FIL 2012 - Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club 7

Bárbaro Alberto Torres Delgado (born 1956), better known as Barbarito Torres, is a Cuban

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

best known for his work with the

Afro-Cuban All Stars Afro-Cuban All Stars is a Cuban band led by Juan de Marcos González (formerly Tres (instrument), tres player for Sierra Maestra (band), Sierra Maestra). Their music is a mix of all the styles of music of Cuba, Cuban music, including bolero, chac ...

and the

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the g ...

since 1996.Buena Vista Social Club : Musicians
Publisher: PBS Torres plays the

laúd Laúd ( es, "lute") is a plectrum-plucked chordophone from Spain, played also in diaspora countries such as Cuba and the Philippines. The laúd belongs to the cittern family of instruments. The Spanish and Cuban instruments have six double c ...

, a traditional Cuban instrument of the

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

family that is most associated with the

punto guajiro Punto guajiro or ''punto cubano'' – or simply ''punto'' – is a sung genre of Cuban music, a poetic art with music. It became popular in the western and central regions of Cuba in the 17th century, and consolidated as a genre in the 18th ...

genre. He continues to tour with Buena Vista Social Club as one of the last surviving original members and has recorded several solo albums, the last of which, ''Vámonos pa'l monte'', was released in 2016.

Biography

Torres was born in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, in 1956. He played in a series of military bands during the 1970s, before settling in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

and becoming a permanent member of Orquesta Cubana de Cuerdas. He became musical director for

Celina González Celina González Zamora (16 March 1929 – 4 February 2015) was a Cuban singer-songwriter, who specialized in "música campesina", traditional music of the Cuban countryside. She is best known for co-authoring ''A Santa Bárbara'' wi ...

's Grupo Campoalegre and worked with some of Havana's most prominent musicians. In March 1996, Torres began working the

which led him to be included in the

ensemble. Torres went on to play a prominent role playing on both records and performances for the group, featuring in the 1999 movie also titled ''

''. Barbarito has since released solo works including ''Havana Café'', which featured a number of the players that had been featured in his previous ensembles, including

Ibrahim Ferrer Ibrahim Ferrer (February 20, 1927 – August 6, 2005) was a Cuban singer who played with Los Bocucos for nearly forty years. He also performed with Conjunto Sorpresa, Chepín y su Orquesta Oriental and Mario Patterson. After his retirement in ...

and

Omara Portuondo Omara Portuondo Peláez (born 29 October 1930) is a Cuban singer and dancer. A founding member of the popular vocal group Cuarteto d'Aida, Portuondo has collaborated with many important Cuban musicians during her long career, including Julio Gu ...

.Yahoo music
/ref> He has become renowned for his virtuoso solos on the laúd, which often include playing the instrument behind his back.

Discography

* ''Havana Café'' (1999) * ''Barbarito Torres'' (2003) * ''Vámonos pa'l monte'' (2016) * '' AmeriCuba'' (2017; collaborative album)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Barbarito Cuban musicians Buena Vista Social Club 1956 births Living people People from Matanzas Laúd players

Biography

Discography

See also

References