by Gabriel Wilder (photo by Patrick Bonnard)

After many years of renown as one of Cuba's greatest musicians, having played or recorded with many of Cuba's most popular groups, including Paulito FG, Manolín and Issac Delgado, trumpeter Alexandxer Abreu has created his own group, Havana D'Primera. While living in Denmark on and off for four years, Alexander was part of Grupo Dansón, which featured a mix of Cuban and Danish musicians, but Havana D'Primera is his first outing as leader of an all-Cuban orchestra.

And as I discovered when I arrived in Havana at the end of April, they are a force to be reckoned with. Featuring songs composed by Alexander - some of which he recorded on the Grupo Dansón album, but live, are extended with many catchy coros and exciting grooves - and some of Cuba's best musicians; they bring joy to all who see them at their regular weekly gigs. [Visit Yemaya's Verse for reports on these concerts.]

The bad news for those in Europe is that you will have to wait a little longer to see their joyous live shows, as their tour has been postponed till August. The good news for everyone else is that this means their album will be out sooner - they have already started recording at the Egrem studios in Miramar. [Visit havanadprimera.com to hear three demos by the group.]

Alexander, who it turns out, is as likeable as he is talented, came round to my casa in Centro Habana for a chat about the band - how it was formed, how he made the transition from trumpeter to frontman, and what his goals for the group are.

The musicians that play with you are some of the best in Cuba. How did you find them? Was it difficult?

First, because we are all friends. And second, because ... well, because of the path they have taken working in different styles of music. We worked a lot together in Issac Delgado’s group, but much of that time was spent in the studio recording. This time is a little cold for a musician because it’s all inside the cabin where you are recording, recording, recording and you have no contact with the public as such. So we decided to reunite and return to the stage. And I think it’s working out well.

What criteria were important to you in the selection?

They are musicians with whom you can identify, you know? For the way they perform, for the way they play their instrument. When you write music, you ask yourself, where is the person that can best interpret your work in a certain way. And that’s what I thought about. It just so happens that many of them are stars ... As a Cuban musician, and one who has worked with a lot orchestras, I think that it has been a long time since 14 musicians have played on stage with so much joy, with so much enthusiasm to play. 

Havana D’Primera have a different sound to the other Cuban groups. How did you arrive at that sound?

I think the hallmark of a group is in putting forth everything a musician has inside their head; expressing it in a straightforward and direct way.

Havana D’Primera are, as we were saying, musicians of the top tier, who also bring their own musical ideas to the songwriting process. I think that bringing all these different worlds together with a central theme is what makes a band’s sound unique. Together with having the good fortune of playing with musicians who are working together [live] for the first time, no? It creates a sort of chemistry that starts connecting everything together.

Have you written all of the songs?

All of the songs, all of the arrangements that the group does are mine.

Is there someone with whom you would like to write, or do you prefer to compose alone?

No, no, no. On the disc [that we are going to record] I am going to record songs by Joaquín Betancourt.

Is he the producer of the disc?

No, no. The producer is going to be Juan Manuel Ceruto. Between him and myself we are going to make the job a co-production. So we’re going to start working on a studio project that I think the whole orchestra will really take part in because they are all good musicians and they can make strong decisions in a recording project, because that’s practically how we made our living. So it’s going to be really great. I think it will be the first time something like this has been made in Cuba. 

Have you finished writing the songs?

Yes, all the songs for the record are finished. I have about 25 or 30 songs to choose from. Many are mine - almost 90 per cent of the songs on the disc are mine but ... I’m going to use songs by other composers, because if you write alone, you can become a little monotonous. And so you have to give colour to the disc so that it is more international; so that it has other components, other things. That is also part of the distinctive sound of the group.

You don’t play the trumpet much with this group. How have you found the transition from trumpeter to singer - has it been difficult?

It’s quite difficult. Because there are many people that think I should play more – I also think that I should play more. But well ... The object with which we created the group was to make salsa and to make concert music. That is to say, two repertoires, where in one I play the trumpet a lot, and I don’t sing much, and then, in the salsa repertoire ... I haven’t seen salsa, timba with a  lot of solos or soloists. So you know, you just to do what you have to do in order to interact with the public, to convey the lyrics, the coros, and so that doesn’t allow me to play the trumpet much.

[But] in the disc, I’m going to find some spots where I can do some soloing and add a little touch of trumpet. 

I think that it’s very interesting work that I’m doing. Many people have commented - both positively and negatively. But well, when you carry out an important work, I believe that you have to have the two critics. That means that the work is good. If both don’t exist, it’s a disaster. But it’s good; it’s all good.

