• Submitted by: admin
• Arts and Culture
• Music
• 11 / 05 / 2006

In a true route of Son music that will visit the scenarios of the popular song Chan chan, of Compay Segundo, will become the XVIII edition of the National Encounter of Son Music Groups Mayarí 2006, with venue in that municipality of the eastern province of Holguín from November 1st to November 5th. Under the name The Route of Chan chan, the event will pay homage to the symbol of Cuban music Francisco Repilado.

In Alto Cedro will begin the musical journey that will finish in the great party at Mayarís Cultural Square. The new edition begins with a cultural tourist journey defined by the slogan and so far its expected the participation of Compay Segundo group and the members of Buena Vista Social Club.

Another interesting aspect is the encounter of typical groups, where musicians of the genre will have a friendly exchange, improvisers, tres players, and percussionists, all of it in live performances before a public that enjoys each presentation.

The Son music from Mayarí will definitively surpass the limits and come to life internationally. With this purpose internet users will have their space: an interactive forum is already under preparation with the participation of outstanding personalities and studious of the issue.

This event takes place every year since 1988 and it constitutes an artistic space that binds together personalities of the local, national, and international culture, like researchers, musicologists, writers, and artists with the objective of highlight and research on the birth of Son music in Mayarí.

Its also an encouraging space for a fraternal encounter with groups of the province which follow this same musical genre in all its styles and trends.

Colloquy on the tendencies and trends of Son music in the Eastern region of the Island, the book fair and the disc fair, encounter of the artist with the people, press conference, Los Munenes gathering, homage to important personalities of culture, encounter of typical groups, dancing activities in the cultural square, encounter of children Singing to Son Music. These are the main music and thinking spaces to be developed during this event.

National Encounter of Son Music Groups is the artistic space to confront the Cuban Son music, due to its variety of styles. This tradition begins to grow in mid XX century with groups that had a very particular way of playing Son music, since it is said that since the area of Santiago de Cuba it was introduced in Mayarí the Son montuno; by the villagers of Guantánamo and Sagua de Tánamo came the changüí and with the evident influence of Jamaica and Haiti appeared reminiscent of the choir of clave and Tumba Francesa, while in the basin of Cauto river, appeared the nengón and dudú.

All the above-mentioned settles down Son music simultaneously in the towns of Mayarí with analogous characteristic but different, the Son of the munenes for the influence of Guantánamo and Baracoa. That fusion becomes the traditional Son of Mayarí, reflected in the melodic and rhythmic context in the sonority of the group symbol of that municipality: Los Taínos de Mayarí.

In 1989, a group of passionate musicians, investigators, journalists and promoters of the Cuban music, lead by Jorge Cabreja Rondón, Juan Mejías Montero and Los Taínos Orchestra, decided to found a hope; to constituted the National Encounter of Son Music Groups, to show Cuba and the world, a singular way to play Son music in Mayarí, on the base of the diversity of styles and trends in the eastern provinces.

After a long road, where it has prevailed the love with which municipality authorities face the organization of each edition and the support of personalities from the nation and the province, increase every year the experience and commitment to take to the people and guests an event that shows the wealth of son music of the flowery valley and exhibits the wealth of traditions and aesthetic of a land with a deep inheritance of culture and Cuban identity.

The National Encounter is promoted on the radio, television, written press and nowadays through Internet. The logo is made up of a G musical note, the royal palm tree, the mountains of Pinares de Mayarí and the river of the municipality.

Source: Digital Portal of Mayarí Culture