Mariano Mercerón, bandleader, composer. (Santiago)

Posted on September 3, 2014 by admin

Mariano Mercerón was born in Santiago de Cuba (1915) and died in Mexico on December 6, 1975, it was a Cuban composer and saxophonist. He did important work as a conductor in Cuba and helped to spread the Cuban popular music in Mexico.

In the early thirties, he founded his first band named “Mariano Mercerón and the Peeper Boys” which later would be called “Mariano Mercerón and pepper boys.” This group, composed entirely of black musicians and mulattoes were I stood in the position of the jazz band Cuban, mixing the sound of American bands with instruments of Cuban percussion. however, differed from other Havana formations because of its proximity to the sound and touch of resemblance to the Haitian Meringue, on particularly in the management of saxophones.

The repertoire of the orchestra, composed almost entirely of his compositions included several genres of Cuban music as afro, rumba, son and boleros. For his group paraded Panamanian singers like Camilo Rodríguez, Benny Moré, Dominica Verges, Roberto Duany, the “Sisters Márquez” Marcelino Guerra and the composer (Rapindey).

Between 1945 and 1956, his work forced him to constant travel between Cuba and Mexico until he settled permanently in that country. In Mexico, he formed a new band with which he worked until his death in 1975.

Agencies/Various/InternetPhotos/YouTube/TheCubanHistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.

Niurka González, flutist, clarinetist. (Havana)

Posted on September 3, 2014 by admin

Niurka González Núñez (born March 21, 1977 in Havana) is a Cuban flutist and clarinetist. She is married to Silvio Rodriguez, creator along with other songwriters of the Nueva Trova Cubana, with which he has participated in several tours during 2006 and 2007.

After graduating as a flautist and clarinet at the Conservatory “Amadeo Roldan” in 1995 under the tutelage of teachers Halina Kusiak and Aldo Salvent, he continued his studies at the Art Institute of Cuba with Professors Louis Bayard on flute and Jesus Rencurrell in clarinet, obtaining in 1999 the Gold Diploma in the specialty of Bachelor of Music in flute profile.

Musical career.

Highlights include performances as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba conducted by Maestro Leo Brouwer, and Ivan del Prado, the National Concert Band directed by the Spanish Maestro José Pizarro Cerveró and the Chamber Orchestra of the European Community under the Norwegian violinist address Eivind Aadland. As part of a chamber music trio performs a concert tour in Barcelona, speaking as a soloist in a concert sponsored by the Phonos Foundation in 1994.

He participated in the 48th International Music Competition Prague Spring 1996, specializing in flute and the XXXIII International Competition Markneukirchen, 1998 in Alemania.Representó to Cuba in the VI International Flute Festival in held in Ecuador in June 1996 where he performed concerts and gave master classes.

Currently, in addition to continuing to develop as a soloist, he teaches her specialty at the Instituto Superior de Arte.

Awards.

In 1991 and 1994 he won the Grand Prize in the “Amadeo Roldán” and mention competition for Best Performance Cuban Music. In 1993 he received the Grand Prize at the VI Day Contest and the National Chamber Music Concert Music Center where he was also awarded the Mention for Best Performance of Baroque Music and Music Latinoamericana.La National Union of Writers and Artists Cuba (UNEAC) grants the Award in the Chamber Music Competition at the Interpretive Master Mention (1993) .Premio in the IX Festival and Competition of Contemporary Music “José Ardevol” and mention the Interpretation of Cuban Development. Mention first Place and the Interpretation of Cuban Development Competition Musicalia’95 the Higher Institute of Arte.En 1997 he won First Prize at the Conservatoire de Musique de Paris (CNR).

Agencies / Various / InternetPhotos / YouTube / TheCubanHistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor

CUBAN CUISINE: Chicken ‘Mayombe’. ** COCINA CUBANA: Pollo ‘Mayombe’.

Posted on September 2, 2014 by admin

CHICKEN MAYOMBE.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ Kg. Chicken
• salt 1tsp
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 4cdas sour orange juice
• 80g of bacon
• 80g onion
• ½ cup of carrot
• 4cdas butter or oil
• ½ cup of spinach
• 1 cup tomato
• 1 cup potato
• 40g raisins
• 1tsp basil
• 1g of ginger (to taste)
• 3g of nutmeg
• 4 tbsp rum Havana Club
• 500ml chicken stock
• 2cdtas parsley finely carved
• 1 cup croutons

Instructions.

Clean and cut the chicken into quarters. Marinate with salt, pepper and sour orange juice. Keep it in the refrigerator 2 hours, minimum.

Cut the bacon into small cubes. Peel and cut the onion into slices. Peel and cut the carrots into slices. Clean and carving parsley and chard. Blanch tomatoes, remove the skin, seeds
and carving. Peel and cut potatoes into quarters. Stripping of wilted basil leaves. Carving ginger and nutmeg.

In a heavy skillet, heat butter (preferably oil), brown the chicken quarters, remove them one golden and set aside time to heat. Decant of the fat.

Fry the bacon in the same container and add the onion and carrot; cook until reduced. Add the carving tomato, parsley, raisins and add the chicken and cook for several minutes.

Pour the broth and when it starts to boil, add the potatoes; halfway through cooking, add the basil,
ginger and nutmeg. Allow to cook over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes or so; Add the chard until fully cooked. If necessary, add broth.

Source Serve on slices of fried bread and place a sprig of mint or basil.

Cocina Cubana / InternetPhotos / www.thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.

CUBA PHOTOS.

POLLO MAYOMBE.

Ingredientes:

• 1 ½ Kg. de pollo
• 1cdta de sal
• ½ cdta de pimienta blanca
• 4cdas de zumo de naranja agria
• 80g de tocineta
• 80g de cebolla
• ½ taza de de zanahoria
• 4cdas de manteca o aceite
• ½ taza de acelga
• 1 taza de tomate
• 1 taza de papa
• 40g de uvas pasas
• 1cdta de albahaca
• 1g de jengibre (al gusto)
• 3g de nuez moscada
• 4 cdas de ron Havana Club
• 500ml de caldo de ave
• 2cdtas de perejil trinchado finamente
• 1 taza de costrones de pan

Instrucciones

Limpiar y cortar el pollo en cuartos. Adobarlo con sal, pimienta y el zumo de naranja agria. Conservarlo 2 horas en refrigeración, como mínimo.

Cortar la tocineta en dados pequeños. Pelar y cortar la cebolla en rodajas. Pelar y cortar la zanahoria en rodajas. Limpiar y trinchar el perejil y la acelga. Escaldar el tomate, quitarle la piel, la semilla
y trincharlo. Pelar y cortar la papa en cuartos. Despojar de hojas marchitas la albahaca. Trinchar el jengibre y la nuez moscada.

En una cazuela gruesa, calentar manteca (aceite preferiblemente), dorar los cuartos de pollo, sacarlos una vez dorados y reservarlos al calor. Decantar parte de la grasa.

Sofreír el tocino en el propio recipiente e incorporar la cebolla y la zanahoria; cocinar hasta reducir. Agregar el tomate trinchado, el perejil, las uvas pasas e incorporar el pollo y cocinarlo durante varios minutos.

Verter el caldo y, cuando comience a hervir, echar las papas; a mitad de cocción, añadir la albahaca, el
jengibre y la nuez moscada. Se deja cocinar a fuego lento y tapado, durante 20 minutos, aproximadamente; añadir la acelga hasta su total cocción. Si es necesario, agregar caldo.

Servirlo en fuente, sobre rebanadas de pan frito y colocarle encima una ramita de hierbabuena o albahaca.

Cocina Cubana/InternetPhotos/www.thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.