This festivity, which takes place every year on May 8, is an initiative promoted since 2019 by late maestro and musician Adalberto Alvarez (1948-2021) to honor two iconic “son” singers who were born on this day in Cuba: Miguel Matamoros in 1894 and Miguelito Cuní in 1917.
Alvarez noted that the date is a tribute to this music-dance expression and the musical legacy of many exponents who have left their imprint on the national and world musical panorama.
Sindo Garay, Benny Moré, Adalberto Alvarez, Compay Segundo, Arsenio Rodríguez, Pacho Alonso, Eliades Ochoa, and many other prestigious artists have given glory to this genre, which was declared Intangible Heritage of the Nation.
In an interview, Maestro Adalberto Alvarez, known as “The Gentleman of Son,” pointed out that “being “son” the father of all dance-music rhythms, I believe that it should be an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by its own.
Cuban “son” is identity and culture, not only of Cuba, but of Latin America and the world, because it influences the musical evolution and dancers themselves, experts said.
As Ignacio Piñeiro said in the 1920s, “Son” is the most sublime to entertain the soul.”
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