Igbó Alákọrin (a phrase in Yoruba which can be loosely translated as The Singer’s Grove) is the realization of my dream to document the under-sung musicians of my birthplace, Santiago de Cuba. Each time I go back to visit my family, I have made it a practice to seek out and reconnect with the music's elder statesmen and women whom I grew up knowing through my parents, who are also musicians. I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to assemble for this album some of the legends, all of whom are still at the peak of their craft. Most of them are not household names and have never received recognition beyond their Santiago community, but they remain arguably amongst the last living sources of our music's golden era. The album was recorded at Santiago's E.G.R.E.M. - Siboney studios, where I grew up attending my father's late night recording sessions and also where I made some of my first record dates. The Singer’s Grove is a homecoming of sorts as it documents a collaboration with roots in family, community and culture. As I strive to make original music that is equal parts folk and contemporary expressions, this is another step in my pursuit to understand the essence of music, beyond styles or vocabularies.
Volume I - David Virelles Introduces Orquesta Luz de Oriente
The picturesque southeastern Cuban town of Santiago has historically been considered an important breeding ground for music on the island. Volume I encompasses genres/styles associated with key figures of the rich musical legacy of the city: danzón Oriental, chepinsón, pregón, bolero and trova. In compiling this material, I received the blessing and guidance of Enrique Bonne, a world-renowned composer whose work has been recorded by a who’s who of Cuban music giants. Most of this volume was conceived for a big band of seasoned veterans. Visionary Santiago musicians Electo Rosell (Chepín) and Mariano Mercerón pioneered the big band sound propelled by Cuban percussion in the 1930s. Their work was inspired by African- American groups, yet kept very profound connections to folklore native to this part of Cuba.
The Oriente region is home to son, changüí, nengón, conga, as well as traditions inherited from Haiti. The legendary Chepín-Chovén Orchestra was the brainchild of Chepín and the outstanding yet obscure pianist Bernardo Chauvín (Chovén), whose pianistic style is referenced on our renditions of Chepín classics. In their heyday, the Chepín-Chovén Orchestra was a fixture at many venues, including the sociedad de mulatos Luz de Oriente. This long-vanished society club, which was located in a building still standing in Santiago, is the inspiration behind the name of our ensemble.
It features the voices of Emilio Despaigne Robert, a veteran sonero (lead vocalist) of Los Jubilados, one of the funkiest Santiago groups, and Alejandro Almenares, who is also featured on his sublime requinto guitar. Many consider Alejandro – the son of trova legend Ángel Almenares – the last of the old style trovadores, a lineage dating back to the 19th century with deep roots in Santiago. The younger Almenares learned his craft at informal home gatherings from his father and his father’s friends, which included the prophet Sindo Garay. Volume I spans several decades of important music from Santiago. These sounds tell the history of our people.
Vol II - Danzones de Romeu at Café La Diana
Volume II is focused on the iconic Cuban pianist/composer Antonio María Romeu, who played his danzones on piano accompanied only by güiro starting in 1899 at the legendary Café La Diana in Havana. Romeu introduced an improvised piano solo on the montuno section of his quintessential “Tres Lindas Cubanas,” which revisits and expands Guillermo Castillo’s son of the same name. I reproduced Romeu’s solo on our interpretation of “Tres Lindas” because it is considered part of the piece, following the tradition of virtually every performance of this composition by any Cuban pianist, from Odilio Urfé to Chucho Valdés.
On this recording I also explored specific Romeu pianistic devices. To my knowledge, there are just a few recordings that feature only piano and güiro in all of Cuba’s vast musical output. Romeu himself did various sessions in this format for Radio Cadena Suaritos from the end of the 1940s until his death in 1955, released posthumously on one LP. The other recordings documenting this rare combination are by the late piano god Frank Emilio Flynn and the magician of the güiro Gustavo Tamayo. Their stunning interpretations date from the 1960s. Romeu’s and Emilio’s albums were my primary inspiration for this volume. I was fortunate enough to meet Emilio in Havana where he was a judge for the first young musicians' competition I participated in (JoJazz), when I was 14 years old.
The master güirero on our recording is the danzón specialist Rafael Ábalos, a veteran of Oriente charangas such as Típica Juventud and Estrella De La Charanga. I first met Ábalos when I was eight years old when members of Estrella realized the beautiful idea of coaching a charanga of children in which I played piano. Ábalos has been an invaluable resource in realizing this entire project, hipping me to long forgotten recordings, providing historical context and passing on secrets of this much talked-about but forever mystical genre of Cuban music, the danzón.
David Virelles
What a marvel! Tradition and avant-garde come together in this offering of the highest order. In my opinion, David Virelles is a young virtuoso immersed in research. He knows our African roots with depth. He is an innovator, a perfectionist, and the most creative and advanced of our jazz pianists. Thank you, David, for making us happy and proud, and for updating our traditions. Ashé! Never stop!
Chucho Valdés
1. Bodas de Oro 04:51
2. El Rayaero
3. Grato Recuerdo
4. Echa Pa' Allá
5. Canto a Oriente
6. Un Granito de Arena
7. Sube La Loma
8. Cosas de Mi Cuba
9. Ojos de Sirena
10. Tápame Que Tengo Frío
11. Tira la Cuchara y Rompe el Plato
12. Mojito Criollo
13. Mares y Arenas
14. Tres Lindas Cubanas
Alejandro Almenares: requinto, lead vocals (3,5,8,9), chorus
Emilio Despaigne Robert: lead vocals (2,7) , chorus
Rafael Ábalos: timbal, guiro, chorus
José Ángel Martínez: bass
Lázaro Bandera: congas
Román Filiú: alto saxophone
René "La Flor" Domínguez: tenor saxophone
Baudelis Rodríguez: baritone saxophone
Abel Virelles: trumpet
José Aquiles Virelles: chorus
Gabriel Montero: pailitas criollas, claves (2,7)
— with John Benitez: bass (5,8)
Recorded March 1-7, 2017 at Estudios
Siboney - E.G.R.E.M., Santiago de Cuba
Additional recording and mixing at
The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Producer, musical direction, arrangements,
transcriptions: David Virelles
Executive producers: Seth Rosner and Yulun Wang
Production coordinator: José Aquiles Virelles
Cultural resources: Rafael Ábalos, Alejandro
Almenares and Enrique Bonne
Engineer: Todd Carder
Assistants: Máximo Espinosa and Iván Salas
Mixed by Todd Carder and David Virelles
Mastered by Alex DeTurk at Strange Weather,
Brooklyn, NY
Piano technician: Brian Whiton
Art direction and photography: Rómulo Sans
Graphic design: Simon Grendene
Composition credits:
#1-2: Electo Rosell (Chepín) – Peer International Corp.
#3: Alejandro Enis Almenares Sanchez – Music Sales Corporation OBO Tumi Editorial Ltd.
#4: Mariano Mercerón Maso – Peer International Corp.
#5: Manuel (Manolo) Meléndez – Copyright Control
#6: Enrique Bonne Castillo – Peer International Corp.
#7: David Virelles – SOCAN
#8: Ángel Almenares Guirola – Music Sales Corporation OBO Tumi Editorial Ltd.
#9: Sindo Garay - Peer International Corp.
#10-11: Antonio María Romeu – Copyright Control
#12: Antonio María Romeu – Spirit Music Inc. (ASCAP) OBO Hadem Music Corp. / Copyright Control
#13: Rosendo Ruíz and Antonio María Romeu – Peermusic III Ltd.
#14: Antonio María Romeu – Peer International Corp.
