Lineup announced for Cuba “peace concert”

Fifteen artists representing six countries are planning to perform as part of a September 20th “peace concert” in Havana, Cuba.

Among the acts that will be present according to a press release we received a few hours ago will be Colombian pop-rock artist/ “Paz Sin Fronteras” organizer Juanes. Cuban artists Silvio Rodríguez and Los Van Van will also be there along with the likes of Miguel Bosé (Spain) and Olga Tañón (Puerto Rico). Representing the U.S. will be the brilliant fusion sounds of CuCu Diamantes and Yerba Buena.

Juanes has received plenty of criticism from members of the cuban exile community in the U.S though he has also been backed by some Cuban dissidents. According to the press release the upcoming concert will try to bring musicians together in a spirit of peace and harmony much like the first “Paz Sin Fronteras” last year along the Colombia-Venezuela border:

Concierto Paz Sin Fronteras will take place at the Jose Marti Revolution Plaza between 2PM and 6PM local time. The Paz Sin Fronteras stage will be located at the same spot where Pope John Paul II held his historic mass in January of 1998. Admission is free and open to the public.

The concert organizers have requested that the artists and the audience wear all white attire to symbolize peace.

All artists have agreed to perform just their most popular songs and that the concert will not present political messages of any nature. There will be no presenters on stage – just music performers.

The concert will be sponsor-free and will supposedly air via satellite through Cuban television. None of the artists will be paid to perform and production costs will be split between Cuba's Ministry of Culture, Juanes, Bosé and Tañón.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Billboard
Other Source - Paz Sin Fronteras press release via e-mail

Today’s Video: Miguel Bose @ "Peace Without Borders"

Tonight’s clip from the Paz Sin Fronteras ("Peace Without Borders") concert highlights Miguel Bose singing his signature hit “Amante Bandido”. The Spaniard was one of seven musicians who graced the stage at the Simon Bolívar bridge along the Venezuela/Colombia border.

From a personal standpoint, “Amante Bandido” was one of my favorite songs as a child. Thus, I got quite a kick listening to it on Sunday and it brought up some pretty good memories! (For comparison’s sake, here’s Bose lip-synching the song on Spanish TV in 1985 and looking like a lost member of Spandau Ballet).

(Video link):

Previous videos this week:

• Carlos Vives – La Hamaca Grande
• Alejandro Sanz (featuring Juanes, Ricardo Montaner, Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Bose, Juan Fernando Velasco, and Carlos Vives) - Corazon Partio

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Wikipedia, YouTube, 80smusiclyrics.com

Today’s Video: The “chancellors of peace”

An estimated 100,000 jubilant people packed the border area between Cucuta, Colombia and San Antonio, Venezuela for the Paz Sin Fronteras ("Peace Without Borders") concert. The event- masterminded by Colombian rockero Juanes- brought him together with six other musical heavyweights from Latin America. The aim of such a unique event was to promote peace after a recent diplomatic crisis as well as to promote a “citizens’ movement.”

This week’s video theme will feature clips of the four hour plus concert held at the Simón Bolívar bridge. Today we’re showing Spain’s Alejandro Sanz singing Corazon Partio along with his fellow “chancellors of peace”: Juanes, Ricardo Montaner, Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Bose, Juan Fernando Velasco, and Carlos Vives.

(Video link):

Sources- BBC News, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, Al Jazeera, YouTube

Juan Luis Guerra leads Latin Grammy nominees

Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra led the nominations for this year's Latin Grammy Awards. In a ceremony this morning in Miami, Guerra was chosen five times including for album of the year and record of the year.

Not far behind him were Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin and hip-hop/reggaeton duo Calle 13 with four nods each. Other notables that were nominated include Miguel Bose, Zoë, Daddy Yankee, and Kinky.

Last week Guerra was announced as the winner of the Latin Grammy's Person of the Year award based on his music and charitable work.

The Awards ceremony will take place on November 8^th from Las Vegas.

Sources (English)- International Herald Tribune, The Latin Americanist, grammy.com

Sources (Spanish)- Primera Hora

Image- VivirLatino