David Calzado serves as bandleader, music director, arranger, and lead vocalist for the fourteen-piece ensemble Charanga Habanera, thereby shaping the course of contemporary Cuban music in decisive ways. Though compelled to rebuild the ensemble in 1997, he has remained among Cuba’s most pivotal musical figures. Under his guidance the group earned recognition as the island’s Most Popular Band for both 1998 and 1999. Born into a household steeped in music, Calzado received early encouragement from his maternal grandmother, herself a musician, who steered him toward the violin in childhood. He first drew notice playing violin in the orchestra Pancho Bravo. Originally assembled in Monte Carlo in 1988, Charanga Habanera consisted of alumni from the Escuela Nacional de Arte and additional conservatories, all working under the direction of Jose Picayo. Taking the helm in 1992, Calzado reconfigured the personnel to feature piano, keyboards, conga, two violins, two trumpets, alto saxophone, flute, and two vocalists. This instrumentation helped establish the timba idiom that emerged in the early nineties. Calzado y Charanga Habanera rapidly advanced to the leading edge of Cuban popular music. During 1996 the band carried its sound to listeners across Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, and Sweden. The next year, however, difficulties surfaced after one vocalist faced accusations of exposing himself onstage and another drew rebuke for inquiring whether the crowd enjoyed marijuana. In response, authorities in Cuba enacted a six-month ban on the group’s international travel. Seeking to rescue his professional standing, Calzado parted ways with his colleagues, resulting in three separate projects: Charanga Forever, Dany Lozada y su Timba Cubana, and a reconstituted Charanga Habanera assembled from younger players.
