Orquesta Cumbre is an outstanding group of Cuban popular music from Pinar del Rio with a large repertoire of sones, guarachas, boleros, cha cha chás, rumbas and Yoruba rhythms. Founded in 1978 by Osvaldo Medina, Orquesta Cumbre is now an ensemble of 14 conservatory-trained professionals under the leadership of trombonist Aldo Martínez. Their musical director is Noel Villar, the keyboard player of the band. He does all the arrangements and he also composes original material for Orquesta Cumbre. The other songwriter of the band is the pianist Alberto Reyes.
One of the milestones of their career were their superb shows at the Heimatklänge festival in 1992. In July 1995 Orquesta Cumbre traveled to Europe again. They performed at two of the most remarkable folk festivals in the Nordic Countries, Falun and Kaustinen. Finland’s Global Music Centre released Orquesta Cumbre’s debut just before the tour. The album was recorded at Cumbre’s home, Pinar del Rio, with the Global Mobile Studio. 1996 saw Orquesta Cumbre conquering Brazil for several months and in 1997 they spent half of the year there playing with Brazilian music stars.
Discography:
¡Sí! (Global Music Centre, 1995)
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.
