The Afro-Cuban All Stars is a Cuban band led by… Read Full Bio ↴The Afro-Cuban All Stars
The Afro-Cuban All Stars is a Cuban band led by Juan de Marcos González (formerly tres player for Sierra Maestra). Their music is a mix of all the styles of Cuban music, including bolero, chachachá, salsa, son montuno, timba, guajira, danzón, rumba and abakua. They are known internationally for their 1997 album A Toda Cuba Le Gusta, which was recorded at the Buena Vista Social Club sessions. Members have included Rubén González, Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Raul Planas, Pío Leyva, Manuel "Puntillita" Licea, Yanko Pisaco and more recently Caridad Hierrezuelo and Pedro Calvo.
The Afro-Cuban All Stars is a unique orchestra that has always been devoted to promoting the full range of Cuban music, one that embraces several generations and all musical styles. Over the years many of the band’s musicians have become international stars, including brilliant performers such as Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Guillermo Rubalcava, and Manuel "The Guajiro" Mirabal.
The genesis of the Afro-Cuban All Stars has its roots early in the 1990s. At this time the son ensemble Sierra Maestra, headed by Juan de Marcos, received a lot of international exposure. As a consequence, de Marcos was introduced to Nick Gold, president of World Music Records (at that time a small independent world music label). That encounter led to a couple of very successful tours in Europe. Later the group went to London and recorded Dundumbanza, considered one of the jewels of the world music scene of the early ‘90s. (In retrospect, this recording opened the doors to the further incredible boom of the traditional Cuban music of the period.)
Months later, de Marcos got the go-ahead to do an album celebrating the classic Cuban sound of the ‘50s – a recording whose personnel would feature many great musicians that de Marcos knew. An agreement reached, the plan was to prepare two projects: one featuring a Cuban big band, the other record favoring a more traditional sound reminiscent of the acoustic style of Nico Saquito or Portabales.
In March 1996 they recorded the album A toda Cuba le Gusta, featuring nearly 60 performers. Then, with the addition of celebrated artists such as Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, and American guitarist Ry Cooder, what became the legendary Buena Vista Social Club CD was recorded. Finally, with low budget and only during two live sessions and with simple orchestrations carried out at the studio by de Marcos, they also recorded the first solo album of Rubén González, Introducing Ruben Gonzalez. This was destined to be one of the most successful of the “Buena Vista” series of recordings.
During the spring of 1997 and along with the release in Europe of the three albums, de Marcos and a select group of stellar musicians started touring all over the continent under the banner of a band christened the "Afro-Cuban All Stars." The original line up, familiar from the records, included Ruben González and Guillermo Rubalcava (piano), Orlando López (bass), Amadito Valdés (timbale), Carlos González and Roberto Valdés (bongos & cuban percussion), Ángel Terry (congas), Daniel Ramos, Alejandro Pichardo y “Guajiro” Mirabal (trumpets), Alberto “Molote” Martínez and Jesús “Aguaje” Ramos (trombones) and, Raúl Planas, Manuel Licea, Pío Leiva, Ibrahim Ferrer and Félix Baloy (lead singers).
After several years of tremendous and unexpected success – including four Grammy nominations, being the subject of several documentaries and films, and being recipients of many other distinctions – the All Stars are certainly the best-known and successful Cuban orchestra after Los Van Van and Irakere.
The Afro-Cuban All Stars has also opened the doors to a new generation by incorporating young musicians into the band. With The Afro-Cuban All Stars, de Marcos has developed a concept more so than simply creating a band. His approach has allowed him to expand its creative range by incorporating contemporary styles of Cuban music; as well, a fluid approach to adjusting the orchestra’s line-up by changing or adding musicians as appropriate has made it easier to reflect the different styles of music from the various periods that the band features. The Afro-Cubans are the same orchestra that can be seen in those distinct performances captured in the famous Oscar-nominated Buena Vista Social Club documentary by Wim Wenders, the Tony Knox documentary Salon of Dreams, or the DVDs Live in Japan or Live in The Hague.
In 2002, de Marcos founded his own independent label, DM Ahora! Records, with which he released the Afro-Cuban All Stars’ albums Live in Japan and Step Forward (which was Grammy nominated in 2006). He also released A Diario (Telmary) and Goza Pepillo (Interactivo), projects that represent a new generation of Cuban music, one that fuses hip-hop with contemporary Cuban genres. More recently de Marcos, along with his wife Gliceria Abreu, has founded, GG and LL, a musical production company based in Mexico City that aims to create a space for the new Latin American Music, especially that interpreted by songwriters.
The recent plans for the Afro-Cuban All Stars include the recording of the albums Breaking the Rules and Step Backward. This documents de Marcos’ latest project, where he has gathered the most remarkable expatriate Cuban musicians from around the world. This new version of the Afro-Cuban All Stars started touring internationally from February 2009 and its debut was in the United States, Singapore and Canada.
