Olavo Alén Rodriguez

Like fathers appear to carry out, the brilliant early 20th hundred years Cuban pianist Osvaldo Alén might question which of his sons to become most pleased with. Those with encounter may conceivably comment that it’s undoubtedly the oldest child who has got the nod — poor information for Andres Alén, youthful than Olavo Alén by 3 years. Nevertheless, this appears to be the uncommon example where there is certainly actual merit mixed up in choice: it had been Olavo Alén who composed From Afrocuban Music to Salsa, a reserve regarded by some critics to be always a masterpiece. The brothers talk about the avocation of musicology, recommending that younger one may happily accept his family members position, closeting his 2001 Latin Grammy nomination as he gets on his along with his very own brilliant career. Significantly, the prosperity of accomplishments in the Alén family members alone is concurrently remarkable and regular, both in the Cuban music picture and in the arts generally. Dr. Olavo Alén Rodriguez — generally known as merely Olavo Alén — was like his youthful brother been trained in the piano arts by their dad, a single performer in what would need to certainly be a pretty high-class cabaret environment. Between 1955 and 1961 the family members lived in NEW YORK, where in fact the sons had been subjected to an action-packed Latin music picture. Olavo Alén was between eight and 14 years of age in this era. Equally open and regarded a prodigy, younger brother pursued a profession which in its initial half was large on performances being a pianist. The old brother reserve such ambitions, regardless of the possibilities of financing in the Soviet Union. He became involved with directorial positions, administration, and eventually the Cuban federal government itself, an unavoidable hyperlink in the Fidel Castro routine once the idea of working an enterprise arises. Alén was the movie director of music on the Country wide School for Contemporary Dance ahead of searching for his musicology level at Humboldt University or college in Berlin. Graduating with honors in the past due ’70s, Alén got in dense with the complete Eastern bloc music picture aswell as teaching on the Mexican Middle for Musical Analysis and Records. He began posting as soon as 1973 using a quantity detailing interactions between performers and musical musical instruments. What has become considered his ideal work was initially released in Spanish in 1992 as Generos Musicales de Cuba: De Lo Afro a la Salsa. There were following editions of From Afro-Cuban Music to Salsa in various other languages, including British and Japanese and a version along with a great compilation Compact disc. Tape junkies may choose a Puerto Rican model that is included with a set of cassettes. Cultural music fiends will acknowledge Alén as the writer of liner records, but only when their eye can still concentrate after hearing Sacred Rhythms of Cuban Santeria. Alén may be the creator of the guts for Analysis and Advancement of Cuban Music.