New York, Apr 3 (EFE).- The legendary Aragón de Cuba Orchestra returns to New York, after seven years away from these stages, with its “Icono Tour” to delight its followers with the charanga and other rhythms with which has conquered the public for more than eight decades.
The tour will take them to some US cities in California, followed by New York, where they will perform on April 8 at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in The Bronx, to then go to Miami and later to the Republic Dominican and Colombian.
The orchestra, known as “the jewels of Cuban music” will bring to the public the songs from its last two albums “Icono” and “Cha cha chá: homage to the traditional” with which it won the Latin Grammy in 2020 and 2021, in the category of Best Traditional Tropical Album.
But, they also bring in their suitcase their traditional and burning successes that the public expects, its director, Rafael Lay, told EFE.
“There are always classics that the public wants to hear” and among them are unforgettable “Stop the coachman”, “Ask me how I am”, “El paso de Encarnación”, “Bruca Maniguá” or “Siboney”.
He also pointed out that it will be an honor for the band to return to the Lehman stage, where they gave their first concert seven years ago and then shared the stage with the Broadway charanga orchestra, founded and directed by Cuban flutist Eddy Zervigón.
On this occasion, the guest star will be the well-known Cuban violinist, pianist, flutist, composer and singer Pupi Legarreta, 83, who lives in New York and was part of the Fania Stars.
The tour will serve to introduce the group’s followers to its new singer Alexander Martínez, after the death on August 22 of Ernesto Bacallao Serrano, who was the main voice of the band for almost 30 years, at the age of 64.
The Aragón Orchestra, which played a key role in shaping the Cuban music scene, internationally led the first wave of cha cha chá and “mambomanía”, which have traveled the world and captivated the American public with the characteristic sound of the They are traditional cuban.
The mythical band has managed to stay on the musical staff since its founding in 1939 by Orestes Aragón.
According to Lay, a key piece is “the familiarity” that exists between its members and the fidelity that it has maintained to its musical roots.
«We always try to maintain cordiality, familiarity, that each member who enters feels good, no matter how long they have (in the group). Apart from the fact that we are always aware of what is happening (in music) and we try to fit in without losing the essence, “he also commented to EFE.
Lay also told EFE that this concert will be special for him because he will meet Legarreta, who will perform some of the Aragon classics and who was a friend of his father, the violinist, composer and arranger Rafael Felipe Lay (1927-1982), who played with the orchestra and also directed it in what is known as the golden age of the band.
He assured that having Legarreta “is the best thing that can happen” because he will be able to hear stories about his family, since they are all from Cienfuegos.
“It will be an opportunity to meet him and sit down to listen to his stories from that time (when Legarreta lived in Cuba),” he said.
Unesco declared Aragon a World Heritage Site in 2005 and awarded it the Pablo Picasso Medal.
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