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To
verify the existence of a mith. Greatest Cuban Flutists.
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 There
were musical forms in Latin America, by the end of the 19th century,
that featured the flute as their leading solo instrument. Such is
the case of the Cuban charanga, a flute-led format that allegedly
emerged around 1895.
Reflective of European chamber ensembles, that reached our shores
as a direct influence of the French countredance after the burst of
the Saint-Domingue (Haiti) Revolution in August 1791, this provoked
the immigration of the French landowners threatened by the constant
attacks of Toussaint L'Ouverture and its warriors.
The early charangas, mainly played danzones, and eventually displaced
the traditional brass known as "orquestas tipicas ".
The charanga flutists exclusively employed the 5-key wooden flute
(also known as transverse flute), a baroque instrument formerly made
in France, and exported mainly to Cuba, the only country where it
has never become obsolete, after the invention of the metallic or
systematic flute.
Capable of producing high notes similar to those of a piccolo, the
wooden flute was able to project itself brightly over the percussive
charanga textures, even those, who are still using the clarinet and
adopting elements of "las orquestas tipicas".
The Cuban flute sound "crossovered" into the United States
of America jazz ensembles in 1928, when Manzanillo-born flutist Alberto
Socarras, armed with a systematic flute, recorded in New York the
first (flute) solo in the history of jazz.
This record presents a brief summary that comprises the anthological
charangas of Antonio María Romeu, Fajardo, La Aragón,
Pancho El Bravo, La Sublime, Enrique Jorrín, Estrellas Cubanas,
La Charanga Nacional de Concierto, La Ideal de Joseito Valdés,
The New Generation All Stars, Alberto Corrales with Emiliano Salvador
Quintet, Rafael Carrasco featuring Gonzalito Rubalcaba Proyecto Group,
Javier Zalba and Temperamento, plus Orlando Valle "Maraca's"
Passport Special.
Enjoy this generational exchange plugged and unplugged which deals
with the stylistic variety of fourteen first-class soloists. A new
ceremony to everlast the-in-force-sounds. A landmark album that proves
the existence of a myth : the flutes and the Cuban flutists.
Toni Basanta
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