Anacaona: Cuba's Women Orchestra

Founded on February 17, 1932 by Concepción Castro and her sisters: Ada, Alicia, Ondina, Xiomara, Algimira, Emma, Caridad and Olga. It was then considered the first women son sextet; in 1934 they changed the format to Jazz Band and Charanga Típica being very successful in the world from the famous Aires libres del Prado. Between the ‘40s and ‘60s these brave women traveled around the American continent, from the north to the south, the Caribbean and France. In Mexico, one of the countries the orchestra visited the most, their images and music were recorded in some Mexican films such as La noche es nuestra, No niego mi pasado and Mujeres de teatro, sharing with the most renowned musicians and movie stars from that country.

Sisters Georgia and Dora Aguirre, professional musicians, began to work with some of the band’s founders after finishing studies at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in 1983, conducted by Alicia Castro, second director of the group, getting experience and sharing with them their first professional years till their retirement on December 1987, when Georgia Aguirre assumed the conduction of Anacaona who next to her sister Dora and some other young girls, also graduated from the Art schools, have consolidated a style that combines tradition with modernity keeping and enriching Anacaona´s history, in this moment with more than 75 years of work defending Cuban patrimony.

The orchestra is composed by twelve women who perform popular music making fusion between the most traditional rhythm and the contemporary Cuban music. Known in Cuba as Las Mulatísimas del Sabor, Anacaona is considered one of the most important exponents of the salsa music, achieving a sonority that makes them popular and loved by the critics and dancers from Cuba and some other countries. They have performed at the most important popular dance music stages in Cuba, cultural events, festivals, radio and television and have toured around the island. It is considered the most popular Cuba’s women orchestra and one of the best Cuba’s popular music orchestras.

Between 1989 and 1995 Anacaona began a new successful career overseas that takes it to some stages worldwide. A new experience for the orchestra was the elaboration and performance of the music for the presentation of the play EL Buqués Gentilhombre by Moliere, in which the orchestra played the original music composed by Jean Baptieste Lully, adapted to salsa and the Caribbean music. This play, directed by outstanding French director Gerome Sabary, was premiered on December 1997 in Cuba and at Metropolitan Theater, D.F on March 1998 during the Mexico City Theater Festival. Around the middle of May 1998 they traveled to France to perform at the National Chaillot Theater creating a great expectation on French audience who crowded the theater during the 10 presentations and appreciated the musical work of Anacaona. After that they gave four concerts with the same number of people. When visiting new Jersey City, they shared stages with figures such as Tito Puentes, the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Colombia’s women orchestra Canelas, among others.

Once they returned from the United States they got ready to prepare their fourth album, CD Lo que tu esperabas, with Lusáfrica label from France. They shot documentary Anacaona, 70 años después… (Anacaona, 70 years later…), which is about the history of this Orchestra and also a tribute to women movement that is strong within Cuban music since the ´30s, having as main stages the Cafés on the Prado Habanero. They made a documentary about Cuban music with NHK Japanese TV station. They became more famous in the national territory, strengthening promotion on radio and TV programs in almost all provinces and municipalities of Cuba; they have performed in all night centers of Havana like: Houses of Music, Macumba Habana, Habana Café (Meliá Cohiba), Café Cantante Mi Habana, Delirio Habanero and some others.

The Orchestra has just recorded its 5th album with BIS Music which includes different Cuban dance genres. The CD production was made by Georgia Aguirre and Reinaldo Aguirre, who is also the one in charge of most of the arrangements.

This group, with its talent, music and female grace, has reached an important place within the Cuban music and distinguishes it as Anacaona Cuba’s Women Orchestra.

See recordings of this orchestra at www.discuba.com