miguelito nunez
NEWS
The virtue of uniting talent with the heart
Guille Vilar • Havana
Photo: Kike (The Jiribilla)
When television programs we see these great stars of pop music, whether Latin or Anglo-Saxon, comes the reflection of an apparent successful event and nothing else. Many of these figures, often passing through dark times of stress when having to choose between pleasing the muse that stimulates creativity or accept the obligations imposed by the producer according to the prevailing market interests.
Fortunately, in our society, the artist is not subject to similar pressures in their professional projections. Such is the case of the recent proposal of a prestigious Cuban musician in his search for spirituality move from convene at the scene.
We refer to an artist whose reputation goes beyond our borders to have played the role of arranger, producer and musical director of personalities like Milton do Nascimento, Joaquin Sabina, Luis Dams or Ricardo Arjona, among many others. We are talking about nothing less than the pianist, keyboardist and musical director Pablo Milanes for more than 20 years, who is credited with the finished classics of the famous singer as "first love", "Happiness" or "The short that you're not ". For this loyal and sincere friend Miguel Nunez made in the Amadeo Roldan, excelso capital theater, an emotional concert with his band in addition to special guests, an event that at the end brought me to mind this beautiful reflection of our Apostle José Martí " having talent is to have a good heart; which has a good heart, that's the one with talent. 1 "
Obviously, the reason cited this argument about this endeavor Miguel is that by the rigor we are used as a pianist and arranger throughout the room was palpable hands heart that sensibility that distinguishes him as a person and artist . For this occasion, the pianist shares in tight balance the role of soloist with the other participants, while representing the center of irradiation of all good vibration deployed at the concert.
Only an artist of such high rank and deep humanity invites his daughter Stephanie of 12 years to talk accurately on a second piano in addition to vocalize in another piece, paternal aspiration to show one of the ways for children to pay attention to a music that instruct. Artists from the lineage of Miguel Nunez, marked by the fact of conceiving music from a perspective as widely as possible, is that they are accompanied by the beautiful children's voices Tiny Choir directed by Carmen Rosa Lopez.
For this man exudes simplicity, the presence of the singer-songwriter Liuba María Hevia is one of those gifts of life like playing with Chucho Valdes, his admired pianist from boy, to the point transcribing quotes from his improvisations appeared on albums or concerts. However, we are aware that in reality, who are honored are precisely known Liuba and Chucho by Miguel complicit in the act of promoting kindness from the beauty of music.
In this regard, the support of his group has been instrumental in the development of this noble gesture, instrumentalists skilled they bring theirs to the versatile, imaginative and very Cuban work of this notorious creator with pieces that define his signature as " Choriño Havana "and" Mozambique in Eb " . With an essential artistic direction of Jenny B. Villamandos, his partner, Miguel Nunez has shown, just as the naturalness of his smile, the usefulness of offering unusual shows like this, to feel elated at being both shared.
The music of Cuban movie “Vuelos Prohibidos”
By Nancy Lescaille
Havana, Cuba. – Arranger, producer and orchestra conductor Miguel Nuñez wrote beautiful and romantic music by for the soundtrack of “Vuelos Prohibidos.” This Cuban movie is directed by Rigoberto Lopez and is the latest release of the so-called Seventh Art in Havana movie theaters.
The accomplished Cuban musician said in a short exclusive dialogue with Radio Cadena Habana: “First, I plunged into the story, after having read the script and began to create. I really wrote too much music, but Rigoberto (Lopez) and I chose what was suitable for the background of the film’s story.”
How did you devise the music?
“I thought it should have a more French, more melodic influence, with less rhythm. I was inspired by the changes and modulations that Michel Legrand, the French music maestro, did in blockbusters like “The young ladies from Rochefort” or “The Cherbourg umbrellas.”
I told the musical director of Pablo Milanes’ band that the first comment of some colleagues after seeing “Vuelos Prohibidos” was: “What a beautiful music!” The also leader of Miguel’s Trio pointed out:
“Actually, the title song (jazz with Caribbean influence) is very simple, but you may notice its subtle Cuban influence. The syncopation is Cuban, but not as obvious as we are used to, because we all carry the Cuban inside. The orchestration is more classic, with more violins, more of everything else.”
The movie “Vuelos Prohibidos” is starred by Cuban singer Pablo Fernandez-Gallo. It is the story of a Cuban man and a French woman that share, in their attempt to travel to Havana, not only feelings, but also their views about Cuba.”
Lastly, Miguel Nuñez told Radio Cadena Habana that he will soon play with his trio in Santo Domingo Jazz Festival; in Heineken Festival, in the Netherlands; and in Malaga Festival, in Spain. He will do all of that without neglecting his intense work with Cuban singer/songwriter Pablo Milanes.
