# Yelsy Heredia at the Grammys: Sound of Guantánamo for the World

**Date:** 10/19/2019

Much joy has filled the hearts of Guantanameros with the Latin Grammy nomination of one of their sons: the prestigious bassist Yelsy Heredia.

Heredia is one of the many exceptional musicians that Villa del Guaso has produced, and who from the diaspora defends his roots and the bicentennial changüí, a cadenced montuno genre that promises today to conquer the world.

And thus this treasure of Cuban folklore arrives at the coveted list of nominees of the Latin Recording Academy: by the hand of the phonogram Lo Nuestro, by Yelsy, an instrumentalist with solid academic training received in music schools on the Island, with a brilliant career linked to the fusion of Cuban rhythms with flamenco, jazz, and special evocation of the sound of his Guantanamo homeland.

This is the fourth phonographic production of the talented bassist, released by the Bis Music label and competing in the Best Traditional Tropical Album category in this twentieth edition of the Latin Grammy awards, a competition that, according to its digital site, selected —by vote of music creators throughout the world— a variety of established and emerging artists, from approximately 15,500 inscriptions in 50 categories.

From the first musical piece, which gives its name to his album and intones "let's take care of what is ours, what comes from outside is borrowed…," Yelsy Heredia invites us to preserve sound tradition and, with it, cultural identity, an idea he has defended since his initial albums: Guantánamo Changüí (2010), Recovecos (2013) and Camino a Maisí (2014), which all revere his homeland and have marked the consolidation of his style.

As detailed on the artist's website, his most recent proposal consists of 10 pieces that traverse urban changüí, bolero-son, bembé, guaracha, nengón, conga, and features the collaboration of other renowned Cubans, such as singers Kelvis Ochoa and Daymé Arocena, and his fellow Guaso natives: Celso Fernández "El Guajiro" —pure changüísero—, and young pianist Ernesto Oliva.

It is a danceable proposal, full of color, that gives aesthetic continuity to the previous trilogy, where tradition is brought into contemporaneity and the bass showcases its potential as a "tumbeador" instrument and refined descendant of the ancestral marímbula, the rhythmic and tonal support of traditional changüí, born in the nineteenth century in the mountains of eastern Cuba.

Regarding the presence of Yelsy and this sound at the Grammys, José Cuenca, one of the musicologists who knows this genre best in Cuba, told ACN that it is ideal for continuing to disseminate the value of Guantanamo musicians and this ancient expression of peasant origin, declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation and aspiring to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Cuenca noted that the changüí foray into the important competition comes at a time consistent with the current context of revitalization that the rhythm is experiencing in the Cuban and international musical landscape, and its relevance not only among its pure exponents, but also among emerging artists who recreate it from modern perspectives and other musical zones, such as trova, rap, jazz and even classical music.

"Changüí could be the key that opens the door of the world to Guantanamo," points out the scholar, and comments that in recent times, internationally, musicians of the caliber of Juan Luis Guerra and flamenco singer Diego El Cigala have become interested in this sound, who has successfully "changüísed" from his own style, performing a work by the Guantanamo bassist, member of his group.

This instrumentalist of reference today —he said— takes the wise path of the autochthonous to conquer the universal; his music tastes of avant-garde changüí, it is memory, longing, respect for origins; he appropriates features of century-old rural traditions, updates them, and as El Cigala says of him, "he has something of his own to say."

Local researcher Yaremi Estonel, another scholar on the subject, in conversation with ACN, reflected on how, from the diaspora, Guantanamo musicians like Yelsy —who has resided in Spain for two decades— remain firmly attached to their roots and have made of their musical identity an indestructible shield, leaving a mark on the contemporary musical landscape.

His work fills his fellow citizens with pride and, by approaching from his aesthetic the most deep-rooted traditions, he expresses the desire to draw spiritually closer to his origin, taking music as the bridge that makes this encounter more proximate, and wielding changüí, which from wherever it is defended, be it from the Island or the diaspora, represents us in identity, noted Estonel.

Yelsy himself has commented on several occasions: "With Lo Nuestro, more than ever the feeling of belonging to my homeland flourishes in me (…). I make the effort to convince and inspire everyone by carrying Guantanamo as my flag (…). Wherever I go I say loudly that I am Guantanamero, so that our tradition is applauded, which has influenced Cuban genres so much."

Via Internet, in audio for the CMKS radio station, the prolific composer greeted his fellow countrymen, remembered his residence on Aguilera street between One and Two west, shared his joy at the recent recognition from the Latin Recording Academy, and hummed part of the chorus of Lo Nuestro.

Alongside this musician, another figure born on the Island of Cuba competes this time for the Best Traditional Tropical Album award, singer Aymée Nuviola, while others from the Island compete for other categories. The final round of voting to select the winners will begin on October third, and the results will be revealed on November 14, at the Latin Grammy Premiere and the Annual Awards ceremony.

In 2018 Yelsy sent one of his works to the creation competition of the National Changüí Festival. He could not attend in person, but his piece, defended by Celso Fernández, honored the event and won an award. Coincidentally, "la Nuviola" came to this chapter in Villa del Guaso, who said she didn't want to miss the celebration and gave a performance at the House dedicated to the genre.