Biography
Adalberto Alvarez played a central role in bringing back son, the Cuban dance music that had reached its greatest popularity during the 1950s. Previously at the helm of Adalberto Alvarez & Conjunto Son 14, he sustained and broadened the son lineage through Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son, the ensemble he established in 1984. Although his work evoked earlier styles, Alvarez integrated contemporary musical elements with equal success. The New York Times once wrote, "(Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son) is one of Cuba's great bands, one that has had an enormous influence on salsa; it's modern and unstoppable and it doesn't sound like the Havana-based dance music called timba. Instead, it sounds a bit more traditional, closer to New York and Puerto Rican salsa, smooth and elegant for a moment, until the volcano loses the top." At the National Arts School in his native Camaguey, Alvarez completed studies in musical directing and composition. Upon finishing his training, he received an invitation to assemble an orchestra in Santiago de Cuba. That ensemble evolved into Adalberto Alvarez & Conjunto Son 14, recognized as one of the foundational groups in modern son. Also in 1984, Alvarez launched Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son in Santiago de Las Vegas, a district on the edge of Havana. The musicians retained core son instrumentation such as the Cuban tres, a guitar fitted with triple sets of double strings, and plucked bass, while adding electronic keyboards, timbales, trombones, and additional brass. Jorge Luis Rojas, known as Rojitas and the group’s first singer, departed to become part of Jesús Alemañy’s ¡Cubanismo! and was succeeded by Aramis Galindo. Although numerous pieces by Adalberto Alvarez y Su Son addressed the standard son subjects of daily existence, several others explored Santeria, the faith in which Alvarez served as a babalao, or priest. On September 1, 2021, Adalberto Alvarez passed away at age 72 from complications related to COVID-19.
Albums
