Eliades Ochoa is news once again, this time because of the nominations to the Cubadisco 2011 Special Award, achieved by the CD Africubusm.

Many of those who have reference of the new production, consider it to be a rare mixture of rhythms and ways of doing: the authentic Cuban Son interpreted by the “star” from Santiago and his quartet Patria, accompanied by musicians from Mali.

Yes, from Mali, a nation with no coasts found in Western Africa, which attracts powerfully attention due to the nature of the sounds that it brings, even though to say the truth, many of the rhythms from both sides have their common root.

For such an atypical project there, he has received many celebrations since its world premiere, because curiosity brought high expectations which for good fortune of musicians and of those who placed a bet for it, the album went beyond its expectations once it saw the light.

The British journal National Geographic gave him the award for the best Album in 2010; and this is not to say that Her Royal Highness or her people are too self involved when deciding on what is “the best” or not in this world.

There are many press media on a world level who have dedicated front pages to talk about this production of musicians from the “perifery”, despite the fact that they have earned their result for their own right.

The daring tres by Eliades were joind by the talents of the Africans Toumani Diabaté (kora), Bassekou Kouyate (n´goni) and Djelimady Tounkara (guitar), Kasse Mady Diabaté (singer) and Lassana Diabaté (balafon).

Afrocubism is the materialization of a failed project of 14 years ago which ended in the birth of the Buena Vista Social Club, and which now is happily a reality, and in what a way!

Eliades himself declared to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that with this album they would either success or retire, stating clearly what they were risking with this project.

Produced by the English recording company World Circuit and in Mexico by Discos Corason, the CD is the fruit of hard work, of the brilliant habilities of so much talent and common musical roots that are also very different.

The thirteen musicians, seven Cubans and six from Mali, have succesfully toured over several of the main stages of the world circuit of presentations, having in each one of them the common denominator of the huge applauses of the assisting public.

This might be influenced by the spicy combination of themes that are so very Cuban, such as Guantanamera, La Culebra and A la luna yo me voy with the African ones such as Dakan, Nima Diyala and Bensema.

Finally Afrocubism reaches Cuba. As the Cubadisco Festival begins, on May 14, it will be presented for the Cuban public.

Translation: Karen López (Cubarte)