Cuban artists remember the creator of Van Van, Juan Formell

August 2, 2020

Artists from various artistic disciplines remember today one of the most respected creators of popular dance music on this continent, Cuban bassist and composer Juan Formell, who would have turned 78 years old.

The legacy of the creator of the popular orchestra Los Van Van transcends music, as many of his phrases deeply resonated in the language of the people and even came to name behaviors, such as Titimanía.

It is still referred to in this way to describe the preference of some older men to have relationships with girls much younger than them.

The popular foundation of his message never contradicted musical refinement, marked by a peculiar sonority that blends the traditional and the modern.

Formell founded Los Van Van in 1969, a legendary band that has been recognized, both inside and outside the island, as 'the train of Cuban music'.

In honor of the director, last year the Ministry of Culture and the Cuban Institute of Music, together with other entities of the island's cultural system, sponsored the I Festival of Timba... forever Formell, which in 2020 had to postpone the second edition due to Covid-19.

The artist's great professional trajectory was crowned by the National Music Prize in his country and abroad by the Latin Grammy in 2000 for the album Llegó Van Van and, three years later, the Grammy for Musical Excellence, the supreme recognition of the Latin Recording Academy.

Around that time, Formell received another major award, the Womex (World Music Expo), in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, and he dedicated it 'to all the musicians who do our work in the Third World, far removed from the world of major record labels and markets, with perseverance and professionalism'.

When discussing the significance of his work, various art specialists highlight the ongoing impact on music in the island and other countries, as well as its influence on the styles of various orchestras.

Generations of musicians and singers still perform his songs, and even the Children's Theater Company La Colmenita created a show with the letters and sounds of the composer who died on May 1, 2014, at the age of 74.

On social media, today, numerous expressions of appreciation for the artistic legacy of this original creator appear.

In Formell's view, absolute truth was held only by the dancers, those who still choose his songs to have a good time.