The best tribute to Benny on his centennial

August 15, 2019

Next August 24th marks one hundred years since the birth of one of the most treasured idols of Cubans: Benny Moré, who was born as Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez in a humble house in his beloved Santa Isabel de las Lajas, when it was part of the province of Las Villas, now part of Cienfuegos, and even after 53 years of having departed from the material world, no artist has emerged who surpasses him.

The themes of the Barbarian of Rhythm have always been a constant in the repertoire of many performers and musical groups, so his legacy has had systematic promotion; furthermore, there have been many tributes and events dedicated to his memory.

But as the date of his centennial approaches, a program of cultural actions has been conceived that will extend until the month of October and will have notable moments on the upcoming days 23 and 24 of August in both the province of Cienfuegos and Havana and other territories.

On the 23rd, in Santa Isabel de las Lajas, a cultural gala will be held in front of the Casa de la Cultura with artists from that locality and guests from the city of Cienfuegos.

The Benny Moré Cultural Arts Center, in Cienfuegos, has been chosen as the venue for the evening Waiting for the Centennial, on the night of the 23rd, which will feature performances by master Pancho Amat, National Music Award 2010, and his Cabildo del Son, the Septeto Unión, Ingrid and her Trova Jazz and other guests. There the drink Loca Pasión will be presented, winner of a cocktail competition held in the city in tribute to Benny and prepared by the bartenders of "Bartolo", from Artex, a moment that will be accompanied by the Trío Bohemios and Los Naranjos.

On the 24th, the day begins with a pilgrimage to the tomb where the remains of Cienfuegos' greatest artist lie in the municipal cemetery, with the customary musical discharge.

At ten in the morning, an exhibition dedicated to the Greatest Sonero will be inaugurated in the aforementioned Cultural Center, with works by Cienfuegos creator Irving Torres; then there will be the keynote lecture of the project Always Beautiful and Flavorful, from Sagua la Grande, and the screening of an audiovisual of the same name about the life and work of the admired singer and composer. This action is followed at 11, by the Toque de Macuta at El Cabildo de los Congos, San Antonio.

In the morning as well, a floral offering will be placed and a performance by visual artist Santiago Ermes will be held in the space occupied by the bronze sculpture of Benny, created by the National Award for Plastic Arts 2008, José Villa Soberón, located on the Prado of Cienfuegos.

Photo: Alexis Pire Rojas / Cubahora

The halls of the Municipal Museum will host a Country Parranda at 2 in the afternoon, and at 3, the opening will be held in the Ateneo hall of the Teatro Tomás Terry, of the Children's Competition "Children sing to the trova", sponsored by brothers Pedro and Roberto Novo, in which the children will perform pieces by Moré.

Then at five in the afternoon the Guateque de Feijóo will begin, which under the direction of Richard Eleaga will sing to Benny in the voices of several important interpreters of country music, and simultaneously a rumba for Benny will sound in the halls of the Museum.

At nine at night the Cultural Gala in tribute to Benny Moré on his centennial will begin, in Parque Martí, which will be massive in character and in which the National Music Award winner Bobby Carcassés, and other artists from Cienfuegos and Villa Clara will participate.

At the Cuba bar, there will be a discharge by several musicians, including the popular Héctor Téllez, one of the Cuban singers who best defends Benny's numbers, and at 11 at night, in the Cultural Plaza of Lajas, there will be a popular dance with national musical groups of wide appeal.

Hilda Moré and other family members will be present in these days of tribute to the Greatest Sonero in Cienfuegos, the city where a new edition of the Benny Moré Festival will be held in the month of October.

In Havana, Joaquín Betancourt and his Jazz Band will give a concert to the Barbarian of Rhythm on August 24th itself; and at the Varadero Josone Rumba, Son and Jazz festival, the presentations by Issac Delgado and his orchestra, and by Alexander Abreu and Habana D' Primera, will also pay tribute to the date, on the 23rd and 24th.

On September 6, 7 and 8, recognized representatives of Cuban music will offer concerts at the Karl Marx, as a tribute to the figure of the eternally remembered author of the montuno son "Santa Isabel de Las Lajas".

Likewise, the country's radio stations have designed special programming that since February commemorates Benny's centennial.

Odalys González Acea, provincial director of Culture in Cienfuegos, confirmed the actions of this program celebrating the centennial of Benny Moré's birth, and regarding our question about his real presence in the daily life of Cienfuegos, the director assured:

"The figure of Benny is latent in every home in Cienfuegos and in the heart of all lajeros and cienfuegueros; we always keep him present, even in the celebrations for our city's bicentennial, the former Fernandina de Jagua, some of the actions that were developed were dedicated to the sonero, because we work to dedicate all the cultural work we carry out every day to him.

"We do not have an idealized Benny, for us he is and will always be, and we dedicate all our cultural endeavor to him; it is our permanent tribute, because we systematically hold events that highlight his legacy, such as composition, performance and choreography competitions.

"We directed the previous edition of the Benny Moré Festival especially toward young people, we brought his figure closer to youth through music genres that are of interest to them".

Can it be said that still in Cienfuegos, people fall in love and dance to Benny's songs?

Of course! At the Cienfuegos carnival that ended last Sunday, most of the music heard at the dances was by the Barbarian of Rhythm, boleros, sones and guarachas, and people danced and fell in love to his music, once again".