Interactivo is a collaborative group of Cuban musicians, led by the pianist, singer and composer Roberto Carcasses

Roberto Carcassés

Robert Carcassés is a Cuban jazz pianist. He was born on May 19, 1972, in Havana, Cuba. He has collaborated with many musicians, such as Chucho Valdés, Changuito, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, and Descemer Bueno...

. As an acknowledgement of their growing notoriety, the band has recently been the subject of a documentary directed by Tane Martinez, and premiered at the Havana International Film Festival in December, 2010.

History

Interactivo is a music collective begun by Roberto Carcasses

Roberto Carcassés

Robert Carcassés is a Cuban jazz pianist. He was born on May 19, 1972, in Havana, Cuba. He has collaborated with many musicians, such as Chucho Valdés, Changuito, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, and Descemer Bueno...

 in Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 around a core group of five musicians : Roberto Carcasses

Roberto Carcassés

Robert Carcassés is a Cuban jazz pianist. He was born on May 19, 1972, in Havana, Cuba. He has collaborated with many musicians, such as Chucho Valdés, Changuito, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, and Descemer Bueno...

, Yusa

Yusa

Yusa is a Cuban singer and songwriter, born in the Buena Vista district of Havana, Cuba. Her music is recognised worldwide : in 2003, she was nominated at the prestigious BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in two categories...

, Francis de Rio, William Vicanco and Telmary Diaz

Telmary Diaz

Telmary Diaz , better known as simply Telmary, is an award-winning Toronto-based Cuban rapper, musician, and spoken-word artist.- Early life :...

. Credited as being the « director » of the group rather than the leader, Roberto Carcasses prides himself on Interactivo’s free-form, experimental, and collaborative nature. Over the years, new members has joined the band, including Olivier Valdes, Rodney Barreto, Yaroldi Abreu, Carlos Rios, Raul Verdecia, Julio Padron, Carlos Miyares, David Suarez, Alexey Barroso, Juan Carlos Marin, Brenda Navarrete, Marjorie Rivera and Lisset Ochoa, among others.

The frequent line-up changes and comings and goings of its members has made Interactivo utterly indescribable and unable to be pinned under one musical genre. Traditional Afro-Cuban beats mingle with jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, soul

Soul

A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...

, rap

Rap

Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...

, and funk

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 music which highlights the individual musicians strengths as well as the groups success at collaboration.

The release of their newest album, Cubanos por el Mundo, has launched a world tour. Numerous other renowned artists took part in the recording sessions, among them : singer and chekeré player Oscar Valdés, vocalist Bobby Carcassés, bassists Carlos Ríos, Feliciano Arango and Néstor del Prado, drumers Adel González, Rodney Yllarza Barreto and Oliver Valdés ; guitarists Elmer Ferrer and José Luis Martínez ; trumpetists Julio Padrón, Carlos Sarduy, Carlos M. Miyares and David Suárez ; vocalists and chorists Marjorie Rivera, Melvis Santa, Santiago Feliú, Descemer Bueno

Descemer Bueno

Descemer Bueno is a Cuban singer, composer, and producer. His first professional gigs were playing bass with Santiago Feliú, one of Cuba’s greatest troubadours.-Early life:...

, David Torrens, and Kelvis Ochoa

Kelvis Ochoa

Kelvis Ochoa is an author-composer-singer born in 1970 in Las Tunas, Cuba. At the age of 3 his parents moved to Isla de la Juventud , situated about 100 kilometers south of the Havana shore where he grew up. He is very popular with young Cubans and famous worldwide for having co-composed the...

.

External links

• http://en.cubafiesta.net/news/cuba-news-interactivo-cd-launch-concert-in-havana
• http://bimhuis.com/gigs/interactivo
• http://www.filmfestivaltoday.com/press-releases/individual-tickets-now-on-sale-plus-contenders-for-the-havana-star-prize-for-best-documentary

See also

Roberto Carcasses

Roberto Carcassés

Robert Carcassés is a Cuban jazz pianist. He was born on May 19, 1972, in Havana, Cuba. He has collaborated with many musicians, such as Chucho Valdés, Changuito, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, and Descemer Bueno...

William Vicanco
Telmary Diaz

Telmary Diaz

Telmary Diaz , better known as simply Telmary, is an award-winning Toronto-based Cuban rapper, musician, and spoken-word artist.- Early life :...

Kelvis Ochoa

Kelvis Ochoa

Kelvis Ochoa is an author-composer-singer born in 1970 in Las Tunas, Cuba. At the age of 3 his parents moved to Isla de la Juventud , situated about 100 kilometers south of the Havana shore where he grew up. He is very popular with young Cubans and famous worldwide for having co-composed the...

Descemer Bueno

Descemer Bueno

Descemer Bueno is a Cuban singer, composer, and producer. His first professional gigs were playing bass with Santiago Feliú, one of Cuba’s greatest troubadours.-Early life:...