La Jiribilla (Magazine of Cuban Culture)
by Joaquín Borges-Triana
Unfortunately, among us they have been in little extreme productions within the grounds of jazz rock. I would even say that in certain areas of criticism and local musicologists, the rejection of such a demonstration has been notorious. The reaction as opposed to jazz rock in Cuba from two goals certainly essential defense: "Cuban and original" ; which are two referrals to different scales of the same problem: "identity". However, the Cuban has been advocated as institutional program rather than contemporizada conceptualization; and the original is required as proof of personal miracle of the little god "modern" artist is believed beyond put or not to operate in an original way the spiritual content of our culture.
In the above need to look for the causes of why a disk so excellent bill as Blue, credited to the group called Miguel's Trio (an armed project by keyboardist Miguel Nunez with some of his coworkers in the accompanying group of Paul Milanes) has had little impact on our environment. To me in particular, I confess that I love among us begin to have people who dare to undertake proposals such as this, an album while perspiring cubanía on all four sides departs completely from what is usually expected of a jazzman Cuban, ie the classic raid by Latin jazz (or Afro - Latin, as he prefers to call the master Leonardo Acosta).
I remember I heard you play for the first time this Pinar del Rio when he was still a student at the ENA and introduced himself as a member of an occasional group of emissions Festival Jazz Plaza, in the early 80s I saw him again after a few years, as musical director of the band who accompanied Santiago Feliú. He was responsible for many of the arrangements of these two magnificent phonorecords of Santiago that are Troubadours and Tomorrow (still unpublished in our country). After that experience is called by Pablo Milanes, who still continues to work. Also, his talent as an orchestrator has been serving musical productions of other figures, as are the cases of Polito Ibáñez and Raul Torres. All that intense task prepared him to face the realization of a CD, in front of his own personal project, Miguel's Trio.
The cut opens the recording, "Festival", a composition of Miguelito has a dose of contagious joy, which injects adrenaline to the listener. Already in this piece the clues that will haunt throughout the phonogram are perceived: the fusion of elements of traditional and Afro - Cuban music with passages of a manifest lineage jazz-rock and concert music in unique symbiosis, to which we should add the judicious use of plethoric electronic sonorities of professionalism, technical and harmonic complexities, context in which a high carat pianism is inserted. The same formula is repeated in the item entitled "Mulatas" composed this time by Miguel Nunez in collaboration with drummer Osmani Sanchez. The cut is striking me end by the polyrhythms that works, in which the air of carnival conga integrate smoothly and without any sound forced in a typical morphological structure of jazz rock. Miguelito Just to clear conveys which is made by a Cuban but also gives contemporaneity.
A moment of calm is established with the third piece of the recording, "Balada Jenny" original own Miguel Nunez. The beautiful melodic line of the composition is presented by bassist Luis Angel "Gato" Sanchez, with excellent diction in the instrument. For its atmosphere in general, "Balada Jenny" shines through the beneficent influence of the way of making people like Pat Metheny and Pedro Aznar. Nunez solos have a strong emphasis on the pianistic virtuosity and the last one seems the most interesting for its intensity me. As the only objection to the court would have to note that the work of appoggiatura keyboards both timbres, and arpeggios, mimics in previous too much work Miguelito in several of the albums Pablo Milanes or other like Recount, Polito Ibáñez .
The commitment is taken up in absolute hybridization "Caribbean", credited bassist Luis Angel "Gato" Sanchez composition. The theme serves to have as a guest artist Reynaldo "Molote" Melian, whose only proves once again why he is considered one of our best trumpeters since it appeared on the Cuban scene as part of Project group Gonzalo Rubalcaba. That same intention of mixing governs "Speechless" (Miguel Nunez), where, however, the result did not think so at all happy, because the change in the piece first in Brazilian air toward a second part, typically within Cuban royalties, according to my assessment is not well resolved and therefore is not organic fusion.
Then comes one of my favorite moments on the CD, "Between Two", belonging to the firm Miguelito and Luis Angel. The work of the latter on bass is captivating, with an enviable management of harmonics and double string passages showing that he is a master bassist. From the drum, Osmani provides the ideal setting for showcasing his two comrades stand adventure. Nothing, I recommend you pay close attention to this sixth cut of the sound recording. Close the album a couple of creations Miguelito, very tender "Childhood" and "Mephisto Waltz" (with drummer highlight Osmani Sanchez), perfect coda to conclude an album that seeks to break schemes and give us something different.
I can not conclude my review without mentioning the contributions to this good bill stamp production Unicorn, they made guest musicians. Besides the already mentioned trumpeter Reynaldo "Molote" Melian, Eugenio included "Totico" Arango in the bata, conga player Eugenio "Kilo" Claudia Núñez Osorio and the voice. Finally, just one comment: a proposal like Blue confirms me in the idea that understanding the global problems facing our culture and its artistic vanguard continues to place the Cuban artist before the enigma of the Universal, as Oedipus in front of the Sphinx. Jazz rock and fusion in its broadest sense are a reformulation of the dialectic between the universal and the national, between tradition and innovation, in the same terms of hyperbole and trauma that has reached the internationalization of the economy and culture today.