro Gutiérrez joined what was to become Habana Abierta, recording a new album under this name.
They played over eighty gigs throughout Spain in 1997, fifty of them in Madrid, and in 1998 recorded an album with the lineup down to six, as Andy and Barbería had left to branch out on their own. With 24 Horas, the second album with Habana Abierta, an eclectic line was followed by tracks from previous recordings, with a more defined fusion between popular Cuban music and funk, reggae, and hip-hop. Rock and pop Cuban-style with national roots: Van Van by Juan Formell, Irakere by Chucho Valdés, or NG La Banda by José Luis Cortés, refrains attributed to Matamoros over Red Hot Chili Peppers or Rolling Stones riffs. Conga-funk, timba-rock, bolero-hop, chachacha-blues, son and pop. In January 2003, after six years in Spain, they returned to Cuba for a series of sell-out individual shows, with a performance by the Habana Abierta full lineup at La Tropical, playing to an audience of 10,000. This gave rise to the Habana Abierta documentary directed by Jorge Perugorría and Arturo Soto, which was presented at several film festivals.
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