Septeto Santiaguero: plenty to tell about when it comes to Cuban music

The city of Cali, Colombia, will be shaken next December 29 by the music of Septeto Santiaguero, a group made by musicians that has intended to break the cliché that Cuban traditional music is meant just “for old people”.

So it said to Granma newspaper Alden Gonzalez Diaz, manager of the famous group, which has received in this year the Cubadisco Award, the Latin Grammy and it has been nominated to the 58^th Grammy Awards in the Best Tropical Latin Album category, and whose results will be public next February 15.

All of them were for the same album: No quiero llanto. Tributo a Los Compadres, made with the Dominican Jose Alberto “El Canario”, with Los Canarios Music record label, licensed and distributed in Cuba by EGREM.

“We make Cuban traditional popular music but with a more contemporary sound. We are certain traditional music has no age, since it must be done with respect and new arrangements that invite the audience to dance.”

“Our next album with EGREM will be a surprise with all new songs. We are going to have Cuban and foreign guests that has taken interest in collaborating, some of them make a different kind of music, I mean, urban music, poo, rock, but they all have our traditional popular music as base”, said Gonzalez Diaz in a conversation via telephone with this writer.

Excited by the love showed by the people from Santiago de Cuba province, who did not stop to give them the most deep recognitions, they performed for them with their best songs in places like Casa de la Trova.

“In February we want to star our first national tour; we hope we can go to every province, to perform for as many audiences as possible, especially for the youth.  We also want Jose Alberto ‘El Canario’ to come to Santiago de Cuba to share with us”.

About comments referring to them as the followers of the Buena Vista Social Club, he said: “If that were the case, though it is indeed a high challenge, we would be ready to accept it. We would do it with our musicians, followers of the best tradition of Cuban popular music, the one we will take to the most diverse audiences around the world.”

Source: Granma