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Los Van Van
Bio
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Band
Members |
Background
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Awards
Formed in 1969
by Juan Formell, Los Van Van are the
world's premier Latin dance band, masters of
the Songo rhythm they invented: a
type of music stemming from fusions of Cuban
rhythms with synthesizers, all types of
rock, rap, Brazilian music, Merengue, and
just about anything else that caught
Formell’s interest.
After the
revolution, Cuba adopted the Soviet strategy
of testing young children for a variety of
aptitudes including musical talent and
offering promising students conservatory
training from an early age. While this
important seed began to grow, the existing
generation of adult musicians began
listening to American music in earnest and
absorbing the influences of jazz and the
explosion of creativity in rock & R&B in
late 60's and early 70's. The most important
of these, and probably the most important
figure in the history of Cuban music, was
Juan Formell, who was the musical director
of Orquesta Revé when he and a number
of other members broke away to form, in
1969, Los Van Van, a band who has
remained Cuba's most popular group for more
than 30 years and today is the world's
premier Latin dance band, masters of the "Songo"
rhythm they invented. Los Van Van are
not a fearsome collection of virtuoso
players like
NG La Banda,
but bassist/founder Juan Formell is an ace
composer/arranger of dance grooves, and even
sneaks in a moving ballad from time to time.
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Band Members
Juan FORMELL,
bass, vocals
Samuel FORMELL,
drums
Mario RIVERA
"Mayto", vocals
Abdel RASALPS
"Lele", vocals
Yenisel VALDÉS
"Jenny", vocals
Roberto HERNANDES
"Guayacan", vocals
Manuel LABARRELA,
congas
Julio NOROÑA,
guiro
Álvaro COLLADO,
trombone
Jorge LIEBRE,
flute
Edmundo PINA "Mundo",
trombone
Hugo MOREJÓN,
trombone, synthesizer and organ
Irving FRONTERA,
violin
Roberto Carlos RODORIGUEZ "Cucurucho",
piano
Pedro FAJARDO,
violin
Boris LUNA,
keyboards
Pavel MOLINA,
bass
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BACKGROUND
1960s
The
previous professional course of the band’s
founder and leader, Juan Formell, was
fundamental to the success and the peculiar
sonority of Los Van Van. Upon first forming
the band, he performed double bass in
several ensambles, from the Orquesta del
Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión
(Cuban Radio and Television Institute
Orchestra) to many jazz and son Cubano
bands. All these experiences conditioned
somehow his future.
Formell’s participation in the Orquesta
Revé was a milestone in his quest for a
personal style. He put his renewing
interests to the test and at the same time
he altered some of Orquesta’s sound
and format characteristics. He added the
bass, the organeta, electric guitar,
violins, and replaced some other
instruments.
As for the vocal aspect, it underwent a
transformation (voice mounting) typical of
quartets.
This
experimentation was the starting point to
set the standards, once formed Los Van
Van, for popular dancing music.
1970s
At the
beginning of the 70s, many critics and
connoisseurs foresaw the promising success
Los Van Van would have in the future.
Juan Formell, keeping the contributions made
to his former band (La Orquesta Revé),
enriched the band’s composition by
introducing new instruments such as
percussions, which would spawn in a unique
way the sound later defined as SONGO.
This special fashion of approaching son
cubano with elements from jazz and rock
consists of a rhythmical design in
percussion along with the blend of piano and
bass. All this produces different harmonic
and melodic tones. José Luis Quintana (Changuito),
Raúl Cárdenas (el Yulo), César
Pedroso (Pupi), Fernando Leyva, Jesús
Linares, Orlando Canto, José Luis Cortés (el
Tosco), Julio Noroña, Gerardo Miró,
William Sánchez, José Luis Martínez and
Miguel Ángel Rasalps (el Lele), along
with their Director, explored all the
possible combinations before producing this
rhythm which has become the backbone of
Los Van Van’s sound.
Around those years, they began recording
their first five albums and made their first
appearances on international stages.
1980s
This decade
represented an important period for the
band. They broke with their own style and
they add the low and tore sound of
trombones. Simultaneously, they introduced
synthesizers and keyboards with multiple
sound possibilities. The use of synthesized
saxophone and electric violins was utterly
surprising at that time.
As for their discography, they produce some
new hits like Báilalo eh!
Ah!
(1982), Anda, ven y muévete (1984),
La Habana sí (1985), Eso que anda
(1986), Nosotros los del Caribe
(1987), Se acabó el querer (1988),
and, lastly, Songo (1988) which gives
way to a new period.
One of the
band’s distinctive signs is the use of
picaresque, irony and customs and manners in
their songs, which makes them a sort of
chronicle of the Cuban reality, with their
texts offering insight into the social
circumstances and with subjects mixing humor
and everyday life.
During these years, Los Van Van’s
music goes beyond Latin America and
international stages such as Empire
in London and venues in Austria,
Switzerland and Germany witness a contagious
rhythm which can make the most skeptical of
the listeners dance.
1990s
The 90s begin with a great tour all over
Cuba celebrating Los Van Van’s 20th
anniversary. The band evolves towards
contemporary tones and seeks for more
complex and detailed musical expressions.
Los Van Van’s latest results prove
that the band has reached maturity.
Songs like “Que le den candela” and
“Ese es mi problema” from Azúcar
(1993), “Soy normal, natural” and “Qué
sorpresa” from Lo último en vivo
(1994), “Deja la ira” and “De
igual a igual”, from Ay dios ampárame
(1995) and “Esto te pone la cabeza mala”
and “Llévala a tu vacilón” from Te
pone la cabeza mala (1997), are some of
the albums preceeding Llegó Van Van
(1999).
This album contains “Permiso que llegó
Van Van”, “El negro está cocinando”
and “Temba tumba timba”, songs which
have reaped a huge success thanks to their
contagious rhythm, joy and good taste. All
of them keep the essence of the band
although they use other orchestral
resources.
In 2000, Los Van Van are awarded with
a Latin Grammy for the Best Salsa
Performance with Llegó Van Van: Van Van
Is Here. Such prize came as a result of
more than 30 years on the run!
In
2005, first tour to Asia- Japan, organized
by NPO Tiempo Iberoamericano, draws a 10,000
people attendance, first time a latin band
achieves that mile stone in Far East Asia
www.tiempo.jp
.Los Van Van is nominated to the latin
Grammy for the 4th time with
their last recording “Chapeando”.
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AWARDS AND
PRIZES
1976
• Recognition from the town of
Barranquisimanto
1988
• Plaque of Recognition from the city of
Quito, Ecuador
1989 • Popularity Award
1990
• Diploma from the 1st Son International
Festival
1994 • Trophy from the Salsa Bands
Festival at Barranquilla Carnival, Colombia
1994 • Gold Album “25 años de Juan
Formell y Los Van Van”
1994 • Three Platinum Albums “Lo
último en vivo”
1995 • Two Platinum Albums “Ay
Dios Ampárame”
1997 • Special Prize in the category
Variety without competition from the
Association of Latin Entertainment Critics
of New York.
1997 • Tribute plaque from the people
of Puerto Rico.
1997 • Plaque of Recognition from the
Cuban Community in Los Angeles, California.
2000
• Latin Grammy Award in the category Best
Salsa Performance for the album “Llegó
Van Van: Van Van is here”.
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