Juan Formell RIP

Posted on by stefanwalcott

Juan Formell

There have been a number of notable deaths this year and in Caribbean music none more significant than the recent one of Juan Formell.

As this blog’s readership is made up of mostly English speakers, (the global stats indicate this), many of you may have not heard of Juan Formell before.

Formell was the founder, composer, arranger and leader of the most popular post-revolution music group ever to come from Cuba, Los Van Van. This group, which has been around since the late 1960s is to Cuba what Bob Marley is to Jamaica, Kitchener to Trinidad, Blades to Panama and Red Plastic Bag to Barbados.  If you doubt me, take a brief look at minute 20 when they managed to get 270 000 people to a concert in Santiago de Cuba.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgyZmNlrYdw

 

In short, Formell was immense.  Thanks for the music Juan, a Caribbean music great. Music aLive, now and forever more, Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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stefanwalcott

Stefan Walcott is a Barbadian pianist and composer. Throughout his career, Stefan has been privileged to perform with and write for a broad cross-section of artists in England, where he studied and in his native Barbados. Stefan has arranged for Nicholas Brancker, the Brazilian Sinfonica and created Handel’s Caribbean Messiah, a re-working of the classical work. Stefan currently is the director of 1844 Productions Inc. a production company, and 1688 Dingolay Inc. a not-for-profit. Stefan currently has a PhD in cultural studies with an interest in the music of the English-speaking Caribbean.

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