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A work of musical
magical realism in one miraculous album.”
~ Norman Weinstein, author of A Night in Tunisia
From rebel to refugee to Grammy® nominee
Expect the unexpected from Cuban music rebel Juan-Carlos Formell, whose
lyrical songwriting has been hailed as “the magical realism of music.” A
virtuoso on guitar and bass, Formell’s use of progressive rhythms and
harmonies goes beyond the parameters of commercial Latin music.
Recorded at the celebrated Piety Street studio, CEMETERIES & DESIRE was
inspired by a sojourn in New Orleans. Named for the trolley lines that
once ran through the city, the album is a meditation on love and death,
featuring original ballads by Formell and the young Cuban bolerista
Descemer Bueno, as well as a few modern renditions of early trova
classics. “As a soloist I can use ballads to take the text and performance
to a new place while maintaining the core integrity,” Formell explains.
“Latin music in general and Cuban music in particular has been held back
by a format that doesn’t work anymore. We have to demolish the cliche of
Latin music as one long, loud party. I’m from a new generation of
musicians who have come out of Cuba with something to say, with a mission
to expand the the definition of what Cuban music is and can be.”
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