Amor Verdadero
Afro Cuban All Stars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Amigo pide otra copa, caramba
Que este cantor te convida
Que aunque a ustedes no le importa
Voy a hacerles la historia de mi vida:
Amé mucho a una mujer
De mi alma la más querida
Me traicionó la perdida, caramba
Que ingrato y mal proceder
Ella me hizo beber
Ella me hizo un perdido
A la droga me tiré, amigo mío
Y a la carcel fui llevado
Los amigos me olvidaron
Sólo mi madre lloraba
A Dios pedía y rogaba
Que se salvara su hijo
Recuerden lo que les digo
Que en la prisión y en la cama
Sólo nuestra madre nos ama, caramba
No hay dinero, no hay amigos
Linda guajira, ¡mi son te llama!
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
Las dos palabras que más
Me llenan de regocijo
Es cuando me dicen hijo
Es cuando digo mamá
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
La madre es un surtidor
De miel que nunca se cierra
Es un astro en la tierra
Brilla mucho más que el sol
Guajira
El son te llama
A bailar, a gozar
No le teme a la negrura
Del vicio y todo su espanto
Pienso en mi madre y su encanto
Me cubre con su ternura
The Guajira is a Cuban musical style that mixes Spanish and African influences. In this song, Afro Cuban All Stars invite people to dance and enjoy the rhythm of the Guajira. This call to dance is repeated several times in the lyrics. The song's upbeat tempo and lively instrumentation support this invitation.
Aside from the call to dance, this song is also about the story of a man's life. He loved a woman who betrayed him, causing him to fall into a spiral of drinking and drug use. His addiction led him to prison, where he was forgotten by his friends. The man's mother was the only one who continued to care about him, praying for his safety and well-being. Through shame and regret, the man finally comes to appreciate the love and sacrifice of his mother.
Overall, the message of the song is about the importance of family, especially the unconditional love of a mother. The story of the man's downfall serves as a cautionary tale, reminding listeners that our actions have consequences and that we should value the people who love us.
Line by Line Meaning
Guajira
A style of Cuban music that calls you to dance and enjoy life
El son te llama
The upbeat rhythm of the music is inviting you to dance
A bailar, a gozar
To dance and enjoy the moment
Amigo pide otra copa, caramba
Friend, ask for another drink and let me entertain you
Que este cantor te convida
This singer invites you
Que aunque a ustedes no le importa
Even though you may not care
Voy a hacerles la historia de mi vida
I'm going to tell you the story of my life
Amé mucho a una mujer
I loved a woman deeply
De mi alma la más querida
She was the most beloved to my soul
Me traicionó la perdida, caramba
But she betrayed me, damn it
Que ingrato y mal proceder
How ungrateful and wrong of her
Ella me hizo beber
She made me drink
Ella me hizo un perdido
She turned me into a lost cause
A la droga me tiré, amigo mío
I turned to drugs, my friend
Y a la carcel fui llevado
And I was taken to jail
Los amigos me olvidaron
My friends forgot about me
Sólo mi madre lloraba
Only my mother cried for me
A Dios pedía y rogaba
She prayed and begged to God
Que se salvara su hijo
To save her son
Recuerden lo que les digo
Remember what I'm telling you
Que en la prisión y en la cama
That in prison and in bed
Sólo nuestra madre nos ama, caramba
Only our mother loves us, damn it
No hay dinero, no hay amigos
There's no money, no friends
Linda guajira, ¡mi son te llama!
Beautiful 'guajira,' my music calls you to dance
Las dos palabras que más
The two words that
Me llenan de regocijo
Fill me with joy
Es cuando me dicen hijo
Are when they call me son
Es cuando digo mamá
Are when I say 'mom'
La madre es un surtidor
A mother is a spring
De miel que nunca se cierra
Of honey that never closes
Es un astro en la tierra
She's a star on Earth
Brilla mucho más que el sol
She shines brighter than the sun
No le teme a la negrura
She's not afraid of the darkness
Del vicio y todo su espanto
Of vice and all its horror
Pienso en mi madre y su encanto
I think of my mother and her charm
Me cubre con su ternura
She covers me with her tenderness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOSE MARQUETTI DIAZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dutchrookie7556
Pobres nuevas generaciones que no saben como suena el verdadero musica. Desde Paises bajos.
@king-ulking
Cuba is such a vibe, greetings from Bosnia 🇧🇦🇧🇦🇧🇦🇧🇦🔥🔥🔥🔥
@joaoh6572
Viva la musica cubana! Maravillosa orquestra por Afro Cuban All Stars ❤️
@ichkackdirindenhut654
ja, genau
@nicki996
Que es esto gracias❤
@wenvqz.56
Soy de México pero traigo los colores de la bandera cubana en el corazón. Qué bella música! Y qué bella debe ser la Isla caribeña de mis sueños! ❤️
@locario5590
Ves no es costoso uno solo de esta vida se lleva las experiencias
@jhonnydleon
I will never get tired of listening to this masterpiece.
@westerling8436
voices from the grave
@user-od8hm6pj3f
Nothing beats the soul and rythym of Cuban music especially from this group!!