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Cuba's
legendary son music originators, Sierra Maestra, mark their
25th anniversary with a stage show that is stronger than ever and
the release of their critically acclaimed new cd "Rumbero
Soy".
Taking their name
from Cuba's majestic Oriente Province mountain range as a tribute to
the birthplace of son, Sierra Maestra have been stars of the
Cuban music scene since the late 1970's. They were the
first modern group to reintroduce Cuba's old-style son
line-up of tres, guitar, trumpet, bongo, güiro and classic 4-part
harmony vocals. In many critics opinion, they remain the
best of the Cuba's current crop at maintaining and re-inventing this
much loved traditional sound.
The group has
played a significant part in the recent worldwide explosion in
popularity of Cuban music by nurturing the early carriers of such
now-star artists as Juan De Marcos González (who formed his
Afro-Cuban All-Stars and Buena Vista Social Club projects while
moonlighting from his role as lead tres player in Sierra Maestra)
and Jesus Alemañy (who held Sierra's lead trumpet slot for 15 years
prior to his departure and the formation of his own super-group -
Cubanismo). The
group's remaining six members have replaced these performers with
the best tres, percussion and trumpet players Cuba has to
offer. In the process, they have made Sierra Maestra's
present line-up, arguably, the strongest ever in the acclaimed
group's 25+ year career.
Sierra Maestra
will embark on an historic tour of North America this Summer 2003 in
support of their new Riverboat/World Music Network recording "Rumbero Soy". |