Next December 15 Haydée Milanés will dedicate a concert to her father Pablo Milanés at Flamingo Theater Bar in Miami.
In interview with CyberCuba The Cuban singer recalled that the first anniversary of his father’s departure and precisely “the best way I have to thank him and remember him is to sing his songs and share them with that audience.”
From the name chosen for this presentation, the songs he will perform, to the guest artists, everything will be a tribute to the man who taught him the love of music.
“Para Vivir” is the name of the concert, just like one of Pablo’s best-known songs. Does this have any special meaning for Haydée?
“It is one of my father’s most beautiful songs and one of the ones that the public most requested to sing with him. There is a very interesting story and it is that the first instrumental arrangement of this song was made by the great pianist Emiliano Salvador, and “After more than 50 years, it is practically impossible to separate ‘To Live’ from the first bars of its first arrangement. ‘To Live’ is also a very suggestive title that I loved for this occasion.”
Many will think that there is no better way to remember Pablo than by performing his songs. Is it a double challenge for Haydée, as a daughter and as an artist?
“It is always a challenge to sing my father’s songs. They are all very difficult songs, with great lyricism and great musical complexity. I think they are songs that are a challenge for any performer. They are songs that also carry the style of feeling impregnated and that is why they do not allow lying; if you do not feel them, it is better not to sing them”.
Is singing in Miami and also in a concert dedicated to Pablo a way to be close to Cuba and its audience?
“I have always felt that Miami is a part of Cuba. There are many Cubans here and for that reason, there are also many people who have listened to my father, who have grown up with his music and know it very well. Of course it is a fact very beautiful, wherever the Cubans are, there is Cuba and its music, its culture and everything we are.
Regarding the details of what the public will be able to enjoy this December 15, Haydée announced: “I am going to sing my father’s most beautiful songs, the ones that make our skin crawl, and the ones that we can all sing together.”
“I will have some very special guests, those who fill me with joy and honor, my dear friends Pancho Céspedes, Kelvis Ochoa and Albita Rodríguez, with whom I will be performing some of those beautiful songs and more. I have to say, as my father used to say, ‘he who asks for more is a sweet tooth.’ “I invite you with all the love in the world and I promise you an unforgettable night, full of love and enjoyment!” said the artist.
