Jamila Castillo Carballea

She is from Havana; born in the La Víbora neighborhood, on Carmen Street near Juan Delgado Park. Whenever she can, she returns, although many times for work reasons she cannot go.

She discovered filin through her parents and neighbors in a natural way. Her father likes Nueva trova and her mother resembles Elena Burke, while the neighbors listen spellbound to the electric voice of bolero singer Vicentico Valdés.

Two people who also influenced her do not escape from her memories: "Eugaldo Bernal, a great musician from a military band of great popularity, and also Keri Vento, one of the first members of the very important company Las Mulatas del Fuego, an extraordinary woman who marked me greatly".

After she left Cuba she went to Argentina and from there to Spain, where she lived in several places. In 2008 when she was invited to Santiago de Compostela to sing at the Festival, she finally decided to settle in Galicia. She had several reasons for this, among them a visit to the Cathedral that marked her in a particular way.

Jamila is the voice of Purofilin, along with Alejandro Luzardo on guitar and arrangements. During ten years of musical career and more than five hundred concerts performed, she can highlight: FESTIGAL 2008, Santiago de Compostela, VOCES EN FEMENÍ 2006, Casa Elizalde Cultural Center; Barcelona. 53RD INTERNATIONAL MUSIC AND DANCE FESTIVAL OF GRANADA 2004.

8TH INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL OF EZCARAY, La Rioja. EL RIOJA AND THE 5 SENSES 2004, La Rioja. ARTISTS ON TOUR 2002 Tour, sponsored by the Association of Performers of Spain (AIE). JAZZ IN THE CENTER 1998, Old Institute of Gijón.

Jamila produced her first album published in 1999, titled JAMILA PURO FILIN. As a journalist, she has signed articles and reviews on world music and world jazz in Batonga, B!Ritmos, Músicas del mundo.org, and Zona de obras. She currently presents her show Saudade do Machín, within the Vai Verán cycle, sponsored by the Xunta de Galicia.

She currently leads the Purofilin group, made up of Uruguayan musicians Alejandro Luzardo (guitar and arrangements) and Santiago Blanco (percussion).

Purofilin in trio (or quartet), is the result of the search for an appropriate style to express an era and a personal universe. The connection between Cuba and the Río de la Plata; brings a different nuance to all this imaginary made up of themes interpreted in a Latin jazz key.
Filin was to Cuban music what bebop was to American jazz: renovation, anti-racism, irreverence, search in a context of oppression. But the movement as such (César Portillo, Frank Emilio, José Antonio Méndez…) ceased to exist in the sixties to give way to Cuban Nueva trova.

What came after also drank from filin and adopted its insatiable musical search. It is not strange that in the distance his songs adorn the dream of the journey. After all, "life is a dream…" as the wonderful blind man Arsenio Rodríguez would say.

The repertoire of this quartet has been formed with more contemporary themes from various genres and latitudes. All performed with the warmth of someone speaking to the ear. With his boleros, sones and guarachas, he pays homage to the memorable interpreter Antonio Machín. Among the pieces of Jamila's repertoire, themes such as Compromiso, Bésame mucho or Dos gardenias stand out.