¡Viva Cuba! Part One: Albita

An edited version of this feature was first published in SPIN.

Albita (Rodríguez) is a Latin music superstar. Recipient of 14 Grammy or Latin Grammy nominations (with one win to date), the Havana native has built a career that leverages and celebrates her music’s Cuban country/folk roots. An exemplar of the guajira style – a poetic style with Flamenco textures – Albita began her professional performing career as a teen in the late ‘70s. She premiered on record with 1988’s Habrá Música Guajira (There Will Be Guajira Music). “With its rhythm and simplicity, guajira music has a unique ability to connect with the deepest part of the human soul,” she says. “Through its melodies, you can feel the very essence of Cuba.”

Albita y Chucho Valdés

Though today she makes her home in Miami, Albita remains deeply immersed in the music and culture of her native country. “Over the years, Cuban music has evolved constantly, adapting to new influences without losing its identity,” she observes. “Cuban musicians have always been very skilled at merging the best of other cultures while creating something entirely their own, something ‘Cuban.’” She believes that the music’s ability to synthesize different styles is key to its power and durability. “Even for those who don’t speak Spanish or don’t know our culture, Cuban rhythms manage to convey vibrant and sincere energy that transcends words,” she says.

Albita’s latest release is Masters of our Roots. The album is a collaboration with Chucho Valdés: pianist, band leader, seven-time Grammy winner and fellow towering figure of Cuban music. “We managed to blend the best of Cuban tradition with contemporary touches,” Albita says, “creating a work that, while respecting the root, also shows a modern vision of our music.” She sums up the goal of keeping Cuban music alive this way: “Not staying in the past but knowing how to carry that tradition to new generations, adapting it without losing its essence.”