Omara Portuondo wins the Cubadisco 2009 Grand Prix for GRACIAS She shares the award with Juan Formell’s Van Van for “Aquí el que baila gana.”

To Listen:

media.hmusa.com/worldvillage/omaraportuondo/

Cubadisco 2009 Grand Prix
May 16, 2009

Details at:
Billboard & Radio Rebelde

www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i3f5cf679b16352f68248dec7f52152d5

www.radiorebelde.cu/english/cultural/cultural-1-180509.html

“The album places Ms. Portuondo in close-up from a new angle: sometimes sentimental, sometimes mournful. She is 78, but her voice …II rich, shapely, dynamic, and still sultry… Ms. Portuondo seizes the present as well as the past.”
– THE NEW YORK TIMES (December 8. 2008)

“The record as a whole is decidedly upbeat. Its spare, mainly guitar-driven arrangements, with a smattering of lush strings, gracefully frame Portuondo’s suavely insistent voice. Portuondo is still a vibrant contemporary performer.”
– THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (December 9, 2008)

“If you want to say thank you to somebody, this is how you do it.”
– Betto Arcos, KPFK (December 9, 2008)

“I now take a deep bow to a living legend: Havana, Cuba’s Omara Portuondo. Words are failing me at this moment to convey just how purely and directly this woman’s voice penetrates your soul. She is given an impeccable and loving production on this album…The reverence is palpable through the speakers. The lady has a way with language that musically serves the song yet is also like soliloquy…This means you will feel this woman’s soul when you listen…and I must insist that you challenge yourself to do so. Your heart will thank you.”
– THE URBAN NETWORK

“Portuondo is exemplary… she only keeps improving… The greatly understated young Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca…brings a beautiful lyricism to the project… framing Portuondo’s remarkable instrument and classic repertoire.”
– Michael Stone, FROOTS (November 2008)

“Aided by producers Alê Siqueira and Swami Junior, and a consummate group of musicians, Portuondo gives a modern touch to nostalgia creating a disc that will delight fans inside and outside Cuba. There are some striking collaborations, ranging from an edgy yet symphonic ‘O que será’ duet with Brazil’s Chico Buarque to ‘Ámame como soy’ with Pablo Milanés, a song with lyrics that could stand as a metaphor for the whole project: ‘Love me as I am…I want to reach your soul.’”
– SONGLINES (November 2008)

“Omara Portuondo was the one girl the Buena Vista boys allowed in their club. This new CD again sees her in stellar company.”
– FINANCIAL TIMES (October 11, 2008)

“It is a tour de force of passion and pleasure, sweeping from gorgeous arrangements to hot-blooded percussive workouts. The core of the album richly captures the passage of time…Listen to “Cuento para un nino” or “Lo que me queda por vivir” and try to keep your feelings in check. It can’t be done, and it should be us giving thanks for such a stirring accomplishment.”
– SONICBOOMERS.com

“Even now, she is still experimenting, as shown by her jazz-tinged duet with Richard Bona, the bass player and percussionist from Cameroon or (best of all) her laid-back, gently swinging collaboration with that great Brazilian veteran Chico Buarque. Omara Portuondo is still Cuba’s great diva.”
– THE GUARDIAN (September 26, 2008)

∏ “Omara possesses vocal virtues rarely found in contemporary music; it’s delicate and powerful, gentle and demanding, complex, colorful and multi-layered…Gracias has the caliber to become transcendental in both the world music circuit and the Latino shelves at stores.”
– CLUB FONOGRAMA blog

“The production is lush, the musicianship impeccable and Portuondo vocally holds her own, sometimes sounding like a young girl.”
– ABOUT.com

“A highly personal collection of ballads… she packs a lot of feeling into this tender and nostalgic album. She’s also backed by the likes of jazz bass virtuoso Avishai Cohen and rising Cuban star Roberto Fonseca on piano. Other guest appearances include Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu and veteran pianist Chucho Valdés. The set features… gems as in a jazz-tinged duet with Cameroonian singer Richard Bona and the classic collaboration with Brazilian crooner Chico Buarque.”
–THE MONTREAL GAZETTE (October 15, 2008)

“The warmth of her personality shines through – a characteristic that has endeared her to music lovers the world over. This public familiarity as one of the queens of Latin music is aptly demonstrated by the fact her surname has been omitted from the cover of Gracias, a risky luxury few other musicians could afford.”
– FLY•GLOBAL MUSIC CULTURE (October 7, 2008)   “

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