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In memoriam of:
JOSE LUIS PEREZ CARTAYA
VICTOR RODRIGUEZ
JORGITO (EL MUELA) VELAZCO
ALFONSO FLEITAS (QUICUTIS)
New Page 3Born in 1946, in Cerro, Havana - Cuba, band leader and founder Jose Luis Perez Cartaya created Los Barba with a group of colleagues from the unique Cuban School of Modern Music which recruited as teachers Grammy Award Winners Chucho Valdes, Paquito d' Rivera, Carlos Emilio Morales, among others.
Los BB were at the top of the bands of their times, being the first combo format in including horn section. They added more members, eventually growing to ten players.
That was the era of Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, etc.
Since the beginning, the band line-up great singers. In 1967 Beatriz Marquez (La Musicalisima) and Miguel Ojeda (Ojedita) who later would have a great career as solo artists and by 1969 singer Miguel Velazco recorded several hits, most of them written by bass player Juan Carlos Gonzalez and arranged by founder guitar player Alfonso Fleitas Quicutis.
The band's popularity exploded when in 1974 former sax-player and administrator of the band, Daniel Palacios, suggested Perez Cartaya to add one trumpet and one trombone to the horn section and a conga player, since the musical style was changing from pop to a fusion of jazz-funk-rock-Afro-Cuban. To this wonderful band, Pepe Luis recruited the sensational new singer Mireya Escalante, who was part of a successful promotional tour with the band.
Unfortunately, in 1976, the band suffered a tragically accident, where three of its members lost their life, trumpet player Victor Rodriguez, drummer Jorgito (El Muela) Vazquez and pianist and director Jose Luis Perez Cartaya.
One year later, acclaimed for all the Cuban people, the band made a come back in an expected and unforgettable concert at the "Marti" theatre where the audience of all ages enthusiastically demonstrated how much they loved and admired them.
Los Barba participated in all festivals including: Varadero '70, Festival del Creador Musical, Elecciones de Estrellas (including the last one at the Ciudad Deportiva), Festival de la Toronja, etc. and all theatres across the country (Amadeo Roldan, Sausto-Matanzas, Terry-Cienfuegos, La Caridad-Santa Clara, among others.