Explore the convergence of rhythms in Lecuona’s works, from the enchanting “Siboney” to the vibrant *filin* movement brought to life by Frank Emilio Flynn. As the echoes of Lecuona’s piano cascade like a Cuban waterfall, artists like Troveros de Asieta and Emilio Carretero continue to unravel the intricate chords of inquiry, perpetuating the maestro’s timeless influence on Cuba’s musical landscape.
Notes of Lecuona
Consecrated on his Cuban soil, Ernesto Lecuona plays the cultural alchemist, merging African drums, Spanish strings, and Taino whispers. Piano reigns supreme, guiding scores through “Damisela Encantadora” and “La Afro-Cuban Suite” where notes cascade like a Cuban waterfall. One hears the echoes in “Malagueña” and “La Comparsa,” each piece a fragment of Lecuona’s soul.
Lecuona, sitting in his beloved ranch also named “La Comparsa,” scribbles furiously between concert tours and moments of rum-soaked rumination. The establishment of the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra owes him a nod, for wasn’t it Lecuona who sprinkled classical pixie dust over Cuba’s musical aspirations?
Where Rhythms Converge
The island’s rhythm beats through Lecuona’s blood, calling to him in the warm undertones of “Siboney” and the playful flirtations of “Oye Mi Rumba.” As Caribbean lights mock the shadows, Lecuona captures these fleeting desires, embedding them within pieces that Gitanerías or the Lecuona Cuban Boys bring to stage and record.
Frank Emilio Flynn retells the birth of jazz on Cuban airwaves; listeners sigh collectively, imbibing the *filin* movement. Lecuona watches the youthful fervor of “Orley Cruz” and “Compay Segundo,” drawn to the pulsating heart of a Habana Típica orchestra, swaying to songs of love and legacy sketched in trumpet and trombone.
The Legacy’s Hem
Yet Lecuona’s repertoire tells only half the tale. These works rest not in a vacuum. Echoes of Justin Sanner and Chucho Valdés, their vibrant chords nod toward Lecuona, while Bebo’s melodies are suffused with his spirit. They are all voices in a great polyphony, too complex for silence, too subdued for noise.
Percussion reverberates with Francisco Aguabella’s congas as Grupo Corpo’s dancers spin tales through movement. Threads unfurl, twisting through the winds of time, tethered to national identity by forlorn “Para Vigo Me Voy” and humming “The Breeze and I,” each note a promise, a story, a journey.
Chords of Inquiry
If the song-ending cadence in “Como Presiento” leaves listeners lingering in suspended animation, the answer lies in the continuity. From Emilio Carretero’s strings to Troveros de Asieta’s Canarian echoes, Lecuona’s influence seeps like a secret, moving through the generation gaps.
And so the Cuban night is ablaze with hints of Lecuona, the maestro who knew no borders; for the ocean was but a formality. His compositions whisper: the music lives, continuing, proliferating–notes and rests woven through time’s tapestry.
Lecuona Cuban Boys : Oye Mi Rumba Singer-Tres “Maño ” Lopez
“LECUONA CUBAN BOYS: OYE MI RUMBA – Maño López” features the Lecuona Cuban Boys in a 1940s‑style rumba, where singer‑tresero Maño López leads a buoyant, migration‑era party on record. It’s vintage Cuban charm undiluted.
Para Vigo Me Voy
“Para Vigo me voy” (aka “Say Si Si”) is Lecuona’s 1935 ballroom conga, later popularized by Xavier Cugat in 1935 and Lecuona Cuban Boys in 1937. It became a US hit in 1940—Andrews Sisters took it to #4, Glenn Miller to #15.
The Breeze And I
“The Breeze and I” began life as “Andalucía,” part of Lecuona’s Suite Andalucía (1928). In 1940, English lyrics by Al Stillman turned it into the Jimmy Dorsey hit that became a swing‑era staple.
Ernesto Lecuona – La Cárdenense
“Ernesto Lecuona – La Cárdenense” (The Girl from Cárdenas) is one of his classical Cuban dances—often performed solo on piano. It evokes gentle provincial charm, dating back at least to mid‑20th‑century recordings.