Gilberto S. Valdés (21 May 1905, in
Jovellanos
Jovellanos is a municipality and town in the Matanzas Province of Cuba.
Overview
The municipality is divided into the barrios of Asunción, Isabel, Realengo and San José.
It was founded in 1842 as Corral de la Bemba on the location of an old r ...
, Matanzas – 12 May 1972, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
) was a Cuban music director and composer who specialised in the
afro
The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...
genre of Cuban popular music. Valdés was one of the first popular bandleaders to introduce African melody, rhythm and traditional themes into his music.
["El Concierto Afro-Cubano de Gilberto S. Valdés," 344 Estudios Afrocubanos , 1 (1937), 139-145.] His Afro-Cuban compositions first gained attention in 1935, when
Rita Montaner
Rita Aurelia Fulcida Montaner y Facenda (20 August 1900 – 17 April 1958), known as Rita Montaner, was a Cuban singer, pianist and actress. In Cuban parlance, she was a '' vedette'' (a star), and was well known in Mexico City, Paris, Miami and ...
, accompanied by the pianist Rafael Betancourt, presented his songs "Bembé", "Baró", "Tambó" y "Sangre africana" in the
Teatro Principal de la Comedia
The Teatro Principal de la Comedia was a theatre in Havana Cuba with 834 seats which was a major venue from its opening 1921 until demolition in 1956. It was located at calle Ánimas No. 2 between Zulueta and Prado.Raúl Eduardo Chao ''Album de Cub ...
.
Discography
*''Cuban ballet'' Orquesta de Cámara de Madrid dir. Gilberto Valdés LP Montilla 92:
*''Hi Fi in the tropics'' LP Montilla 94
*''Gran Orquesta Típica Nacional'' LP
Puchito
Puchito Records was Cuba's second independent record label. It was founded in 1954 during the mambo and cha-cha-chá explosion. Many of its recordings, produced by its founder Jesús Gorís, became instant hits.
History
Early career of Puc ...
SP-114:
*''Rezo de santo – Ritmo de santo de la tierra de África en Arará. '' LP Maype 180
*''La música del maestro Gilberto Valdés – Con su orquesta'' LP
Panart
Panart was one of the first and most successful independent record labels in Cuba, founded in 1944 by engineer Ramón Sabat. In 1961, its studios were seized by Fidel Castro's communist regime and the label was nationalized, becoming "Panart Nacio ...
3101
See also
*
Afrocubanismo
Afrocubanismo was an artistic and social movement in black-themed Cuban culture with origins in the 1920s, as in works by the cultural anthropologist Fernando Ortiz. The Afrocubanismo movement focused on establishing the legitimacy of black ident ...
*
Eliseo Grenet
Eliseo Grenet Sánchez (12 June 1893 in Havana – 4 December 1950) was a Cuban pianist and a leading composer/arranger of the day. He composed music for stage shows and films, and some famous Cuban dance music.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionar ...
References
1905 births
1972 deaths
Cuban composers
Male composers
People from Matanzas Province
Cuban emigrants to the United States
Cuban male musicians
{{Cuba-musician-stub