Concert on the Lawn
Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano
Saturday July 6, 2024 at 7:30pm
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Overview
Saturday July 6, 2024 at 7:30pm
Son Cubano is a musical genre that originated in the mountains of eastern Cuba and rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. With its Spanish and African origins, call-and-response format, and infectious percussion beats, Son Cubano was a major influence on many other styles, from mambo and salsa to jazz and cha-cha-chá. But you can’t talk about Son Cubano without talking about Kiki Valera. Born the oldest son in the famous multigenerational musical family, Valera quite literally grew up living and breathing the deep-rooted musical traditions of eastern Cuba and is known as one of the world’s greatest players of the Cuban cuatro, a mid-size, eight-stringed guitar.
“Son Cubano, much like American jazz, has been in a constant state of evolution from its beginnings. Valera continues in that spirit, shedding new and modern light on the music.”
— All About Jazz
Know Before You Go
The Venue: Friends Field
A large open lawn adjacent to Concessions and restrooms, Friends Field is used for many programs throughout the summer. Food and drinks are allowed (and encouraged!) – just remember to throw out or recycle before you leave. Note that there is no built-in seating on Friends Field, so please bring your own chairs and/or blankets.
Summer Season Shuttle / Take the FREE shuttle from Metro North’s Katonah train station to and from Caramoor! The shuttle runs before and after every summer afternoon and evening concert. There is no RSVP to get on the shuttle, it will be there when you arrive (in the parking lot side of the station). If it’s not there, it’s just making the loop and should be back within 5–10 minutes. The shuttle will start running 2.5 hours before the concert, and 30 minutes after the concert ends.
Rain or Shine / All events at Caramoor take place rain or shine. In the event of bad weather, this Friends Field concert will move under the fully covered Venetian Theater tent. This is a large tent with open sides and seating already provided. You will no longer need to bring your own seating to this concert in this scenario.
Make the Most of Your Time at Caramoor
Explore the Rosen House from 5:30pm–7:00pm / Select rooms of the Rosen House are free to explore during our Open House hours. No RSVP is required; feel free to attend and discover more about Caramoor’s history and founders.
Learn More About Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano
Son Cubano is one of the most popular musical styles in Cuba and Kiki Valera is one of its foremost exponents. Over the last century, this style of traditional Cuban music has contributed to many other genres of music including jazz, cha cha cha, mambo, salsa, songo, and timba. Cuban son is the music that made the Buena Vista Social Club worldwide stars in the late 1990s but Kiki Valera comes from a family of musicians whose involvement with Cuban son pre-dates the BVSC by decades.
Kiki Valera is the oldest son of the famous La Familia Valera Miranda septet, a multi-generational traditional music group from Santiago de Cuba. Since the 19th century, La Familia Valera Miranda has played a significant role in Cuban culture by collecting and preserving the deep-rooted traditions of the legendary Sierra Maestra mountain region. Their debut album, ANTOLOGÍA INTEGRAL DEL SON, released in 1982, helped initiate the explosion of interest in traditional Cuban music.
Valera, like most of his family, is a virtuoso. A multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, sound engineer, and producer, he’s best known as one of the world’s greatest players of the Cuban cuatro, a mid-size guitar with eight strings grouped in sets of two.
Valera picked up the Cuban tres under the guidance of his father when he was a child. He later attended one of the most prestigious music schools in Cuba, the Conservatorio Esteban Salas, in Santiago de Cuba, and by age 15 he was touring internationally.
He continues to direct, compose, arrange, and perform internationally. He also performs and teaches in Seattle, Washington where he contributes to the vibrant music scene of the Pacific Northwest. His current project features several other internationally acclaimed recording artists including Coco Freeman (former lead singer of Adalberto Alvarez y su Son and NG La Banda), vocalist Carlos Cascante (3x Grammy Award-winning vocalist of Spanish Harlem Orchestra), trompetista Alexis Baró (Cubanismo and Omara Portuondo) and bongocero Pedro Vargas (Barbarito Torres band).
To learn more about Kiki Valera, please visit his website.
