Omara Portuondo
Omara Portuondo | |
---|---|
son, guaracha | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, dancer |
Years active | 1950–present |
Labels | Velvet, Areito, World Circuit |
Website | www |
Omara Portuondo Peláez (born 29 October 1930) is a
Early life and career
Born on 29 October 1930 in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Havana, Portuondo had three sisters.[1] Her mother, Esperanza Peláez, came from a wealthy family of Spanish ancestry, and had created a scandal by running off with and marrying a black professional baseball player, Bartolo Portuondo.[1] Omara joined the dance group of the Cabaret Tropicana in 1950, following her elder sister, Haydee. She also danced in the Mulatas de Fuego in the theatre Radiocentro, and in other dance groups. The two sisters also used to sing for family and friends, and they also performed in Havana clubs. In 1947, Portuondo and Haydee joined the Loquibambia Swing, a group formed by the blind pianist Frank Emilio Flynn.[2][3]
From 1952–1953, she sang for the
1967–present
In 1967, Portuondo began to focus on her solo career, recording two albums for
In 1974, she recorded with guitarist Martín Rojas, an album in which she lauds
In 2004, the
Buena Vista Social Club
Portuondo sang (duetting with Ibrahim Ferrer) on the album Buena Vista Social Club in 1996. This led not only to more touring (including playing at Carnegie Hall with the Buena Vista troupe) and her appearance in Wim Wenders' film Buena Vista Social Club, but to two further albums for the World Circuit label: Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo (2000) and Flor de Amor (2004). She remains a member of Buena Vista Social Club, being the only original vocalist to do so.
Discography
- Magia Negra (Velvet, 1959. Reissued by Kubaney 190 and Kristal 1124) – With Julio Gutiérrez
- Seis Voces y un Sentimiento (Egrem 3123, 1960)
- Omara Portuondo (Areito 3358, 1967)
- Esta es Omara Portuondo (Areito 1071, 1967)
- Omara Portuondo: Omara! (Areito 3478, 1974)
- Omara Portuondo & Martín Rojas (Love Records, 1975) – With Martín Rojas
- Y Tal Vez (Areito 3837, 1981)
- Canta El Son (Areito 4071, 1983)
- Omara Portuondo, Adalberto Alvarez Y Su Son (Sonografica 40022, 1984) – With Adalberto Y Su Son
- Pensamiento (Artex TKF-CD-14, 1992)
- Palabras (Intuition/Nubenegra INT 31862, 1996)
- Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit, 1997)
- Desafios (Intuition/Nubenegra 1025, 1998) – With Chucho Valdés
- Oro Musical (Max Music, 1999)
- Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo (World Circuit, 2000)
- Omara Portuondo: Roots of Buena Vista (Egrem CD0173, 2000)
- Roots of Buena Vista: La Novia Del Feeling (Egrem CD0178, 2000) – With Orquesta Todos Estrellas
- La Gran Omara Portuondo (Egrem CD0414, 2000)
- Dos Gardenias (Tumi Records, 2001)
- La Sitiera (WEA, 2001)
- You (King, 2001)
- Joyas Inéditas (Egrem 0514, 2002)
- La Colección Cubana (Nascente, 2003)
- Flor De Amor (World Circuit, 2004)
- Together (Havana Nites HN003, 2004) – With Ibrahim Ferrer
- Together Again (Havana Nites HN004, 2004) – With Ibrahim Ferrer
- Sentimiento (La Escondida, 2005)
- Lágrimas Negras (Canciones y Boleros) (Yemaya, 2005)
- The Essential Omara Portuondo (Manteca, 2006)
- Quiereme Mucho (PID, 2006)
- Together (Soliton, 2006) – With Celina González
- Singles (Malanga Music MM 803,2007)
- Duets (Malanga Music MM 812, 2007)
- Maria Bethânia e Omara Portuondo (Biscoito Fino, 2008) – With Maria Bethânia
- Gracias (World Village, 2008)
- Omara & Chucho (Random Music, 2011) – With Chucho Valdés
- Magia Negra: The Beginning (World Village, 2014)
- Omara Siempre (Egrem, 2018)
- Mariposas (Bis Music, 2020)
- Vida (One World Music, 2023)
Selected filmography
- Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
- Live in Montreal (2007)
- Omara Portuondo & Maria Bethânia Live (2008)
- Omara & Chucho (2011)
See also
References
- ^ a b Iván García (2 November 2010). "In Cuba We Lack A Lot of Things, But We Have Omara Portuondo". TranslatingCuba.com. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ a b Giro Radamés 2007. Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba. La Habana. vol 2, p5.
- ^ a b World Music Central.org. "World Music Central.org". World Music Central.org. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ Victor LP 1532 Cuarteto d'Aida con la orquesta de Chico O'Farrill. An evening at the Sans Souci.
- ^ a b Díaz Ayala, Cristóbal (Fall 2013). "Omara Portuondo" (PDF). Encyclopedic Discography of Cuban Music 1925-1960. Florida International University Libraries. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Artist Profiles: Omara Portuondo at World Music Central website