Orishas on Cuban stages in HavanaWorldMusic-Black

Tears

 The Festival will take place at the Havana

Metropolitan –Almendares on March 22-24
 Joining Orishas, Marinah(Ojos Brujos), Gato Preto and
Interactivo are heading the list of artists among a dozen of
skilled and novel foreign and domestic artists

The fifth edition of the HavanaWorldMusic-Black Tearsby Vigía

Festival (HWM-BT) is taking place on March 22 to 24 at the
Metropolitan Park of the Cuban capital and will be featured with
the return to Cuban stages of the Orishas. This trio,
revolutionized Latin urban music in the early 2000s, and 2009
marked its last performance in Cuba. After a pause in time,
Roldán González, Ruzzo Medina, and Yotuel Romero have
come together to work in the presentation of their new album.

“We are happy to host in this festival one of the best Cuban
music bands of the country and that lives in the hearts of an
entire generation of Cubans”, stated the artistic director of the
festival, Eme Alfonso. “I can’t find a better way to celebrate this
fifth anniversary”, she added.

Furthermore, the Orishas will present in this edition of the

Festival artists from other very different geographical, cultural
and musical universes. Among them is singer Marinah, a former
member of the mythical Catalonian band Ojos Brujos . Her new
record, Afrolailo, is a fusion of flamenco with Afro-Cuban music,
“very energizing, and designed to catch on”, so the party is
guaranteed for the public of HWM-BT.

Also, and for the first time in this festival will be the African duo
Gato Preto, made up by the Mozambique-origin Portuguese
Gata Misterosa and the Ghana-origin German producer Lee
Bass. Gato Preto is bringing to HWM-BT its fusion of techno,
funk and groove music with kuduro, which is a gender of
danceable music of Angolan origin, accompanied directly by
Senegalese percussion, in what they define as the purest of
Afro-futurism.
Among the first confirmed participations is that of the Cuban
Interactivo band , which will also make its debut in the festival.
Conducted by pianist Roberto Carcassens, Interactivo’s project
is based on the participation of different musicians who develop
their own projects as soloists and that contribute to the group
with their diverse genders and styles, whether Trova, Latin Jazz
or rap.

Promotion of Cuban talent

During this fifth edition, HWM-BT will continue its promotion of

Cuban musical talent through its call to Primera Base , in which
novel Cuban bands would be chosen to participate in the
festival. This project stands out this year by the fact that the
selected bands, in addition to presenting a concert to the
HWEM-BT public, would receive training by British
professionals of the musical industry and would be allowed to
record in professional studios thanks to the support of EGREM
and the British Council studios. The festival’s organizing
committee will make public the call in the next few days.

Another novelty of this festival’s edition is the extension of open

air concert days, from two to three , inasmuch as the festival’s
inauguration concerts will be held on March 22, also at the
Metropolitan Park-Almendares. As in the past edition, the Park
will be provided with two stages with alternated programs for a
real musical marathon. Besides, during the festival’s week,
collateral activities will develop at the Meliá Habana Libre Hotel,
which will act as accreditation center to the Festival.