|
|
AfroCubaWeb
|
|
 Las Perlas del Son"The repertoire that Las Perlas play is classic Cuban son and bolero, the music
that -- from the 20s to the 50s -- conquered dance halls and theatres all over the world
from La Havana to New York and on to Europe, Africa and even Asia. The son rhythm is
arguably one of the most influential in the Caribbean, the backbone of salsa music and
now, once again, enjoying international popularity some 50 years after most of the
compositions were first created. |
| Photo courtesy Matt Thayer Discography Links to other sites  |
While the majority of the musicians are self-taught, all
were born into the atmosphere of the traditional trova of Santiago de Cuba, the port town
where this music was first created in the early years of this century. Although all in
their early 20s, they gained experience in various of the prestigious Santiago son bands
and in the movimiento de aficionados (amateur movement) before coming together as the band
Las Perlas del Son in January 1995. |
| May 5 - 8 | Albuquerque, NM | International Children's festival in Albuquerque |
| May 9-16 | Seattle, WA | International Children's festival in Seattle |
| May 19-23 | Pittsburgh, PA | International Children's festival in Pittsburgh |
| May 21 | 7th Note, San Francisco | 9PM, $18 adv, $20 |
| May 24-29 | Deluth, IO | International Children's festival in Deluth |
NovaTer Artists, see their page on this site
'98 Canada Tour
http://www.thefestival.bc.ca/98site/artistframe.html
'98 Sunfest page
www.sunfest.on.ca/lasperl.htm
| Si Señor! | They come from the east coast of Cuba -- the
town where son and bolero were born. Much of their repertoire consists of the classics of
the 1920s to the 1950s that swept around the world. Son rhythm is arguably one of the most
influential sounds to ever come out of the Caribbean, both on its own and as the
forerunner of salsa. Several members of this band come from musical families who have
played in the old septets and other bands in the traditional Santiago trova. The rest came
from the Movimento de aficionados, a very Cuban phenomenon, which provides a training
ground for young musicians aspiring to be professionals. Most members were already playing
in other bands around town when bass player Rosa Maria Lopez brought them all together to
form Las Perlas in 1995. They soon caught the ear of Eduardo Llerenas. Eduardo spent many years travelling around his native Mexico recording the traditional music of the different regions before starting his own record company called Corason to bring the music to the world. He heard Las Perlas playing in a small bar miles from the tourist circuit and was immediately impressed by their fresh approach to the old songs, their three-part harmonies and the solos of the bongos and the tres. They went into the studio and the results can be heard on their CD Si, Senor. It's a rare chance to hear son straight from its birthplace, played with that special energy that young artists bring to their music. |
[AfroCubaWeb] [Site Map] [Music] [Arts] [Authors] [News] [Search this site]