2008 Cubadisco Awards

Cubadisco 2008 set out to multiply, and its Grand Prize was shared by Clásicos de Cuba, by César López y Habana Ensemble (BIS Music), and Mozart en la Habana (Colibrí).

The awards ceremony, which kicked off the concerts and presentations of this Cuban recording industry fiesta (May 17-25), was held as a gala event at the Karl Marx Theater.

Cubadisco 2008, dedicated to Africa and its Diaspora, gave four International Prizes to Carioca, by Brazilian Chico Buarque de Holland; Techarí, by the Spanish group Ojos de Brujo; Navega, by Cape Verdian Mayra Andrade; and the collection Grabaciones inéditas del teatro de la Zarzuela , sponsored by the Autor Foundation.

Five Special Prizes also were awarded, to Noel Nicola, 37 canciones (Factoría Autor SGAE / Ojalá). Te doy una canción. Homenaje de la Nueva Trova a Silvio Rodríguez (Centro Pablo). Original de Cuba: Benny Moré, selection by Jorge Rodríguez (EGREM). Canta mi tierra, selection by José Manuel García (Bis Music). Persona y pensamiento: Harold Gramatges, María Teresa Linares y Esther Borja. General director: Alfredo Guevara. Directors: René Arencibia, Léster Hamlet and Pavel Giroud (SGAE / Casa del Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano).
Outstanding figures in music (Vicente Feliú, Marta Campos, Augusto Blanca, Liuba María Hevia and Angel Bonne), and literature, (Víctor Casaus, Alex Pausides and National Literature Award winners César López and Nancy Morejón), presented the prizes in the different categories.

ANTHOLOGY AND/OR COMPILATION: Original de Cuba: Charangas de siempre, Joaquín Quintero (EGREM). FUSION: Revolution, X Alfonso (EGREM). JAZZ: Trapiche, Alejandro Vargas (Colibrí). TRADITIONAL POPULAR MUSIC: Al estilo de Paisán, vol. II, Inaudi Paisán (EGREM). FOLK MUSIC: Oru, Sergio Vitier y Rogelio Martínez Furé (Colibrí). LYRICAL SONG: Pietá signore, Dayamí Revé (EGREM). VOCAL MUSIC: A fuego abierto, Lien y Rey (Centro Pablo). CHAMBER MUSIC: Diseños, Harold Gramatges (EGREM). INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC: Clásicos de Cuba, César López, Habana Ensemble (Bis Music). CONCERT SOLOIST: Mozart en La Habana , Ulises Hernández, Leonardo Gell, Elvira Santiago, Ileana Bautista, Roberto Urbay, Víctor Rodríguez, María Victoria Collado, Marita Rodríguez, Yanet Bermúdez, Pedro Rodríguez and Fidel Leal (Colibrí). DANCE POP MUSIC: Fresquecito.com, Elito Revé y su Charangón (Bis Music). SINGER-SONGWRITER: Teresita Fernández en nosotros, Silvio Rodríguez, Liuba María Hevia, Amaury Pérez, Sara González y Teresita Fernández (Colibrí). TROVA: De paso por el sol, Leonardo García (Centro Pablo). TROVA ROCK: Sobreviviendo, Sergio Valdés and Elénese (EGREM). POP ROCK: Almas sin bolsillos, Moneda Dura (EGREM). DANCE POP: Tal como soy, Haila (Bis Music). HIP HOP, RAP, REGGAETON: Llena de amor el mambo, Ogguere (Asere Producciones). MUSIC FOR CHILDREN: Secretos cantados, Liuba María Hevia (Bis Music). CHILDREN’S STORIES: Cazadores de cuentos, Kiki Corona (EGREM). DEBUT: Canciones, Harold López-Nussa (Colibrí). SLEEVE NOTES: Original de Cuba: Celina González, Sonia Pérez Casola (EGREM). STUDIO RECORDING: Revolution, X Alfonso, Fito Martínez (EGREM). ON-SITE RECORDING: Clásicos de Cuba. Eduardo Pérez and Carlos Hevia (Bis Music). GRAPHIC DESIGN: Los Naranjos, Alberto Medina (Ahí’ namá). MULTIMEDIA DVD Tengo nada, Warapo. Tomás Miña and Ismar Rodríguez (EGREM). CONCERT DVD: Mozart en La Habana , René Arencibia y Abel Machado. DVD DESIGN: Pedrito Calvo, 30 años. Ricardo Mosnar. (EGREM). MULTIMEDIA: Buena Fe, Erick Rodríguez (EGREM). MUSIC VIDEO: Revolution. X Alfonso (EGREM). DOCUMENTARY: Son para un sonero, Lourdes de los Santos (ICAIC). RECORD PRODUCER: Ulises Hernández.

THE LONGEST RUMBA IN THE WORLD

The rumba, an especially African-based genre that is sung and danced, performed on drums or simply with wooden boxes and claves (sticks hit together), reigned in the days leading up to Cubadisco, given that its organizers set out to make a Guinness World Record under the category "longest rumba in the world."

On the last day, with the musical record of 300 hours after starting the rumba on May 4 in Holguín, it took place in various parks and streets in central Havana , after moving across the island from east to west and involving dozens of music groups.

Some of these groups included emblematic ones, such as Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Clave y Guaguancó, Yoruba Andabo and Conjunto Folclórico Nacional.

In Santiago de Cuba , the rumba ended with the matchless touch of Conga de los Hoyos.

The longest rumba in the world paid tribute to the now-deceased Chano Pozo and Tata Güines, two of the kings of Cuban percussion.

(Fuente: Prensa Latina)