To Choco: a music video that honors two greats of Cuban culture

September 2, 2025

When José Luis Cortés "El Tosco" received the 2017 National Music Prize for his contributions to the development and expansion of Cuban music, he not only took home the joy of well-deserved recognition. On the wall of his living room he hung the painting that was given to him as a symbol of the award and it could only be from another artist but from his dear Eduardo Roca, his "niche" Choco.

The affection, admiration and respect that filled both of them was—and is—immense. The Cuban painter, sculptor and engraver, National Prize for Plastic Arts that same year, captured in his canvases and sculptures his sap, his talent and also the joy of knowing himself a friend of the flutist, composer, arranger, music producer and leader of the NG La Banda ensemble.

Those who have seen the documentary The Man with the Wide Smile and the Sad Gaze, directed by Pablo Massip and presented in 2016 on the occasion of Icaic's 57th anniversary, have witnessed the love multiplied in many people that Choco has scattered and reaped.

That audiovisual provided an intimate and revealing look from important personalities of the country, friends and family around the visual artist such as music critic Guille Vilar; colleagues Diana Balboa, Alberto Lescay, Rafael Paneque, Manuel López Oliva and Nelson Domínguez; anthropologist Natalia Bolívar, critic David Mateo and former Industriales third baseman, Lázaro Vargas. Few know that El Tosco, also interviewed for the documentary, improvised a piece as a gift to his friend during filming.

Massip, director of the audiovisual production company Almar Producciones, settles a pending debt by presenting this Tuesday the music video To Choco, with a completely unpublished piece by the musician and in which you can see some images from the documentary and others not used in it.

"As an emotional tribute to these two great figures of Cuban culture, Almar Producciones undertakes the production of this music video with the support of Icaic, which brings the novelty of hearing an extraordinary and unknown piece from El Tosco's discography, improvised for someone who, modestly, rejoices with it from the affection of a friend.

"It seems appropriate to me to make music videos of major works such as a documentary can be, as happened with They Call Me Cuba, both works with the same name. Therefore, the dream remained in the yearning, and happily it has been realized now, after speaking with El Tosco's son, José Lázaro Cortés Llácer, who agreed immediately, as the holder of his father's copyright rights. It is a gift, without a doubt," he noted.

The notable musician José Luis Cortés also stars in the music video by Almar Producciones.

We will then see in this 3:48 minute audiovisual the tireless artist, immersed in the grounds of his creative studio and in other spaces, as a good Cuban and the virtuoso instrumentalist, delighting in the melody that emanates from within him alongside dancers from the Rosario Cárdenas company, who aptly danced to the rhythm of the mother elements of life: earth, fire, wind and water.

The production of the music video was in charge of Ana María Domínguez Cruz and the editing by Daniel Diez Jr., who also edited the documentary The Man with the Wide Smile and the Sad Gaze. The photography is by Denise Guerra and Danill Massip Formonov, the sound is by Raymel Casamayor and the documentary production was by Maite Alonso.

Following the premiere at a press conference in the Héctor García Mesa room at Icaic—with live streaming—the music video will be available on the official YouTube channel of Almar Producciones and on the digital platforms of the film institution.