Alexander Abreu, the renowned trumpet player, singer and director of the Cuban timba group Havana D’Primera, presented his latest album this September entitled ‘Pueblo Grifo’, in homage to his hometown.
Abreu hosted the launch and celebrated his birthday on 6 September at the same time at the Miramar cinema theatre in Havana.
Prensa Latina reported the artist was pleased with the album and announced that it includes a collaboration with Puerto Rican salsa musician Gilberto Santa Rosa on the single ‘CU-PR’.
Watch the video here for the track CU-PR featuring Gilberto Santa Rosa
After ‘Será que se acabó’, Abreu’s 2022 album (which won the Cubadisco Grand Prize last year) of 20 new recordings of classic Cuban timba tracks by other artists from the 1990s, Abreu and Havana D’Primera have now produced 12 new dance tracks, without betraying their signature sound.
This album, released on the Páfata record label, mixes timba, son timbeado, Son Montuno, Guaguanco, jazz and rumba. It contains songs such as ‘Mi medicamento’ (a romantic song on the theme you are my medicine), ‘Secuestro’ (you have kidnapped my heart), ‘Contraseña’, ‘Cinco minutos de fama’, ‘La chica del escenario’, ‘María Magdalena’, ‘Bicho malo’, ‘A Belen le toca ahora’, ‘Mori contigo’ and the title song ‘Pueblo Grifo’. ‘CU-PR’ is mentioned above and ‘Alabanza’ features rumba singer Osain del Monte and conga player Adonis Panter.
Pueblo Grifo, a neighbourhood of Cienfuegos, built in the 19th century, is remembered in the title song with references to Abreu’s primary school, the railway line that crosses the neighbourhood, the El Inglés River and its floods, and the typical old brick roof.
Abreu told the press that he is always looking for a way not to repeat himself and achieve a signature through a variety of music. He also hoped that the public would fall even more in love with the music. He said the album reflects the maturity of the band’s 16 years, it is loaded with lyrics that make you fall in love, “I have everything with music and I lack nothing”.
Abreu has found success nationally and internationally for songs such as ‘Me Dicen Cuba/They Call Me Cuba’ and ‘The Dancer’ and albums such as ‘Haciendo historia/Making History’ (2009), ‘Pasaporte/Passport’ (2012), ‘La Vuelta al Mundo/Around the World’ (2015), and ‘Cantor del Pueblo/People’s singer’(2018), which was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2018. Earlier this year, Abreu along with other musicians popularized the song ‘Team Asere’, dedicated to the Cuban team that participated in the World Baseball Classic.
When Abreu was growing up he joined children’s groups such as Tía Rosa (Rosa Campo) and the group Ismaelillo. He began playing the trumpet at the age of 10 and since then has developed a solid musical career, which led him to join groups such as Irakere and the Isaac Delgado orchestra.
Committed to Cuban music, Havana D ́Primera emerged in 2007 and since its foundation, instilled in young performers and dancers the love for salsa and timba. Composer, arranger, instrumentalist, singer and artistic director, he has recorded albums and shared the stage with important figures of Cuban and international music, from Pablo Milanés and Omara Portuondo to Luis Enrique and Gilberto Santa Rosa.
“Recording with great masters and producers like Juan Manuel Ceruto and Joaquín Betancourt contributed a lot to my training. The performance as a trumpet player together with the time in the studio gave cleanliness and exquisiteness to our work” Abreu has said.
In a 2022 interview with Prensa Latina, Abreu said he believed Havana D’Primera stands out for bringing to the world a safe and beautiful message with humility and simplicity. He added: “Making songs that identify us is complex, it is not learned overnight, it is something that comes from the heart. It is the deep feeling I have for this land that saw me born and will see me finish.”
From September 6, ‘Pueblo Grifo’ is available on digital platforms and the band will tour Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Switzerland at the end of this month as well as perform in Cuba.
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Report based on several press reports including
Cuba 50 
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