Pablo Milanes, the troubadour of the Cuban revolution, has become one of the most visible and well-known contemporary Cuban singers. He is one of the leading creative geniuses behind the Cuban and Latin American musical movement known as La Nueva Trova. His musical creations, as well as his recordings and interpretations, have traveled the world and constitute an example of Cuba's musical production during the post-revolutionary period.
Background
Milanes was born in the Cuban city of Bayamo on February 24,1943. His mother recognized his musical talents early in Iris childhood and encouraged him to sing at gatherings of family and friends. A testimonial to his mother's encouragement is revealed by the fact that he dedicated his first album to her because she was the one "who forced me to sing".
Education
Like many other Cuban performers, such as Celia Cruz, he had an active amateur career during his childhood and adolescent years, participating in the television and radio musical contests that were very popular in Cuba at the time. Although he studied at the Havana Municipal Conservatory, he generally is considered to be self-taught.
Career
Milanés professional musical career began at the age of 16, when he joined the group Cuarteto del Rey (King's Quarter) as a guitarist and lead singer. He also started his serious work as a composer during this period. During these early years, he explored various musical genres focusing primarily on romantic lyrics that led to the Cuban musical genre known as "feeling. This rhythm relied on Cuban boleros for its platform but incorporated Cuban spirituals, giiajiras, son, and even American jazz.
His involvement with this genre is significant because it allowed him to introduce new elements into the Cuban balad by speeding its tempo and making it more festive. Critics have said that his work has been characterized by "musical syncretism," in which he integrated stylistic features from many styles and genres (Diaz 1994). Some of his early musical compositions include "Tú, mi desengaño" (You Disappoint Me), "El Manantial" (The Spring), "Ya ves" (See Now), and "Estás Lejos" (You Are Far Away). From 1962 to 1964 he was a solo performer, and in 1964 he joined the musical group Los Bucaneros (The Buccaneers) as a guitarist and singer. From this group, he launched some of the most important changes in Cuban music during the 1960s and 1970s.
The year 1965 marked a crucial point in Milanés' career. That year he composed the song "Mis Veintidós Años" (My Twenty-two Years), where he pioneered a new musical style. Along with Silvio Rodriguez and Noel Nicola, Milanés became one of the leading forces in the creation of "La Nueva Trova Cubana o La Nueva Canción" (The New Song). Similar to North American protest songs, "La Nueva Canción" is characterized by intense lyrics that explore political and social prob-lems that Cuba and Latin America were experiencing during the turbulent 1960s. Many of the themes developed by Milanés and the Nueva Trova singers were seen as responsible for creating a renewed sense of awareness and optimism toward the unique challenges faced by Caribbean societies, such as economic exploitation, racism, imperialism, and armed conflict. One of the unique characteristics of Milanés' musical style was his tendency to incorporate poetry and romance into his song lyrics. New York Times music critic John Páreles has said that Milanés started a movement that combined "a reclamation of rural traditions, a sense of political commitment (often obliquely expressed) and a tone of longing for love, purpose and for better times".
In 1967 Milanés participated in the First Encounter of the Protest Song held in Havana. This event included individual performers and groups from Latin America and the United States. His appearance at the first festival gave him the perennial title of being one fathers of the Nueva Canción. That same year he joined the Center for the Protest Song at Cuba's prestigious Casa de las Americas, a cultural center that promotes Cuba's cultural endeavors. In 1969 he began working with the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC (Group of Sound Experimentation at the Havana Film Institute). Since then, he has participated in more than 90 tours throughout the world. Milanés has gained the love of his audiences and has entertained them with the beauty of his songs.
Cliff Davis is one of many music critics who has compared Milanés' work to the music of singers Bob Dylan and Curtis Mayfield. Milanés, however, perceives himself as a troubadour. Although the lyrics of his songs are intensely social and political, they are framed within a flavor of hopeless romanticism. One of the characteristics of his music is the heavy use of symbols and metaphors in their lyrics. Davis has said that in his music "words always count as much as the music" (1999).
Milanés' vocal style is melodious, which makes his audiences perceive him more as a romantic than as a political singer or a social activist. His tenor voice is soft and uniquely suited to convey the complex feelings that he explores. He says that he has been influenced by a wide array of other Latin American poets such as César Vallejo, Nicolás Guillén, and José Marti. He admits to musical influences from Brazilian singers and composers such as Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque.
Religion
He has said that he is an atheist since his childhood. Nevertheless, he characterizes himself as being highly spiritual. His God, he has says, is the human race.
Politics
Although Milanés generally supports the Cuban revolution, he is also an independent voice who has found his ideological positions at odds with Fidel Castro's regime. In 1999 he criticized Castro sharply by saying that the people of Cuba had sacrificed enough for the revolution and that it was time for them to be rewarded. In 1994 he opened the Mitanes Foundation to sponsor the music and cultural work of young Cubans only to have it closed by the Castro government in 1995. Many of Castro's supporters linked his remarks to the failure of his initiative. He has been an independent member of the National Assembly (the Cuban parliament), and recently organized a group of Latin American and Spanish musicians to issue a recording to raise funds for music organizations in Cuba. Despite the fact that he had hip replacement surgery in 1998, he resumed his career in 1999 and continues to actively record and tour the world. In the summer of 2001 he announced the joint recording of an album with famous Jamaican American singer Harry Belafonte. To date he has recorded 36 albums.