(Latin Jazz, Son Cubano) La Familia Valera Miranda - Cuba - 2017, MP3, 320 kbps

La Familia Valera Miranda has been playing traditional Cuban son – the style popularized by the Buena Vista Social Club – for generations. Music is a family affair for these famous musicians. Félix Valera Miranda, founder of the group, sings & plays guitar while his wife Carmen plays maracas. Their sons - Enrique, Raúl & Ernesto - play cuatro (an 8-string guitar tuned in pairs), bass & bongo respectively.
Since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has played a significant role in Cuban culture by collecting & preserving the deep-rooted traditions of the legendary Sierra Maestra mountain region. Original members of the family were subsistence farmers in the rural areas of the Oriente (eastern Cuba), primarily the Cauto River valley near the villages of Bayamo & Las Tunas. Later, they migrated to the areas around Santiago de Cuba & Guantánamo where they reside today.
The Valera & Miranda ancestors brought with them religious elements of Bantu origin alongside secular customs from the Canary Islands & Andalucía. These influences are found in their songs & the musical instruments they play.
Although world-renowned for their outstanding technical & virtuosic skill, the most important element of La Familia’s musical heritage is the authenticity of their music & the purity & eloquent simplicity of their style.
La Familia Valera Miranda helped initiate an explosion of interest in traditional Cuban music when their debut CD was released in 1982. Since that time, they have been sharing their music & culture with audiences around the world. From Santiago de Cuba, birthplace of Cuban son, this septet is one of the purest exponents of this musical genre.