Forever timba with Formell

The International Timba Festival 2019 «… Forever Formell» will take place in Havana between August 2 and 4, the latter the date on which the founder of the legendary orchestra Los Van Van and one of the musicians who have left adeeper footprint in Cuban popular culture turns 77. This was announced at a press conference chaired by Samuel Formell - director of the orchestra, known as the Cuban Music Train; -Migdalia Torres, commercial vice president of Artex and producer of the event; María del Rosario Hernández Iznaga, dean of Music of the Higher Institute of Art (ISA), to which the Juan Formell chair belongs; Laura Vilar, director of the Center for Research and Development of Cuban Music (Cidmuc); Yaíma González, of RTV Comercial; Sandra Bulté Ramos, specialist of the Travel Agency Paradiso Cultural Tourism; and Marianela Dufflar, from the Artex Communication Department.

The event, which aims to become an annual meeting with a great call, is organized by Artex, Los Van Van orchestra, RTV Comercial and the Alzara Communication Group, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Culture, the Cuban Institute of Music, the Company of Recordings and Musical Editions (Egrem), Bis Music and Clave Cubana, with Paradiso as official receiver, and will also constitute a musical tribute to the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Havana. According to its organizers, "it will be a perfect occasion to honor the unforgettable Cuban bassist and composer Juan Formell, director and founder of Los Van Van, who before he died expressed the need to create a global musical event on the musical genre called timba ...".

The main locations will be the Juan Formell Room of the Cultural Center of Artex El Sauce (home of the photographic exhibition of Iván Soca and the academic program of the event, organized by musicologist Neris González Bello), the Salón Rosado de La Tropical Benny Moré (space privileged for the concerts of popular dance music), the Comodoro hotel (headquarters of the "Formell Session") and the corner of 23 and P (place where on December 4, 1969 Los Van Van orchestra was officially presented to the public, and where a symbolic plaque will be revealed in remembrance of the event).

In addition to the host orchestra, the following personalities and musical groups will be invited: Pedro Calvo, Mayito Rivera, Issac Delgado, NG la Banda, Pupy y los que Son Son, Maykel Blanco, Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco, Adalberto Álvarez y su Son, Alaín Pérez, Haila María Mompié, Alexander Abreu and Havana D'Primera, Gerardo Piloto and Klimax, El Niño y la Verdad, El Noro y Primera Clase, Leonel Limonta and Azúcar Negra, Bamboleo, Mónica Mesa and Tania Pantoja.

Other guests will be La Colmenita Theater Company, international DJs Dany la Clave, Melao, Guarapo, Samuray and Patricia Ayala, as well as music students from ISA.

«The idea of ​​organizing a timba festival with the name of Juan Formell had been around for a long time, as a way to honor his fruitful work and everything he did for the development of this musical manifestation,"         -Samuel declared-. In addition to remembering it, it is a way to bring together in a festival the creators of a music that has great value for everyone and must be defended. An event like this unites once again talented musicians of a very high level who make a very rich music, with a very high level, to dance and enjoy. Expression of this will be the mega-concert where we will all share for almost eight hours. All those groups that are at the top of the defense of Cuban popular music will be present».