Search - Juan-Carlos Formell :: Cemeteries & Desire

Expect the unexpected from Cuban music rebel Juan-Carlos Formell, whose daring new solo venture, Cemeteries & Desire, has been hailed as "the magical realism of music." The singer/guitarist/bassist/ Composer's debut CD was nominated for a Grammy in 2000. Inspired by a sojourn in New Orleans, the new album is a meditation on the intertwined themes of love and death; the title refers to the streetcar lines that used to run through the city. The recording features powerful original ballads by Juan-Carlos, as well as by the young Cuban bolerista and bassist, Descemer Bueno. A live recording of Juan-Carlos's searing rendition of Bueno's "Un bolero que te salve la vida" ("A Bolero to Save Your Life") from a concert in New Orleans is a bonus track on the CD.Juan-Carlos Formell's continuing quest to expand the parameters of Latin music has led to collaborations with such innovative artists as jazz guitarist Mark Whitfield, pedal steel virtuoso Tommy Moran, and Cajun accordionist Zachary Richard. He also founded, with Bueno, a concert series called "Tres Tristes Tigres" in which they performed, and presented the New York debuts of Cuban singer/songwriters Gema y Pavel, Kelvis Ochoa and Alma. After this fruitful experimentation, several years of touring and some major concerts--with world music stars Cesaria Evora, Milton Nascimento, Susana Baca, Vusi Mahsahala and Buena Vista Social Club veteran Eliades Ochoa, Juan-Carlos was ready to take on the challenge of a solo guitar project."It's time for a change," Formell declares. "Latin music in general and Cuban music in particular has been held back by a format that doesn't work anymore. We have to demolish the cliché of Latin music as one long, loud party. I'm part of a new generation of musicians who have come out of Cuba with something to say, to express in a way that's not limited by categories. We're creating the future, where the roots of the tree are growing upward to embrace the branches, and we're allowed to draw on all of our resources of the classical, the traditional and jazz to create something new, without losing our authenticity."