Biography
Featuring two guitars, bass, violin, and a broad array of percussion, Cuba's Arte Mixto blends traditional up-tempo Cuban music with classical, jazz, flamenco, salsa, and samba elements. Violinist Alexis Correa directs the ensemble, which originated in the early '90s in Cienfuegos Las Villas when a cohort of recent National School of Arts graduates came together. Soon afterward the group was selected to represent Cuba as "the most authentic expression of Cuban music" during a nine-city Norwegian tour that included multiple festivals, plus two London concerts.
In 1996 the evaluation committee of the Cuban Institute of Music granted Arte Mixto its "first level" designation, among the country's most coveted honors for musicians. Additional distinctions followed, including the Bis Music Award, the Beny More Musical Award, the Egrem Music House Award, and second place at the Lucas Awards, Cuba's counterpart to the MTV Awards. The band's debut album, Deseos, appeared in 1997, while the follow-up, Virginia de Cuba, arrived the next year as a tribute to Alex Correas' mother. Throughout the late '90s the musicians visited the United States on two occasions and made a guest appearance on an episode of MTV's Road Rules; Sin Chisme was issued in 2001.
In 1996 the evaluation committee of the Cuban Institute of Music granted Arte Mixto its "first level" designation, among the country's most coveted honors for musicians. Additional distinctions followed, including the Bis Music Award, the Beny More Musical Award, the Egrem Music House Award, and second place at the Lucas Awards, Cuba's counterpart to the MTV Awards. The band's debut album, Deseos, appeared in 1997, while the follow-up, Virginia de Cuba, arrived the next year as a tribute to Alex Correas' mother. Throughout the late '90s the musicians visited the United States on two occasions and made a guest appearance on an episode of MTV's Road Rules; Sin Chisme was issued in 2001.
Albums