Los Van Van is one of the leading musical groups of post-revolutionary Cuba. It was founded in 1969 by bassist

Juan Formell Juan Climaco Formell Cortina (August 2, 1942 – May 1, 2014) was a Cuban bassist, composer, and arranger, best known as the director of Los Van Van. He was a creator of popular danceable music and credited with bringing electronic instrumentatio ...

, who directed the band until his death in 2014. Formell and former band members

Changuito Changuito (born José Luis Quintana on January 18, 1948) is a Cuban percussionist. Biography Quintana was born in 1948 in Casablanca, Cuba.Pupy are some of the most important figures in contemporary

Cuban music The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance, and dance, comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by west African and European (especially Spanish) music. Due to the syncretic nature of most of its genres, Cuban mu ...

, having contributed to the development of songo and

timba Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...

, two popular dance music genres. Los Van Van dans les nuits d'Afrique Montréal 2015

History

In 1967, Formell became musical director of Elio Revé's charanga orchestra. The sound of

Orquesta Revé Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...

at that time was a unique blend of Cuban

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

and late-'60s

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. Formell reformed the group into Changui '68, and then founded his own group, Los Van Van, on December 4, 1969.

uan Formellwas convinced that he could capture the imagination of Cuba's younger generation by infusing Revé's arrangements with elements of North American
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
, creating an odd new style that he called ''changüí 68''. Early the next year, almost exactly a decade after Revé's band had jumped ship to form rquestaRitmo Oriental, . . . Formell incited the most famous of the Revé mutinies and absconded with the majority of the musicians to form a group which has stayed at the true leading edge of its country's music longer than any other . . . at first Formell relied heavily on the songs and stylistic tendencies of his previous work with Revé. The harmonies, never before heard in Cuban music, were clearly borrowed from North American pop—in some cases rather corny North American pop . . . their sudden commercial popularity shattered the formulaic limitations on harmony to which Cuban popular music had faithfully adhered for so long . . . rhythmically, the 1969 group made the transition from changüí 68 to the first incarnation of a style which Formell called '' songo'' (Moore 2011).

The original personnel of Los Van Van were Juan Formell (leader,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, vocals); Orlando Canto ( flute); Raúl "El Yulo" Cárdenas ( congas); Blas Egües (

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

); Luis Marsilli (

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

); José Luis Martínez (

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

, vocals); Julio Noroña ( güiro); Pupy Pedroso (

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

); Miguel Angel "Lele" Rasalps (vocals); William Sánchez (

), and Gerardo Miró, Jesús Linare, Fernando Leyva, and Iván Rocha (

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

s). Juan Formell states that the main piano guajeo of "La lucha"s (1969) montuno section was inspired by the Afro‐Cuban folkloric batá drum rhythm chachalokefún.

1970s

José Luis "

Changuito Changuito (born José Luis Quintana on January 18, 1948) is a Cuban percussionist. Biography Quintana was born in 1948 in Casablanca, Cuba.Changuito's rhythmic contributions coincided with Formell's maturation as a songwriter and LVV launched into a six year period which alone would have been sufficient to establish them as one of Cuba's most important bands. LVV's recordings from 1970 to 1976 are the definite starting point for anyone seeking to learn about the enigmatic genre of songo (Moore 2011). The original single of "Pero a mi manera" (c. 1972) introduced harmonies and arranging ideas never before used in Latin music. Moore describes the chord changes as: "addictive and harmonically ambiguous vamp for the entire montuno section. Arguments could be made for various keys, but to me it sounds like bIII – IV – I – bVI in A. Like the best rock vamps, it never quite resolves, allowing for endless repetitions without losing energy." In 1974 Los Van Van released their landmark record ''Tránsito'' (LD-3421) os Van Van v. II Also that year, vocalist Pedro Calvo left Orquesta Ritmo Oriental to join Los Van Van. Calvo fronted the band for two decades. ''Los Van Van v. V'' (Areíto LD-378) (1979) premiered compositions by Pedro Calvo, José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés, and Pupy Pedroso, who would go on to become the group's second most prolific composer after Formell. Some of Formell's songo inventions had onbeat, rock-like guajeos as well as rock harmonies. One such song is "Con el bate de aluminio" (1979). The right hand plays steady onbeats, sounding a rock‐influenced imi – bVII – bVI chord progression.Moore Kevin (2011: 33). ''Beyond Salsa Piano: The Cuban Timba Revolution; v 10: César "Pupy" Pedroso; The Music of Los Van Van'' p. 1. Moore Music/Timb.com. Los van van Con el bate de aluminio

1980s

On ''Los Van Van'' v. 6 (1980) Formell took the unusual step of adding trombones to his charanga format. Orquesta Revé did the same during the time. On ''El baile del buey cansao'' (Areíto LD-4045) os Van Van v. VII(1982), Changuito added timbales, which he altered with drum kit. With their 1984 release of ''Anda ven y muévete'' (Areíto LD-4164) os Van Van v. IX Van Van began getting unprecedented international attention. The title track borrows heavily from Lionel Richie's hit "All Night Long." Salsa singer

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

later covered "Muévete." The following piano

guajeo A guajeo (Anglicized pronunciation: ''wa-hey-yo'') is a typical Cuban ostinato melody, most often consisting of arpeggiated chords in syncopated patterns. Some musicians only use the term ''guajeo'' for ostinato patterns played specifically by a ...

is based on Los Van Van’s biggest hit of the 1980s, "Por encima del nivel," better known as "La sandunguera," one of Los Van Van's most popular songs from the 1980s.

