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Milanes Pablo

Milanes Pablo

1943 - 1922 (-21)
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Biography

Pablo Milanés known as Pamblito, (Pablo Milanés, 1943-2022) was a Cuban composer, singer and guitarist one of the founders of Cuban nueva trova music, along with Silvio Rodríguez and Noel Nicola. He was born in Bayamo, Cuba on February 24, 1943 and studied at the National School of Music in Havana.

Although he supported the Cuban Revolution, in 1965 he was critical of the revolutionary government and was sent to the UMAP agricultural forced labor camp in Camaguey. In 1967, he escaped and fled to Havana to denounce the injustice of the labor camp. This resulted in his imprisonment, first for two months in La Cabaña, an 18th-century fortress in Havana, and then for a time in a political prisoner camp. He was released when the camp was closed due to international pressure. In 1969, he joined the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora, an important group of young musicians, many of whom became founding members of the nueva trova, which began as a movement with a concert given by Milanes, Silvio Rodriguez and Noel Nicola on February 18 1968. Until the late 1980s, nueva trova was the unofficial musical style of the Cuban Revolution.

Since his first recording ("Versos sencillos de José Martí" in 1973), he has released more than 40 solo records and many more in collaboration with other artists from Cuba and Latin America and Spain. His first album of original songs (the self-titled 'Pablo Milanés') was released only in 1976. His creative peak was in the early 1980s, with his albums 'El guerrero', 'Yo me quedo' and 'Comienzo y final de una verde mañana".

Within the nueva trova, Pablo was widely regarded as one of the closest to the traditional roots of Cuban music, while being open to various musical influences from other contemporary traditions, such as Brazilian music and the blues. His compositions ranged from strongly political anthems to inspirational love songs Since 2004 he lived in Vigo, Spain with his Spanish wife and their two sons. In 2014, he underwent a kidney transplant, which was donated by his wife. He died on November 22, 2022.