(Prensa Latina – Cumbancha) Havana, Cuba – US actress Julia Roberts is interested in making a film in Cuba, as she told a group of musicians from the Caribbean Island who were touring the United States. We met by chance, said Lázaro Rivera, director and lead singer of the group Valle Son. We met in a New York market and when we asked her for a photo, she told us that she would give it to us if we give her tickets for our performance, because they had been sold out. At the end of the concert, she went to the dressing rooms and invited us to have lunch with her the following day, he added. We were playing music in her home and talking about Cuban music and its repercussion in the world. Roberts’ interest in Cuba seems to come from US moviemaker Steven Soderberg’s visit to Havana in 2001, when he was accompanied by Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro. Son de Cuba, a show by seven musicians from western Pinar del Río province, was taken to the United States to promote the group’s first CD, produced by Caribou Records Inc. The group blends traditional music with a “Son” variant known as “timba”, which makes emphasis on choruses and dialogue between percussion and metals.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
