MIAMI.- She is considered the most idolized Cuban artist in history, which is why more than 20 years after her physical departure, her amazing validity remains intact and she continues to be immortalized by the public, and through initiatives such as that of the Postal Service of the United States, which honored her with a postage stamp with her image as part of the Latin Music Legends Forever series.
Tributes like this were added to the iconic toy factory Mattel, which immortalized her with a Barbie doll, highlighting her in its Inspiring Women line. And, if that were not enough, next August, the United States Department of the Treasury will honor her as one of four selected women whose face will be depicted on a United States 25-cent coin, as part of the American initiative. Women Quarters.
And on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of the artist known throughout the world as the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz Estate and Loud And Live Studios presented a new commemorative album in vinyl and digital format called Celia live: 100 Years of Sugar.
Last year, Albertico Rodríguez, a famous DJ, radio pioneer in Miami, who Celia trusted a lot, came to see me. In fact, he was the one who frequently introduced her at her concerts in Miami. Albertico visited me, he showed me these unreleased recordings, and he told me: Omer, what can we do with this. And I barely heard them cassettes I realized that we had an album, although it was not intentionally recorded for that, Omer Pardillo-Cid, former manager of DIARIO LAS AMRICAS, told DIARIO LAS AMRICAS. Celia Cruz and universal executor of his legacy.
Celia live: 100 Years of Sugar
Celia Cruz was not known for releasing live albums throughout her career, in fact, Pardillo-Cid highlighted that this would be her second, making the collector’s album even more valuable for the world of music and its legions. admirers.
It is a special album because it reflects Celia’s magic on stage, which is where she felt happiest. In these recordings you will be able to enjoy a lot of interaction with the public and its spark that is unique and unrepeatable, expressed Pardillo-Cid about the compilation of nine songs recorded at various Celia concerts during the eighties, and that remained unreleased until now.
Produced by Loud And Live Studios with curation by GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winners Nelson Albareda and Omer Pardillo-Cid, and host Albertico Rodriguez, Celia live: 100 Years of Sugar It is a limited collection album and whose packaging design also has great appeal, since it is numbered and is covered by sequin-embroidered fabric, which belonged to the artist.
Searching through Celia’s things in New York, I found an immense amount of fabric that she had ordered to make a jacket. When she liked a fabric, she would buy it in large quantities in case it ran out. I told the designer of the album’s packaging, Sebastin Aristizbal, about this, and he has designed her afro (hair) with this wonderful sequin fabric, said Omer Pardillo-Cid about the edition that will also be accompanied by a booklet that contains one hundred photographs that celebrate each year lived by the artist. Additionally, each copy of the album will include printed and numbered sheets of special photos that will eventually become collector’s items.
About the Centennial of Celia Cruz
The festivities organized by the Celia Cruz Foundation will begin in October 2024 and will culminate at the end of 2025, events that promise to honor the strength, the unique energy, and the joy with which she is remembered. The Guarachera of Cubaand which consolidated her as one of the most well-known and recognized female figures worldwide.
We have started the celebrations with the launch of this album, but next August 12 the 25 cent coin with his face will go into circulation. We will also perform a series of concerts, and we will present adaptations of his music in a symphonic concert that we take to various cities in the country. We will be working with singers who, although not all of them are confirmed, we know are women who have always worked around Celia’s repertoire such as Lucrecia, Ayme Nuviola, India, etc., Pardillo-Cid said.
Celia was very meticulous with all her things. She saved and wrote down absolutely everything. He was extremely detailed, and that is one of the reasons why I never stop finding new things, like the behind-the-scenes of his legendary trip to Africa with Johnny Pacheco and the Fania All-Stars, which is turning 50 years old, at Just like the release of Quimbara, an album that marked a career full of success for her, Pardillo-Cid reflected.
It fills me with emotion that Celia continues to impact so many lives with her music, her smile, and her divine grace. She didn’t need social media or anything, that’s why people continue to honor her. I also want to thank the teachers in the United States who every Hispanic Heritage Month send me videos and photos of all the work that the children of this country do about Celia. From places as remote as Nebraska, teachers write to me and continue to show me that she is a cone of the Latinity of this country, and soon I hope to be able to present some of those wonderful works, she concluded.
To learn more about the celebrations around Celia Cruz’s centenary, visit www.celiacruz.com
