A new Spanish joint venture label is planning to launch a CD-book and DVD of a tribute concert for veteran Spanish singer/songwriter Luis Eduardo Aute.
The Barnasants-Canción de Autor label was created last year by Barcelona’s Barnasants singer/songwriter festival, and Madrid-based Fundación Autor, the promotional arm of Spanish authors’ and publishers’ society SGAE.
The recordings capture the performance at Havana’s Karl Marx theater in late March, when some of Cuba’s leading “trova” singers played songs written by Aute, who also performed at the sold out 5,000-capacity concert.
This year’s 13th Barnasants Festival in March culminated with a series of concerts and cultural activities in Havana to honor Sony BMG-signed Aute’s 40-year career. Cuban public TV broadcast the concert live, and leading Cuban performing artists included Silvio Rodríguez, Vivente Feliú, Amaury Pérez, Carlos Varela, Santiago Feliú, Liuba María Hevia, and Karel García.
“This is the first time Barnasants has left the Barcelona region of Spain, but despite some organizational difficulties it was well worth it to be in a country that is a reference point for singer/songwriters from Florida (U.S.) to Patagonia (Argentina),” explains Barnasants director Pere Camps.
Aute is the only non-Cuban musician to have enjoyed an audience with the new Cuban president Raúl Castro since he became rose to the role when his brother, Fidel, stepped down on Feb. 24 due to illness, after 49 years as Cuban leader.
Camps says once the entire Barnasants team returns from their Cuban trip, work will start on preparing the CD-book and DVD of the Aute tribute concert.
Aute first visited Cuba in 1978 and has several friends in the “New Trova” song movement, such as Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés.
