Papi Oviedo y su Soneros

b. Gilberto Oviedo, 1934, Havana, Cuba. The son of Isaac Oviedo, the renowned songwriter and master of the tres (traditional Cuban guitar), Papi continued in the family tradition, playing the tres from an early age. He formed his first group, a trio with whom he busked on the streets of Havana, in 1949. He joined the group of Enrique Perez in 1954, and moved on to play with Conjunto Chocolate and then with the band of trumpeter Felix Chapottín. In 1981 Papi joined Orquesta Revé. He stayed with them for the next 14 years, recording extensively and touring around the world. He left Reve in 1995 to form his own group, Papi Oviedo Y Su Soneros, which featured an all-acoustic line-up of tres, guitar, trumpets, bass and percussion, and vocalists Maria Cristina Azcuy and Miguel Martinez Rajas. Both vocalists had previously sung with some of Cuba’s leading groups. The group recorded their debut, Encventro Entre Soneros, in 1996 at ICAIC studios in Havana. Released a year later, the album provides a fine introduction to their traditional Cuban ‘son’ sound.
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