David Alvarez

David Alvarez

A man and an acoustic guitar. A Cuban man from the beautiful city of Manzanillo. A man offering a set of bold, confessional songs, versed in poetry, uncensored stories of the joys and trammels of love. It can only mean one thing: songs of a trovador, the modern equivalent of the early medieval troubadour. David Alvarez is known for his swinging dance music yet above all he holds fast to the task of the trovador to serenade love and life in all its vicissitudes. Even his custom of wearing a scarf tied gypsy style around his head evokes this iconoclastic spirit.

Most of the material here was composed trova style by David over quite a long period, between 1989 and the present. To bring all these songs together in one album is for David, "a dream finally realised". As a musician born in Manzanillo (in 1972), the region of Cuba with the strongest trova tradition and where trova still flourishes, it has always been David's intention to create a disc in homage to his tierra, his birthplace, where his roots go deep in the earth. Manzanillo is also a stronghold of Cuban son, a genre of music David responds to instinctively, underlined by his studying music in its heartland in Santiago de Cuba where he attended the Conservatoire before graduating and moving to Havana.

By 1989 David was working with iconoclast Pedro Luís Ferrer, involved at the periphery of the Nueva Trova movement while forging his own pathway. His son-canción Jugando de Manos (Conjuring) remains the leit-motif of his work. Its' message ? to keep faith with the exhilaration of the play of life, until death comes, sums up Alvarez' core philosophy. Written in 1993 its' shortened title, Juego de Manos, gave its name to the group he founded then, an inspiration in a period when Cuba literally went through dark times as the country re-invented itself following the end of dependence on the Soviet Union. David was part of this re-imagining, his song calling for a defence of core values as life continues to turn, for living life to the full is the way to discover 'paradise on earth'.

Juego de Manos immediately set a new benchmark: buzzing with vitality they opened up Cuban Trova, Son, Guaracha and Guajira traditions by infusing them with influences from the neighbouring Caribbean islands and Central America. They gave Cuban music new impetus by adding in references to música tropical embracing Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia. In their own distinctive way they offered tribute to Dominican Republic's Juan Luís Guerra and Colombia's Carlos Vives with their own thrilling new sound. Following their first disc Rimasones (Rhyming Sones), Alvarez with Juego de Manos signed to Mo Fini's Tumi Music to release first Mundo Loco (Crazy World) and then Son Demasiado (Too Much Son), which won the special critics prize at Cuba's prestigious annual Adolfo Guzmán competition.

High resolution images

At Andalucia 1

At Andalucia 2

At a bar

Clandestino Album

Enjoying his cigar

Live performace 2

Live performance 1

Live performance 3

With his convertible vintage

With his guitar

Albums

Clandestino

Clandestino

David Alvarez new album: Clandestino With this new disc Alvarez locates that Caribbean feel within a broader Mediterranean sensibility, focusing on a string sound adding laud and Cuban tres guitar to acoustic guitars. This gives the dazzling selection of songs composed over a long period an Italiana more…

Artist: David Alvarez

Son Demasiado

Son Demasiado

The music of David Alvarez, an accomplished song writer, is deeply rooted in the carribean. Whether in cumbia, son, or one of his rootsy fusions, Alvarez adds his unique voice to give the song that special dynamic flavor and zest. Juego de Manos fuse the irresistible styles of the neighbouring Carib more…

Artist: David Alvarez

Mundo Loco

Mundo Loco

The music of David Alvarez, an accomplished song writer, is deeply rooted in the carribean. Whether in cumbia, son, or one of his rootsy fusions, Alvarez adds his unique voice to give the song that special dynaimc flavour and zest. Mundo Loco is the first CD of david Alavrez y Juego de Manos recorde more…

Artist: David Alvarez