Yusa's music at ICAIC again

July 23, 2024

Almost 30 years ago, back in 1995, a concert was held in the Universal Hall of the FAR by a female quintet called Quasijazz. What was innovative about the proposal was that it was a group made up entirely of women who intended to play jazz. Unfortunately, although the musical ideas handled by that project were very interesting, there was an evident imbalance among the group's members in terms of their abilities as instrumentalists. That night Yusa became the star of the evening by virtue of her many skills as a performer when it came to improvising.

When the quintet disbanded, she undertook various projects. Thus, she had a period as keyboardist for the accompaniment band of Gerardo Alfonso and became involved in a duo identified by the names Domingo & Yusa, which carried out a very interesting sound endeavor within the parameters of what was then the emerging Contemporary Cuban Song.

In that lesser-known stage in Yusa's musical life, one of her most artistically significant works was carried out as part of what became known as Club di Chávez, with whom she recorded an eye-catching album that, despite its many merits, was never licensed by a record label. I have the impression that I will never forget a dinner-concert given by Club di Chávez, in which Yusa, Raúl Ciro, Félix Lorenzo, Mr. Acorde and Domingo were protagonists of one of the recitals with the most magic, among the numerous musical shows I have attended in my life.

As for what happened afterwards in the career of the first graduate at the secondary level in the specialty of tres in our country, exemplified by her time with Interactivo (in the first and fundamental stage), the band led by Roberto Julio Carcassés, or her very successful discographic production, initiated with the CD titled Yusa (Tumi Music), I am not going to comment on anything since much has been written about it.

The great news is that now, after several years without performing in Cuba before her natural audience, Yusa will offer a free concert as part of what is known as ICAIC: Segundo Piso Otra Vez, a project to pay tribute to those who have written and performed music to accompany Cuban audiovisual throughout its history. The performance will take place on Friday, July 26 at 4:00 PM, at Fresa y Chocolate, a space located at 23 between 10 and 12, in Havana's Vedado neighborhood.

A resident for 16 years outside Cuba but with periodic visits to our country (in keeping with the idea that no one ever fully leaves), Yusa currently lives in New Orleans. During her upcoming performance, this multi-instrumentalist will go through songs from her extensive discography and will perform some recent compositions, not yet known here.

A creator who has bet on eclecticism in her pieces, composed based on the aesthetic principle of hybridizing musical elements from diverse genres and styles, Yusa is today one of the most prominent voices in the landscape of Contemporary Cuban Song, something you will be able to verify by attending, with free admission, on Friday the 26th at 4:00 PM at Fresa y Chocolate at 23 between 10 and 12, Vedado. I wouldn't miss it if I were you.