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Buena Vista Revisited
Omara Portuondo
song sample
Omara Portuondo
& Compay Segundo Viente Años
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Omara Portuondo Vuela Pena
artist personnel
omara portuondo lead vocal swami jr. guitar and musical director harold lopez nussa piano felipe cabrera double bass rodney barreto drums andrés coayo percussion
Omara Portuondo tuesday, october 20, 8PM Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
$35| $55| $80 Premium GA buy tickets

A living legend for decades in her native Cuba, Omara Portuondo finally gained international fame as part of Buena Vista Social Club. Born in Havana in 1930, Portuondo first entered show business as a dancer at the city’s famous cabaret Tropicana. Soon afterwards, she embarked on a singing career that earned her the sobriquet “la novia del filin” (literally, the “fiancée of feeling”). Portuondo’s reputation only increased during the ‘50s through the ‘70s, singing with some of the most important and beloved Cuban bands of the time such as Cuarteto d’Aida and Orquesta Aragon. But it was her 1996 duet with vocalist Compay Segundo on “Veinte Años” for Buena Vista Social Club that introduced her to U.S. audiences. Two critically-acclaimed solo albums for World Circuit and sold-out international tours followed. Her latest release, 2008’s Gracias, celebrates her sixth decade as an entertainer. For her first U.S. tour since 2004, she revisits the romantic Afro-Cuban boleros and Brazilian-inspired jazz that first made her a star.

“The queen of Caribbean vocalists.” Los Angeles Times “Her voice… is rich, shapely, dynamic and still sultry.” The New York Times “Omara Portuondo is still Cuba's great diva.” The Guardian UK
Performance subject to change based on artist's travel visa approval.