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Adonis Puentes

Adonis Puentes has the gift to see both the past and the present of Cuban music. And,on Vida, his solo debut, he shows that he is uniquely qualified to straddle the generations, embodying a contemporary vision of a true Cuban Sonora.

Such a gift cannot be acquired or cultured, you have to been born with it, as was Adonis and his fraternal twin brother, Alexis on March 29th, 1974 in Havana, Cuba, sons of guitar player and instructor, Valentin Puentes. The boys grew up 45 miles southwest of old Havana in Artemisa, literally across the street from the small town's cultural centre.The musical traditions of Cuba were a daily occurrence at the centre. Two or three bands would rehearse there each week and it was also the site of major concert performances.

With the ground so rich for musical exploration, it was natural that Adonis would first, learn guitar from his father at age 6 and then, join his first ensemble, which was made up of 24 children. The group became media darlings, touring all over Cuba, performing at the major festivals and for TV shows, often rubbing shoulders with Cuban music's elite. Adonis started to exercise his most distinctive gift when he turned 14, giving voice to many different bands. Before leaving his teens behind, Adonis would fall completely in love with traditional Cuban sounds and begin writing the first expressions of his own music.

In 1995, Valentin Puentes formed a family band with his twin sons and came to North America, touring Canada and recording a cassette called Los Puentes. Upon returning to Cuba, Adonis competed in a national TV show called Mi Salsa and, as one of the finalists, his reputation throughout his island home continued blossom as his vocal talents became increasingly in demand among prominent salsa bands in Havana's competitive music scene.

Adonis returned to Canada in 1998, this time to take up roots and begin the path to the realization of his own song craft, joining up with his brother Alexis in the Alex Cuba Band which would become The Puentes Brothers. Their debut album, Morumba Cubana received the kind of critical acclaim normally reserved for long-established Canadian artists; a Juno nomination in 2001, the Westcoast Music Award and an Indie award for the Best World Beat Independent Album of the Year. This period coincided with a rebirth of interest in Cuban music. The Buena Vista Social Club had become a global music phenomenon, achieving platinum sales in Canada. Presented with The Puentes Brothers' sweet harmonies and undeniable command of the tenants of Cuban son, the music press had to ask themselves, "Could it be that authentic Cuban roots need not be the sole property of a fading generation of players?" Indeed, Adonis and Alexis were pointing to the future of the form and continued to light up stages across North America and into Europe with this revelation.

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Album Review

Puentes Brothers: Morumba Cubana

Read "Morumba Cubana" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose


Thanks to a recently concluded distribution deal with Ryko in the United States, the smaller Canadian label, Alma will be releasing some of its wonderful catalogue to discerning American and worldwide listeners. Some of this features relatively older recordings, like Puentes Brothers' Morumba Cubana (Alma, 2000). Listeners will soon see it was well worth the wait. This is a very important Cuban 'son' document, especially for those listeners who push the envelope and refuse to be satisfied with 'safe' records. ...

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Music Industry

Adonis Puentes Voice of Orestes Vilat's Latin Grammy Nominated Album 'It's About Time'

Adonis Puentes Voice of Orestes Vilat's Latin Grammy Nominated Album 'It's About Time'

Source: All About Jazz

Cuban-Canadian, singer-songwriter Adonis Puentes is the lead vocalist on Master Percussionist Orestes Vilat's album It's About Time, recently nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in the category of BEST TRADITIONAL TROPICAL ALBUM. The milestone 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will be presented Nov. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

This is thrilling news for Puentes who put voice to the album that has now been recognized by the Latin Recording Academy.

After spending a few months ...

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Morumba Cubana

Alma Records
2008

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Vida

Sunny Harbour Records
2005

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