Biography
Felix Cabrera stands out as an uncommon figure: a singer, harmonica player, and composer rooted in blues who passed the bulk of his childhood in Cuba. Now based in New York City and fluent in two languages, he avoids strict adherence to conventional blues forms, instead blending the style with rock, soul, funk, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Even so, blues remains central to his approach, making encounters with Cuban performers pursuing this direction uncommon. Earlier Cuban jazz figures such as Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba infused their playing with blues feeling, while numerous salsa musicians drew from soul, funk, or jazz sources. Yet Cabrera’s consistent blues orientation marks him as atypical rather than typical. On the blues circuit he also stands apart by weaving in Afro-Cuban touches, occasionally suggesting the atmosphere of Carlos Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” or “Evil Ways,” though these elements appear understated in his work. His broader influences extend beyond Latin artists to include Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Albert King, Charlie Musselwhite, and Jimi Hendrix. At moments his sound recalls War, the 1970s funk and soul ensemble whose salsa and Afro-Cuban leanings sometimes produced blues-inflected results; certain of his harmonica passages echo Lee Oskar’s contributions to that band’s signature recordings.
Born in Havana in 1949, Cabrera relocated to Miami at age twelve in 1961. Unlike many fellow Cuban arrivals, he did not stay in South Florida; three years later, at fifteen, he settled in Union City, New Jersey, where he deepened his engagement with blues while already favoring salsa, Afro-Cuban music, rock, and R&B. In 1974 he and guitarist Arthur Neilson, a recurring collaborator, established the A Train Blues Band, whose Chicago-style approach found audiences across northern New Jersey and New York City. By the early 1980s Cabrera had shifted to New York City proper and assembled Felix & the Havanas in 1984. Over the group’s five-year existence it supported headliners including Dr. John, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Wilson Pickett. During the decade he issued his debut album, Next, followed in the late 1990s by Cu-Bop, Cu-Blues. Pressure Cooker, his third release, appeared on Fountainblue Entertainment in 2001, and his fourth, For Green, came out on Si Records in 2004.
Born in Havana in 1949, Cabrera relocated to Miami at age twelve in 1961. Unlike many fellow Cuban arrivals, he did not stay in South Florida; three years later, at fifteen, he settled in Union City, New Jersey, where he deepened his engagement with blues while already favoring salsa, Afro-Cuban music, rock, and R&B. In 1974 he and guitarist Arthur Neilson, a recurring collaborator, established the A Train Blues Band, whose Chicago-style approach found audiences across northern New Jersey and New York City. By the early 1980s Cabrera had shifted to New York City proper and assembled Felix & the Havanas in 1984. Over the group’s five-year existence it supported headliners including Dr. John, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Wilson Pickett. During the decade he issued his debut album, Next, followed in the late 1990s by Cu-Bop, Cu-Blues. Pressure Cooker, his third release, appeared on Fountainblue Entertainment in 2001, and his fourth, For Green, came out on Si Records in 2004.
Albums
Live
