Chucho Valdés together with Patricia Elena Sosa in La Habana

August 3, 2018

Both will perform in concert, together with Cuban Omara Portuondo, next Saturday, August 11, at 8:30 p.m., at the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso

Cuban Chucho Valdés, National Music Prize winner and winner of nine Grammy Awards –six Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammys–, and Argentine singer-songwriter Patricia Elena Sosa will begin in Cuba the promotional tour of the CD Once. Concert for Two, which they recorded in the jazz musician's studios in Málaga and which they already released in November 2017 on all digital platforms. Both will perform in concert, together with Cuban Omara Portuondo, next Saturday, August 11, at 8:30 p.m., at the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso.

The album features boleros and ballads, with which Patricia breaks her usual way of performing, in which genres like rock, soul and blues prevail, although she also usually performs tangos and Argentine folk music.

When announcing the release of Once, the artist commented on her social networks: "I'm very happy! This great album just came out on all digital platforms. I'm listening to it on Spotify. Excited is an understatement. I waited for it a long time."

According to the performer herself, who also works in theater, television and cinema in her country, Chucho has always been her idol. One day, she said, she received a call that surprised her. It was Chucho and he was inviting her to record an album together. Thanks to a friend who recommended him to her, she already knew about Chucho's work with Concha Buika.

But for the pianist himself to call her… That's how it all began.

For his part, Chucho explained how he became interested in Patricia. In 2010, he said, while shopping in Argentina, he heard through the speakers of the place a voice that impacted him. He asked who it was and what the song she was performing at that moment was called. They told him who she was and what the song was called (Por él).

Then he asked them to sell him all the artist's albums they had in the place.

It wasn't until last year that both could materialize this album. Once. Concert for Two, features among its guests the participation of guitarist Dany Leis, the guitar of Málaga native Daniel Casares and the voices of Esperanza García de Soria and Miguel Poveda.

The album is composed of the songs Allí, by Héctor Flores; Envidia, by Alfredo García Segura; Distancia (Contigo en la distancia), by César Portillo de la Luz; Días de Otoño, by Pablo Milanés and Chucho Valdés; Me has hechado al olvido, by Rudy Pérez; Ya no me dueles, by Andrés Castro and Ningún amor es perfecto, Vela encendida, Marcada a fuego (written with Oscar Eduardo Mediavilla), De aquí a la eternidad and Concierto para dos, all authored by Patricia. Allí, the album's first single, features an official music video directed by Pablo Sofovich.

About the recording process, the singer said: "I tried to give each song my style without distorting the rhythm. Chucho gave it his Cuban touch, gave it a Caribbean air with the percussion and the appropriate type of tumbao without it clashing with my voice. In fact, we even did two of my songs in flamenco time, something I never imagined doing."

Patricia Sosa's musical career began in 1974, when she joined the band NomadySoul. In 1990 she launched herself into the music market as a solo artist, with an album titled Patricia Sosa, which reached platinum status in a week. She has almost 17 published albums and has participated in 27 others, including Cuban Santiago Feliú's (CD Para mañana, she sang Marisa), 15 years with Juan Carlos Baglietto (she sang Corazón de madera) and Tribute to Carlos Gardel (she sang Cuando tú no estás). She has participated in television, theater and cinema.

"The most beautiful thing must be to sing these songs live," said Patricia Sosa, a year ago. Now she will be able to make her dream come true not only in Cuba, but also in Argentina, where she will perform on September 7 – also for the first time – at the Gran Rex in Buenos Aires with Cuban jazz musician Chucho Valdés. (RC).

Source: Granma