(Prensa Latina)
Havana, Cuba – A recital to pay tribute to composer and leader of
Los
Van Van, Juan
Formell, Grammy Award winner, will open the Young Jazz Artist International
Contest Jojazz 2004 at Havana´s Amadeo Roldán Auditorium Theater.
The seventh annual contest will pay homage to Formell, the most important
popular dance music composer of the latest 40 years in Cuba and founder of
Los Van Van, "The Rolling Stones of Cuba," celebrating their 35th
anniversary on December 4.Through Sunday November 21, the Roldán´s Caturla Hall, a stage trodden by giants such
as Erich Kleiber, Leopoldo Stokowski and
Chucho
Valdés, will be the place
for students of the Cuban music school system to try their jazz skills.
The "frighteningly amazing" kids, as Grammy Award winner Irakere bassist
Carlos del Puerto dubbed them, will compete for the three first places and
the grand award of the event.
Guest students from Trinidad and Tobago and Canada will participate
off-contest, only to accumulate experience, Jojazz agent Alexis Vázquez,
Cuban Music Institute Deputy-President told Prensa Latina.
Meanwhile, a parallel three-day academic meeting in charge of relevant
musicologists such as Helio Orovio, Juan Carlos Malagón, Maria Córdoba and
Neris González, will be hosted by Havana´s Cuban Copyrights Association.
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.
