The album “Ancestro Sinfónico”, by the Cubans X Alfonso, Eme Alfonso and the Síntesis group, is part of this list of candidates for the Latin Recording Academy awards, in its 2022 edition.

The disc competes for the gramophone in the section of Best folk album, which includes productions signed by Paulina Aguirre, Eva Ayllón, Pedro Aznar, Susana Baca, Natalia Lafourcade and Sandra Mihanovich.

Among the list of candidates also stand out from Cuba the phonograms “It will be that it’s over”, by Alexander Abreu and Havana D’Primera, “Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Aymée Nuviola Live in Marciac”, created by both artists and “Gran Combo pa’rato” , of the Ignacio Piñeiro National Septet.

Below is the list of nominees in some of the General Categories.

Record of the year
“For my girls” – Christina Aguilera, Becky G, Nicki Nicole with Nathy Peluso
“Sand Castles” – Pablo Alborán
“Wrap” – Anitta
“Pa’lla voy” – Marc Anthony
“Pretty eyes” – Bad Bunny & Bomba Estéreo
“Pegao” – Camilo
“Touch You” – Jorge Drexler & C. Tangana
“Provence” – Karol G
“It’s worth it” – Juan Luis Guerra “La Fama” – Rosalía with The Weeknd
“I congratulate you” – Shakira & Rauw Alejandro
“Little old ball” – Carlos Vives & Camilo
Album of the year
Aguilera – Christina Aguilera
Here I go – Marc Anthony
A summer without you – Bad Bunny
Leave – Stereo Bomb
Ink and time – Jorge Drexler
We are no longer the same – Elsa and Elmar
Traveler – Fonseca
Motomami (Digital Album) – Rosalía
Sanz – Alejandro Sanz
Dharma – Sebastian Yatra
Song of the Year
“Sometimes good and sometimes bad” – Pedro Capo, Ignacio Cibrián, Ricky Martín, Pablo Preciado, Julio Ramírez, Mauricio Rengifo & Andrés Torres, composers (Ricky Martin with Reik)
“Water” – Rauw Alejandro, Emmanuel Anene, David Alberto Macias, Nile Rodgers, Juan Salinas, Oscar Salinas & Daddy Yankee, songwriters (Daddy Yankee, Rauw Alejandro & Nile Rodgers)
“Something is better” – Mon Laferte, composer (Mon Laferte)
“Baloncito viejo” – Camilo, Jorge Luis Chacín, Andrés Leal, Martín Velilla & Carlos Vives, composers (Carlos Vives & Camilo)
“Kisses on the forehead” – Fonseca & Julio Reyes Copello, composers (Fonseca)
“Finding Me” – Carla Morrison, Juan Alejandro Jiménez Pérez & Mario Demian Jiménez Pérez, composers (Carla Morrison)
“Hentai” – Larry Gold, Noah Goldstein, Chad Hugo, David Rodríguez, Rosalía, Jacob Sherman, Michael Uzowuru, Pilar Vila Tobella, Dylan Wiggins & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Rosalía)
“Indigo” – Édgar Barrera & Camilo, composers (Camilo & Evaluna Montaner)
“For my girls” – Christina Aguilera, Jorge Luis Chacín, Kat Dahlia, Becky G, Yoel Henríquez, Yasmil Marrufo, Nicki Nicole & Nathy Peluso, songwriters (Christina Aguilera, Nicki Nicole, Becky G with Nathy Peluso)
“Provenza” – Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno, Carolina Giraldo Navarro & Ovy On The Drums, composers (Karol G)
“Red Heels” – Juan Jo, Manuel Lara, Manuel Lorente, Pablo & Sebastián Yatra, composers (Sebastián Yatra)
“Tocarte” – Jorge Drexler, Pablo Drexler, Víctor Martínez & C. Tangana, composers (Jorge Drexler & C. Tangana)
Best New Artist
Angela Alvarez

sofia fields

Candy and Paul

Clarissa

Silvana Estrada

Pol Granch

Nabalez

tiara

Voucher

Yahritza and His Essence

Nicole Zignago

(With information from Latin Grammy)

Of the five phonograms competing, three feature groups from the island and two are from Cuba’s Egrem studios, but all are connected to the cultural resources that have made Cuba one of the most fertile territories in the continent’s musical tradition.

‘Este es nuestro changüí,’ recorded at Egrem’s Siboney Studios in Santiago de Cuba, founded 40 years ago on the initiative of Comandante de la Revolución and composer Juan Almeida Bosque, honors one of the primary genres of the son family, featuring the work of one of its strongest proponents, the Changüí Guantanamero.

The successful updating of our traditions is presented in another album from Egrem, ‘Faílde con tumbao,’ by the Faílde orchestra, from Matanzas, which presents innovative dance arrangements and the setting to music by Pedro Pablo Cruz of the famous sonnet by Carilda Oliver Labra, ‘Me desordeno,’ performed by Omara Portuondo.

Puntilla Records, based in the United States, is distributing the most recent production from the Aragon, on the occasions of the band’s 80th anniversary, Icono, recorded in Manolito Simonet’s Havana studio, including anthological pieces from their repertoire and new contributions from the group’s director Rafaelito Lay and Aquella chica, by Lazaro Dagoberto Gonzalez.

The remaining albums all feature a Cuban presence: ‘Soy puro teatro,’ by Venezuelan Mariaca Semprún, is a tribute to the strong artistic personality of La Lupe; and ‘Pa’lante,’ by Cuban-American flutist Ernesto Fernández, incorporates the collaborations of his well-known colleague Orlando Valle (Maraca) – with a solo in ‘El bodeguero’ – and his brother Yumurí, as well as percussionist Pedrito Martínez, who has enjoyed a remarkable career in New York.

Our irrepressible Omara Portuondo is one of the five finalists in the Best Contemporary Tropical Fusion Album, with ‘Mariposas,’ licensed by Bis Music, in which she performs the creations of the prolific Cuban composer Jessee Suárez. Also competing are Colombians Carlos Vives and El Caribefunk, in addition to Dominicans Riccie Oriach and Prince Royce.

Not to be overlooked is the nomination of Canadian musician of Cuban origin, Alex Cuba, in the category of Best Singer-songwriter Album, for ‘Sublime.’

(Taken from Granma)

The 2015 awards ceremony took place in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, where other winners included Calle 13 and Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez for the video clip Ojos color sol; and Alex Cuba, for Healer. Pablo Milanés was recognized for his life long contributions with an Award for Musical Excellence.

The Santiago group, led Fernando Dewar, has been nominated twice previously for Oye mi Son santiaguero and Vamos pa’ la fiesta, competing this time against another Cuban, among others, Alain Pérez and his El Alma del Son. Tributo a Matamoros.

Other 2015 Cuban nominees included Iván “Melón” Lewis, in the Best Latin Jazz Album category; and Rey Ruiz, in the Best Salsa Album category.

Lizt Alfonso’s Dance Cuba (LADC) won rave reviews as the first Cuban dance company to perform during the ceremony.

(Granma)