Pablo Milanés Arias (24 February 1943 – 22 November 2022) was a Cuban guitar player and singer. He was one of the founders of the Cuban

nueva trova Nueva Trova (, "new trova") is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967–1968 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes. Nueva Trova has its roots in the traditional trova, but differs from it ...

, along with

Silvio Rodríguez Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is widely considered as Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his ...

and Noel Nicola. His music, originating in the

Trova ''Trova'' is a style of Music of Cuba, Cuban popular music originating in the 19th century. Trova was created by itinerant musicians known as ''trovadores'' who travelled around Cuba's Oriente Province, Oriente province, especially Santiago de Cu ...

, Son and other traditional styles of early 20th Century

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 ...

, set him apart from the style of

Biography

Pablo Milanés, widely known as Pablito, moved with his family from Bayamo to Havana in 1950. He studied in the Conservatorio Municipal de La Habana, at the time the most prestigious musical school in the country. His first public performance was in 1956. By age 15, he was active in "bohemian" musical circles in Havana, associated with the so-called " filin" musicians. Although he supported the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

, in 1965 he was sent to the UMAP agricultural forced-labor camp in

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...

. In 1967, he escaped and fled to Havana to denounce the injustice of the labor camp. This resulted in his imprisonment, first for two months in

La Cabaña ''Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña'' (Fort of Saint Charles), colloquially known as La Cabaña, is an 18th-century fortress complex, the third-largest in the Americas, located on the elevated eastern side of the harbor entrance in Havana, ...

, an 18th-century fortress in Havana, and then for a time in a prison camp. He was released when the prison camp was closed due to international pressure. In 1969, he became part of the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora, a seminal group of young musicians, many of whom became founding members of the

, which started as a movement with a concert given by Pablo, Silvio Rodriguez, and Noel Nicola on 18 February 1968. Until the late 1980s, nueva trova was the unofficial musical style of the Cuban Revolution. Since his first recording ("Versos sencillos de José Martí" in 1973), he issued more than 40 solo records, and many more in collaboration with other artists from Cuba, elsewhere in Latin America, and Spain. His first record with original songs (the eponymous "Pablo Milanés") was not issued until 1976. The heyday of his creativity occurred probably in the early 1980s, with his records "Yo me quedo", "El guerrero", and "Comienzo y final de una verde mañana". Within the context of the nueva trova, Pablo was widely considered one of the closest to the traditional roots of

, while being open to diverse musical influences from other contemporary traditions, such as Brazilian music and

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

. The range of his compositions extended from starkly political anthems to inspired love songs. He set the poems of Cuban writers such as

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

and

Nicolás Guillén Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista (10 July 1902 – 16 July 1989) was a Cuban poet, journalist and political activist. He is best remembered as the national poet of Cuba.

to music. Some of his most important musical influences were María Teresa Vera, Lorenzo Hierrezuelo, Barbarito Diez,

Benny Moré Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez (24 August 1919 – 19 February 1963), better known as Benny Moré (also spelled Beny Moré), was a Cuban singer, bandleader and songwriter. Due to his fluid tenor voice and his great expressivity, he was ...

Lucho Gatica Luis Enrique Gatica Silva (11 August 1928 – 13 November 2018),
''The New York Times''. Retriev ...

, and

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. He lived in

Vigo Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...

, Spain, with his Spanish wife and two sons since 2004. In 2014, he received a kidney transplant, receiving an organ donated by his wife. Since relocating to Spain, Milanés was publicly critical of some aspects of the Cuban government, though he remained dedicated to the

. In 2011, it was reported that his willingness to speak openly about the failures of the revolution strained his relations with Silvio Rodriguez. At that time, he did not participate in pro-government campaigns.

Discography

* 1974 – ''Versos José Martí Cantados por Pablo Milanés'' * 1975 – ''Canta a Nicolás Guillén'' * 1976 – ''Pablo Milanés'' * 1978 – ''No me pidas'' * 1979 – ''Aniversario'' * 1979 – ''Años'' with Luis Peña * 1980 – ''Canta a la resistencia popular chilena'' * 1981 – ''El pregón de las flores'' with Lilia Vera * 1981 – ''Filin'' * 1982 – ''Yo me quedo'' * 1983 – ''El guerrero'' * 1984 – ''Comienzo y final de una verde mañana'' * 1984 – ''Ao vivo no Brasil'' * 1986 – ''Querido Pablo'' * 1986 – ''Años 2'' with Luis Peña and Octavio Sánchez (Cotán) * 1987 – ''Buenos días América'' * 1987 – ''Trovadores'' with Armando Garzón * 1988 – ''Proposiciones'' * 1989 – ''Filin 2'' * 1989 – ''Filin 3'' * 1990 – ''Identidad'' * 1991 – ''Canto de la abuela'' * 1991 – ''Filin 4'' * 1991 – ''Filin 5'' * 1992 – ''Años 3'' with Luis Peña (El Albino),

Compay Segundo Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (18 November 1907 – 13 July 2003), known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer. Biography Compay (meaning ''compadre'') Segundo, so called because he was a ...

, and Octavio Sánchez (Cotán) * 1994 – ''Canta boleros en Tropicana'' * 1994 – ''Evolución'' * 1994 – ''Igual que ayer'' with Caco Senante * 1994 – ''Orígenes'' * 1995 – ''Plegaria'' * 1995 – ''Si yo volviera a nacer'' * 1995 – ''Blanco y negro'' with Víctor Manuel * 1997 – ''Despertar'' * 1998 – '' Vengo naciendo'' * 2000 – ''Días de gloria'' * 2000 – ''Live from New York City'' * 2002 – ''Pablo querido'' * 2005 – ''Como un campo de maíz'' * 2005 – ''Líneas paralelas'' with Andy Montañez * 2007 – ''Regalo'' * 2007 – ''Pablo Milanés en vivo: Amor y desamor'' * 2008 – ''Raúl y Pablo'' with Raúl Torres * 2008 – ''Más allá de todo'' with Chucho Valdés * 2008 – ''Feeling 6'' * 2011 – ''Pablo y Lynn Milanés en concierto'' with daughter Lynn Milanés * 2013 – ''Renacimiento'' * 2014 – ''Canción de otoño'' * 2015 – ''50 de 22'' * 2016 – ''Flores del futuro'' with Miguel Núñez * 2017 – ''Amor'' with daughter Haydée Milanés * 2023 – ''Amor y salsa'' with various artists

References

External links

Songs and Discographie by Pablo Milanés in CANCIONEROS.COM
– Song of Pablo Milanés dedicated to Che Guevara
Evento en New York
– Evento de Pablo Milanés en New York Sep 9
Official Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Milanes, Pablo 1943 births 2022 deaths Cuban male singers Cuban songwriters Latin Grammy Award winners Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Latin music songwriters Cuban male songwriters Nueva canción musicians People from Bayamo Wrasse Records artists Political prisoners in Cuba