Francisco Céspedes

Francisco Céspedes, born in Cuba, abandoned his work as a physician to pursue a path in popular music. While traveling through Mexico with the Cuban Modern Music Orquestra, the gifted performer elected to remain in the country. Warner Music expressed interest after Luis Miguel cut Céspedes’ songs “Pensar en Ti” for the 1992 album Aries and “Que Tu Te Vas” for Nada Es Igual. At the 1997 Viña del Mar Festival, Céspedes represented Mexico with “Hablo de Ti” and simultaneously released his debut album, Vida Loca. The following year he joined Presuntos Implicados for the recording of “Nadie Como Tú.” He next prepared Dónde Esta la Vida, tracking the project in Mexico and the United States with Juan Carlos Paz y Puente serving as producer.

Issued in 2000, Dónde Está la Vida gained wide exposure when its title track became the theme for the Mexican telenovela La Casa en la Playa, driving the album to platinum certification in Mexico. Ay Corazón appeared in 2002; although sales proved respectable, the album did not enter the Latin Albums chart the way its predecessor had. In 2003 Céspedes participated in the album and tour Cuatro Voces alongside Ricardo Montaner, José José, and Cristian Castro. Produced by Dagoberto González, Jr., Autorretrato arrived in 2005 as a tribute to his homeland.

Two years later he collaborated with famed Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba on Con el Permiso de Bola, a collection of relaxed Cuban-rooted jazz/pop material. Radio embraced both the wistful “Adios Felicidad” and the fingerpopping “La Flor de la Canela.” Additional musicians on the sessions included drummer Ignacio Berroa, bassist Armando Gola, and Richard Galliano on accordion. The pair subsequently toured with the repertoire. In 2009 Céspedes released Te Acuerdas, widely regarded as his most consistent and musically adventurous album; the project received a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop album. Heavy touring prompted his label to issue several compilations in the interim.

Céspedes and Armando Manzanero delivered Armando un Pancho for Sony in Spain in 2012. Despite the shared billing, the artists alternated performances of Manzanero’s songs except for two duets. Returning to Warner, the critically acclaimed Todavía, produced by Aneiro Taño, surfaced in 2015 and launched another tour; the album charted in Mexico, Cuba, and South America. In 2017 Warner issued Desde el Teatro Karl Marx [En Vivo], recorded at the legendary Havana theater with Céspedes supported by a roster of Cuba’s most prominent musicians, including singer Pablo Milanés. The first single offered a twentieth-anniversary live reading of his initial hit, “Vida Loca.”