So you would like to play the trumpet more?

Yes, sometimes I wish I could play it more. Sometimes I am at the front [of the stage], and I look at the brass section and I say: I should be there! But well, you can’t do everything at the same time.

But you like it, right?

I like it. I like very much what I am doing. And I am starting to like it more and more.

Your singing style is very natural and the coros are very pretty and melodic. The people at the concerts all seem to love it and there is always a lot of happiness in the room...

The energy and the joy are the base of everything, it’s the key. The magic is there; the thing is how to convey it. It’s difficult because, for example, a great group like Manolito’s has been working for a long time. They have a well-known back-catalogue - many songs that the world already knows. I’m one of those people that believes that the audience makes the concert. And it’s much easier to communicate with the audience when the work is already completed and is well-done. We are just starting out. I mean, we have to start to show people what our work is, so that they get to know it and understand it and respond to it. And it’s difficult to manage all this in one concert, but well, at the last concert you saw that already we are achieving it. I’m happy with that.

Although your sound is quite different to the other groups here, it seems that the Cubans like Havana D’Primera. Did you expect that, or was it a surprise?

Well, when you do a job, you always hope that the results will be positive. Although as we Cubans say, “hay que llevar las dos javitas, la de ganar y la de perder” (you have to carry two bags - one to win and one to lose; ie,  you have to be prepared for both the good and bad). I think that there are many things that remain to be seen, but really, I didn’t expect such a rapid development as this. I knew that there would be expectations, because each of these musicians has his fans, has his own place inside Cuban music. What I didn’t know was that the songs that I was creating were going to work here in Cuba in the way that they have. For example, in Italy, I know that they listen quite a lot to the song Mi música. And in other places they have told me that the music has been well-received. But in Cuba, well, it’s a challenge. It’s here that you know whether the music really gels or not. But really, I didn’t expect that it would happen so fast.

Your weekly matinees at Casa de la Musica are very cheap for Cubans - only $50MN. The big groups charge twice that. Have you kept the price low so that the group is more accessible to Cubans?

Yes, I believe that it’s in my interest that the Cuban public can see the group. Also there is the factor of time. It’s only a short time since the group was founded.

And how long is it? A year, more or less?

Less, less ... This means that to promote the group, it’s too early for a high entry fee like the established groups, like Van Van, Manolito. But also I think that although the group is full of famous musicians, and even if we become a lot more popular in the next few months, I will keep the price the same because I want the Cuban people to keep filling these venues, as many have never been to these places before. Now they can come for the first time and for a very accessible price. And I think the Cuban people need this. 

I think there are other markets in which we can make money.

You lived outside of Cuba for a time. Do you think that you learnt something in Europe, do with music or the music business, that you might not have learnt had you stayed in Cuba?

This is a good question, that I can discuss a little. It’s great how Cubans can get people to dance outside of Cuba. I learnt 90 percent of what I know about how to get an audience to dance outside of Cuba - that’s including the many years I spent working with the most popular groups here. But I think that, right now in Europe, for example, the continent where I have been most in recent years, they dance more salsa than here in Cuba. So you have to be precise with the rhythms and arrangements, you have to make sure that they are understandable, that they are solid, that they are clear, so that people understand.

So the dance schools there, they are doing very good work, very good work. I believe that to live outside of Cuba for a time has been one of the keys to the hallmark of this group. Because I learnt how to interact with people that don’t speak the language, I learnt how to spread that same happiness and energy. When you get to Cuba, [you play for an] audience that understands you; where you are coming from, your traditions... you are understood right away and it’s much easier. 

What I mean to say is that I have to thank the whole continent of Europe, all the dance schools, for teaching me to do it this way.

What can the people of Europe expect when Havana D’Primera tours there later this year? The same as the concerts here, or will you change the songs?

I’m going to do the same songs that I am doing [here] because these are my songs, and many are from the album by [Grupo] Dansón.  Many people [in Europe] dance to them and know them and haven’t seen them live. In Europe they are going to see an impressive group ... I think that in Cuba there are many great bands. There is Pupy’s group, Manolito’s group, there is the great Los Van Van. Many people make strong Cuban music - Maraca’s group for example. In each case, [the audience] sees a group with a lot of energy, a group that plays with a lot of force on the stage, a very strong group. That’s what I am going to try and bring. That’s what I am going to try and bring, to see what happens, no?

Thanks to Paulina Vidal, Martin Karakas and Gerardo Moreno for their help.