Samuel Formell, director of Los Van Van, during the presentation of the single Modo Van Van. Photo: EFE.
“Modo Van Van” is the name of the new album by Formell and the Van Van, which was presented this Friday in Havana.
Samuel Formell, leader of the Cuban Music Train – as the orchestra founded in 1969 is also called – explained that under the seal of the companies Bis Music and Amboss Media the material consists of nine songs and the one that stands out is the album, its title and others like “You have to stop,” “Come, Give Me a Hug,” “Friendship Request,” and “Your Time Passed.”
Together with him, the composers Abdel Rasalps, Jorge Leliebre, Roberto Fernández, the actor Marlon Pijuan, Efraín Chibás, Calixto Cayava and the late Juan Formell (1942-2014), with the unpublished song “Tierra, Mar y Heaven”. he notes.
The group's current leader acknowledged the important personality of Juan Formell, his father and founder of the orchestra, who, under his leadership, brought Los Van Van to the highest level of Cuban and international music.
“Modo Van Van” is particularly dedicated to the bassist, composer and arranger Juan Carlos Formell, a member of this family of musicians who died on May 26, 2023 in New York City as a result of a heart attack.
Marianela Santos Cabrera, communications manager of Bis Music, explained that the company is proud to have in its catalog material from the renowned group with which they have already collaborated on other works.
As was said at the meeting, balance is the main quality of the album, which, without losing the essence, manages to renew harmonies and sounds while the thematic discourse becomes more diverse as it moves from the social chronicle to love, the peculiarity of people, passes over Cuban and social networks.
The Los Van Van Orchestra was founded on December 4, 1969 and is considered the flagship orchestra of Cuban popular music.
In his discography there are unforgettable albums such as “El baile del buey cansao” (1982), “Anda, come y muévete” (1984), “Azúcar” (1992), “Te pon la head mala” (1997), “ Chapeando (2004) and “The Machinery” (2011) as well as other recent works.
(With information from ACN)