JUAN FORMELL Y LOS VAN VANIt’s the world’s most famous Cuban Salsa & Timba Orquesta, a musical myth that has been on the stages for 42 years, with an unmistakable sound. Los Van Van are led by Juan Formell, who founded the band in 1969.
The secrets of longevity and the great international success of Van Van are the constant maintenance of the maximum quality and preservation of the historical formation of the group: Juan Formell (Bass), Changuito (Drums), Cesar "Pupi" Pedroso (Piano), Pedrito Calvo (Vocals). Then came Samuel Formell (Drums), Mario "Mayito" Rivera (Vocals) and "Robertón" Hernandez (Vocals) joined the band. From 2001 Los Van Van welcomed two new top singers, Abel "Lele" Rosales, the son of one of the founders of the band, and, for the first time, a female voice, Yeni Valdés, already singer of another historical band: NG La Banda.
Formell’s musical idea was "evolution" and "modernize” a traditional "charanga" band adding the drums and the electric guitar, the trombones and the electric violins. A few bands in the world can boast so powerful and precise wind and string section able to give life to a music sound so unique and unmistakable. At the beginning of the 1970s Juan Formell was the inventor of a brand new musical style called Songo.
Songo is the fusion of Cuban Music with Jazz Music, Brazilian Music and Merengue. And when the other bands in Cuba started playing Timba, Juan Formell adapted himself rereading it his way, to the point that "Eso Te Pone La Cabeza Mala" is a song become the emblem of Cuban Timba.
The band took the name Los Van Van from the Cuban “slang” spoken by sugarcane pickers, an idiom "Van, Van!", that Formell, with his usual creativity and irony, changed and adapted to his Orchestra.
Juan Formell y Los Van Van have made Cuba and all Salsa Lovers all around the world dance for 40 years, their music is considered by the main experts the best expression of Caribbean Sound, that is able to join tradition and modern suggestions. For decades Los Van Van have been the Official Ambassadors of Cuban Salsa and of everything that is Original Cuban Music.
2005: Los Van Van signed with Planet Records a license agreement extended to the European Territory for the new release “Chapeando” and afterwards the mythical DVD LIVE “Aqui el Que Baila Gana”, worldwide.
2009: after 5 years, is going to be released the new studio album“Arrasando”. The collaboration with Planet Records goes on and develops and, after years of releases not much more than underground, finally Los Van Van come back to the official sale system and are officially released worldwide, also in the United States as well, obviously on Planet Records, and distributed by Sony.
2011: Los Van Van release the album "La Maquinaria" and even if the public interest in timba has dropped compared to previous years, Los Van Van created an album at same high level of the previous, and now the Great Family of Los Van Van still continues his multi-decades long history.
(Last Updated: February 27, 2012)
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