2010s

In 2011, they collaborated with

Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musical ...

to record the song "Soy Loco por Tí, América" for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album ''Red Hot + Rio 2''. The album is a follow-up to the 1996 ''

Red Hot + Rio ''Red Hot + Rio'' is a compilation album produced by Béco Dranoff and Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the bossa nova sound, especially the mus ...

''. Proceeds from the sales were donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

Musical style

Using a charanga line-up ( flute, string instruments, and rhythm section) as its base, Los Van Van added

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

s, and was the first Cuban group to use synthesizers and drum machines. Initially, their sound was a fusion of

son montuno Son montuno is a subgenre of son cubano developed by Arsenio Rodríguez in the 1940s. Although ''son montuno'' ("mountain sound") had previously referred to the ''sones'' played in the mountains of eastern Cuba, Arsenio repurposed the term to de ...

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...

, and North American

and pop. Later the band incorporated funk, disco, and hip hop, as well as

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

. These influences would first give rise to a style known as songo, and later

. Los Van Van has consistently adapted its style to the times, and remains, after 35 years, Cuba's most popular dance band. Along with pianist Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, Juan Formell has written some of the most intriguing verses in popular dance music, including stories that run over several albums and, contrary to trends in

, all types of social commentary. Both artists are undisputed masters of double-entendre in a musical culture where multiple meanings in lyrics are pervasive. Indeed, the title of the band is probably meant to evoke the novel and compelling rhythms of the new sound of Formell's band, as ''van'' in Spanish means "they go" and so the name of the band could be translated as "those they go, they go" (it has also been suggested to translate as their name as something like "the go-gos!"). When Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, their pianist and founding member, left the band in 2002 he founded his own band Pupy y los que son son, which is likely a name with a triple-entendre. The word ''son'' can mean both "they are" and also refers to the traditional music ''son'' (the same Latin root as "sound"), originating in the eastern provinces of Cuba, from which Cuban-style salsa may have originated. It is also a reference to the idiomatic Spanish expression "those who can, do" presumably as sort of a sly nod to the expression "those who cannot o something teach."

Awards

The band has a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

to their credit, the 2000 Grammy awarded to the album ''Van Van is Here'' ('Llegó Van Van'). In January 2010 "A Cali," a song from Van Van's latest album, was selected as one of the winning songs of the 2009

Cali Fair Cali's Fair (Dec. 25 - 30) is the most important cultural event in Santiago de Cali, Cali, Colombia. It is a celebration of the region's cultural identity, famous for the Salsa marathon, horse riding parades and dance parties. Called "La Feria ...

held in Cali (Colombia), a city known as Colombia's "salsa capital". The selection was made through a public poll that registered 30,742 votes. Van Van's "A Cali" received 7,905 of the votes, or 26% of the total. The Cuban band was honored for the organizer comite of WOMEX fair with the Artist Award 2013. The laurel was given to the "Train of Cuban music" for having remained the most important and popular dance band in Cuba for more than four decades. The jury noted that "the imaginative approach in implementing its director Juan Formell, brought new sounds and ideas in Cuban dance music, which merged violins, flute charanga style with a trombone section, drums and electric guitar intro, bass and keyboards". Juan Formell was also awarded with the Latin Grammy Award for Excellence 2013 along with other renowned Hispanic musicians, in a ceremony held on November 20, 2013 in Las Vegas.

Band members

Los Van Van has been a school for outstanding singers and musicians. Past members with successful careers as solo artists include Pedro Calvo, Angel Bonne,

Changuito Changuito (born José Luis Quintana on January 18, 1948) is a Cuban percussionist. Biography Quintana was born in 1948 in Casablanca, Cuba.NG La Banda NG La Banda is a Cuban musical group founded by flutist José Luis "El Tosco" Cortés. NG stands for ''nueva generación'' ('new generation'). NG La Banda are the creators of ''timba'' (a term coined by Cortés), the most important popular dance a ...

), César "Pupy" Pedroso and others. As of 2006, Los Van Van lineup of singers: Mayito Rivera, Roberto Hernandez "Roberton", Yeni Valdes and Lele Rosales. During 2011 Mayito Rivera left the band going for a solo career and was replaced by Mandy Cantero. Since early January 2017, Yeni Valdes left the band.

Discography

* Los Van Van Vol I (1969) * Los Van Van Vol II (1974) * Los Van Van Vol III (1974) * Los Van Van Vol IV (1976) * Los Van Van Vol V (1976) * Los Van Van Vol VI (1980) * Báilalo ¡Eh! ¡Ah! (1982) * Qué Pista (1983) * Anda, Ven y Muévete (1984) * La Habana Sí (1985) * Eso Que Anda (1986) * Sandunguera (1986) * La Titimania (1987) * Songo (1988) * El Negro No Tiene Na' (1988) * Songo (Mango, 1989) * Rico Son (1989) * Aquí... El Que Baila Gana (1990) * Esto Está Bueno (1991) * De Cuba Los Van Van (1991) * Bailando Mojao - Dancing Wet (1993) * '' Azúcar'' (Xenophile Records, 1994) * 25 Años... y seguimos ahí! Vol I (1994) * Lo Ultimo En Vivo (Qbadisc Records, 1994) * ¡Ay Dios, Ampárame! (1995) * Live In America (1997) * Te Pone La Cabeza Mala (1997) * Llegó Van Van (1999) * En El Malecón De La Habana (2003) * Chapeando (2005) * Aquí El que Baila Gana: El Concierto (DVD+CD, 2007)Press Release Sony
/ref> * Live From Camagüey (2009) * Arrasando (2009) * La Maquinaria (2011) * La Fantasía (2014) * El Legado (2018) * Mi Songo (2020)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control Cuban musical groups Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1969