Wider Listening

Afrocubanism - Al Vaiven De Mi Carreta

Afro Celt Sound System – Release

Afro Cuban All-Star - Elube Changó

Quincy Jones – Soul Bossa Nova

Gloria Estefan – Conga

Bernstein – America and Mambo

La Familia Valera Miranda has been playing traditional Cuban son – the style
popularized by Buena Vista Social Club – for generations. Music is a family
affair for these famous musicians. Félix Valera Miranda, founder of the group,
sings & plays guitar while his wife Carmen plays maracas. Their sons -
Enrique, Raúl & Ernesto - play cuatro (an 8-string guitar tuned in pairs), bass
& bongo respectively.

Since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has played a significant
role in Cuban culture by collecting & preserving the deep-rooted traditions of
the legendary Sierra Maestra mountain region. Original members of the family
were subsistence farmers in the rural areas of the Oriente (eastern Cuba),
primarily the Cauto River valley near the villages of Bayamo & Las Tunas.
Later, they migrated to the areas around Santiago de Cuba & Guantánamo
where they reside today.

The Valera & Miranda ancestors brought with them religious elements of
Bantu origin alongside secular customs from the Canary Islands & Andalucía.
These influences are found in their songs & the musical instruments they play.

Although world-renowned for their outstanding technical & virtuosic skill, the
most important element of La Familia’s musical heritage is the authenticity of
their music & the purity & eloquent simplicity of their style.

La Familia Valera Miranda helped initiate an explosion of interest in traditional

Cuban music when their debut CD was released in 1982. Since that time, they
have been sharing their music & culture with audiences around the world.
From Santiago de Cuba, birthplace of Cuban son, this septet is one of the
purest exponents of this musical genre.

The cuatro is a family of Latin American string instruments found

in Central and South America, Puerto Rico and other parts of the West Indies,
derived from the Spanish guitar. Although some have viola-like shapes, most
cuatros resemble a small to mid-sized classical guitar.