Cuban son
Miami, Florida
Photo courtesy of artist
Son Qba brings together some of Cuba’s most distinguished musical veterans to play a deep repertoire of Cuban classics. Led by bassist Cristóbal Verdecia and composer Franklin Darien Reytor on tres (triple-stringed guitar), this Miami-based quartet specializes in son, one of the foundational sounds of all Cuban popular music.
Son, alongside rumba, are the twin pillars on which all modern Cuban music rests. Both come out of centuries-old Afro-Cuban musical tradition, which married syncopated African rhythms with melodies and instrumentation of the Spanish cancion for an irresistible mix of rough and ready percussion and improvised call-and-response vocals. Son arose in eastern Cuba in cities like Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba—where many Cubans of African heritage moved after the abolition of slavery in 1886—and by the 1920s had emerged as the island’s preeminent musical style featuring an ensemble, typically a sextet, of guitar, tres, bongos, claves, maracas, and double bass. These sounds quickly took the world by storm, with the rise of the phonograph coinciding with Cuba’s tourism boom to create one of the first international dance crazes. This success was short-lived, however, and son was eclipsed by newer sounds in the 1940s.
At the end of the 20th century, when son was all but forgotten outside of Cuba, the success of the Buena Vista Social Club, an unexpected international phenomenon, brought the music roaring back to life worldwide. But this music had never died on the island itself; it remained embedded in the musical DNA of everything that came after. As young musicians, Cristóbal Verdecia and Franklin Darien Reytor learned the elements of son early, both informally and at conservatory.
Cristóbal Verdecia Sardiñas, aka “El Profe” (or “teach,” as a term of endearment in Spanish for a teacher), was born and raised in Havana, where he was first taught by his uncle Israel “Kantor” Sardiñas, a well-known singer in the legendary timba group Los Van Van. His path led him to study bass at Havana’s Guillermo Tomás Music Conservatory and perform in multiple hometown groups, including his own band, Havana D’Primera. Verdecia immigrated to the United States in 2012, arriving in Miami, where he became an in-demand musician in the city’s thriving Cuban music scene. He has played with a wide range of bands on the national and international stage, including such groups as Cubanismo, the Buena Vista All-Stars, and Grupo Niche.
Franklin Darien Reytor hails from Santiago de Cuba, where he studied classical guitar at the Conservatorio Esteban Salas, and performed in multiple groups as an instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. He has won multiple awards for his songwriting and production, including Cuba’s “Adolfo Guzmán” award. In 2015 he came to the United States, where he linked up with Verdecia to form Son Qba. With singer and guitarist Julio César Rodríguez and percussionist Marciano Hernández, this quartet stands out for their commitment to keeping son alive in the 21st century by performing time-tested Cuban standards with sensitivity, reverence, and virtuosity.