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Timbera Mayor
Manolín Announces His Return to Cuba
Para Siempre!
Pachito Alonso & Manolín "El Médico de la Salsa"
Manolín and Pachito Alonso are rehearsing together for a national tour of Cuba that begins at Teatro Nacional in Havana on November 9th. They took time to give an interview to the online magazine OnCuba in which Manolín announced his intention to move back to Cuba "forever". For now he will be performing with Pachito Alonso's band, doing a repertoire heavy on Manolín's songs. When the Cuban national tour ends they plan to take the tour international. If you read Spanish, click here for the interview with Pachito and Manolín. If you don't read Spanish do not despair! OnCuba also has an English site, but it usually is a few days behind the Spanish version as the articles are being translated. So check back with them in a couple of days.
This is the answer to many a timbero's prayers! Many people believe that it was Manolín's incredible popularity and his gift for lyrics and for putting together a stellar group of musicians that led to the great burst of creativity in Havana at the end of the 90s. When Manolín left Havana to begin what ended up being a 12-year period in Miami, suddenly the competitiveness decreased and the push for new innovations with it. Only time will tell if Manolín's return will spark a renaissance in a timba scene that has been moving more into reggaeton fusions and simpler pop-inspired arrangements. Will the good natured rivalry between Manolín and Paulo FG flare up again? Will Alexander Abreu find himself challenged in his current role as the most popular singer/composer in Havana? We all wait with excitement to see what develops!
Miami no aguanta más,,,
Manolin will find a different musical landscape in Cuba than the one that he originally left, and since he has done a variety of styles while in the US, I agree that it will be interesting to see what he ends up doing after he has been there for a year. But I certainly don't question his decision to return -- if he really does want to return to serious Timba, his chances of success there are still better than they would be in Miami today.
Comment on straws :)
I think at first he will keep collaborating with Pachito but I expect that his ultimate goal will be to set up his own band again. But as you know he will first have to get a plantilla from the government to be able to have his own band. That may be the first stumbling block. It will be a real test of the new changes regarding returning Cubans to see whether they let him start right up again as any Cuban musician or if they take their time to see what he says and does first.
The Straw that Stirs the Drink
As great as his music was in the 90s, Manolín's most important contribution was the effect that his extreme popularity had on his competitors - Issac, Paulito, Bamboleo, et al. They all did their best work (not coincidentally) in direct response to Manolín's epic successes with Para mi gente and De buena fe. I was in Cuba when Manolín's 2000 all-star band was not allowed to play (Jan. 2001). You could almost hear the air escaping from the balloon as the whole timba scene slipped into a big slump. Manolín's return is the most promising news I've heard since the debuts of HdP and PMG. Now the question is whether he can get a regular working band or whether he'll just sing a few old numbers with Pachito's rhythm section. Only if he creates his own unique band and develops new material will this pan out as hoped.
Si te gusta bien, si no tambien!