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3. Roberto Poveda Mulatto Roberto Poveda spent many nights as a child in Cuba listening to his grandfather, a trovador, or folk singer, singing tales of love and legend. As a young man, Poveda joined Havana’s burgeoning nueva trova movement of singer-songwriters who sought to bring a more creative and literary approach to Cuba’s folk traditions. In 1989, he moved to Colombia where he made a living as a soap opera star while continuing to hone his musical skills on the side. His songwriting talents earned him a deal with a music publisher and he has written many hit songs for Latin pop stars. Poveda now lives in New York City. “Mulatto” is from Poveda’s 2012 album, Brooklyn Nights. “The dream that gives you a life / Sometimes it gives sometimes it takes / Perhaps, it never comes back / And it’s not worth waiting for / Because waiting makes you tired / Sat in a station of a train that has no schedule / Nor date nor calendar in your heart / Consider me , consider her, consider.” 4. Amanda Martinez Alcoba Azul Born in Canada to a Mexican father and South African mother, Amanda Martinez grew up amidst a wide range of musical influences. After obtaining degrees in biology and international business, Martinez decided to focus on her true passion and pursue a career in music. She released two acclaimed albums and is about to release her third, which was produced by renowned Spanish producer Javier Límon. Following performances at the 2011 Pan American Festivities in Mexico, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Festivities in South Africa, the Montreal Jazz Festival and New York’s iconic Blue Note club, Martinez’s growing international audience is steadily catching up to her widespread popularity in Canada. “Alcoba Azul” (Blue <strong>Room</strong>) originally appeared on Martinez’s 2009 album, Amor. Backed by a passionate tango rhythm and the lilting strains of violinist Osvaldo Rodriguez, Martinez sings “Come back to me / Love me in the dark / In our blue room / Where there was no sun for us.” 5. Jose Conde El Avion Although Jose Conde’s parents left Cuba for the U.S. before he was born, the rhythms and spirit of the island made up a significant part of his upbringing. Growing up in the cultural melting pot of Miami in the 1970s, Conde was not only exposed to the music of the Cuban expatriate community, but also to Haitian compas, as well as contemporary American styles like funk, soul and R&B. As a student at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Conde experimented with rock, jazz and even opera before he began to feel the need to return to his Latin roots. Conde, who usually records and performs with his band, Ola Fresca (Fresh Wave), has released three critically acclaimed albums that explore the relationships between his many influences, but always with an underpinning of Cuban grooves. “El Avion” (The Airplane) is from Conde’s 2011 album entitled simply Jose Conde. It features a more laid-back, reggae-tinged flavor that is reminiscent of Manu Chao. “When will the spaceship land / When will the airplane return / To make me happy again / This pain in my heart / I feel like I’m on a cloud / Softly floating.”
6. Sacha Nairobi Congelados en el Tiempo In 1998, Sacha Hidalgo, a.k.a. Sacha Nairobi, moved from Venezuela to the U.S. Nairobi hails from a musical family; her father is a singer-songwriter and he leads a family band called Los Hidalgos that also includes her three brothers. Sacha Nairobi’s irresistibly catchy Latin pop receives a special twist from the prominent role of the cuatro, a small guitar common in Latin American traditional music. Nairobi plays the cuatro herself throughout her self-titled debut album, which was released in the end of 2005. Her follow up album is due for release in the fall of 2013. Written by Nairobi’s frequent collaborator, Colombian producer Germán Ortiz, “Congelados en el Tiempo” (Frozen in Time), will appear on both Nairobi’s and Ortiz’s upcoming albums. “I like your early morning silence / And your hair sailing on my pillow / I like your transparent, honest gaze / And the aroma of your body dispersed into the air / If I were to die today / I’d like to take this moment with me until the end / You and me / Forever frozen in time.” 7. Miquel Gil L’amor es Déu en Barca Miquel Gil hails from Valencia, Spain’s third largest city after Madrid and Barcelona. After a long career as a member of the folk-revival groups Al Tall and Terminal Sur, Gil went solo, blending elements of local styles such as flamenco and rumba with North African percussion and South American cumbia to create a unique style that captures the multicultural legacy of the region. His scruffy voice croons over pop grooves that combine folk influences with the musical traditions of the Mediterranean. From Gil’s 2001 album Orgànic, “L’amor es Déu en Barca” (Love is God in a Boat) features a loping beat and gentle accordion and acoustic guitar accents. Gil sings in Catalan, the predominant language of Spain’s Northeast, “Love is the ritual of life / Love is bread with cheese / Love is God in a boat / Life is a shipwreck / A glass of white wine / Love is falling in a pool / And finding love.” 8. Alex Cuba Band Café Havana Born Alexis Puentes in Artemisa, a city west of Havana, Alex Cuba learned music from his father, a guitarist with a Master’s degree in music. After marrying a Canadian woman and moving to Victoria, British Columbia, Alex and his twin brother Adonis formed The Puentes Brothers and released the album Murumba Cubana in 2000. In 2003, he moved to a small city far north of Vancouver, where he has had a very successful solo career. With four solo albums under his belt, two Junos (the Canadian equivalent of a GRAMMY), a Latin GRAMMY for “Best New Artist” and a GRAMMY nomination for “Best Latin Pop Album,” Alex Cuba has become an independent Latin music star. He has also recorded a number of songs with pop singer Nelly Furtado, including their 2009 hit collaboration “Manos Al Aire” (Hands in the Air). “Café Havana” appeared on Alex Cuba’s first solo album Humo de Tabaco from 2006. “Before we begin the game / Of looking at each other and not saying a thing / I’m going to escape the fire / That you ignite with your eyes / Today I will take you to a new world / To tell you that I love you.”
Page 1: Café Latino Liner Notes Throughout

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