Pablo J. Iturrioz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1927. When he was eight years old he started playing piano by ear on the foot-long keyboard of a toy-piano that "Santa Claus" had brought him. Soon after, his parents purchased a real piano and he began formal training, receiving his music degrees and winning piano competitions before he was 20 years old. When he and his family came to the United States in the 1960’s he supported his them by teaching piano, organ and music theory, playing church organ, entertaining alone at the piano in several venues, accompanying singers, and playing with Latin orchestras. He also transcribed music for copyright purposes, helping composers to register their own works. Regardless of any other professional activity in which Pablo has been involved, the piano has always been part of his life. In Pablo's own words: "It was my destiny to marry an angel who also plays the piano and has a degree in music. She has been my love for 59 years and my wife for 50 years.”

CUBAN MUSIC
by Pablo Iturrioz
(notes from his CD Recording)

Music is like love: you always carry it deep in your heart. If you can feel the aesthetic pleasures of music, of art music and/or popular music, you can consider yourself a lucky person, as I do myself. The range of emotions that can be expressed with music transcends the capacity of words to do so as was so eloquently expressed by the French philosopher and writer Hipolite Taine when he said: "Where words end, music starts."

If you were born in Cuba and you love music, you can consider yourself a privileged person because Cuban music offers an unbelievable range of nuances and varieties, from the most tender of lyrical Spanish melodic influence to the most violent kinesthetic-arising emotions of African rhythms.

The Cuban music mostly performed around the world is not “art” music but popular music, and that is the primary reason why it is so well known internationally. Perhaps Ernesto Lecuona is the best known and most famous Cuban composer in the world. Lecuona can be considered a composer of both “art” music (such as “Suite Iberia”), and popular songs including “Siboney” and “Always in my Heart”. There are many other Cuban composers of popular songs whose music I really love. Although they are not Cubans, I must also mention Agustin Lara, Maria Grever and Rafael Hernandez as latin composers very dear to my heart.

The Cuban people represent a very small percentage of the total world population; together with Spain and Russia, they have one of the strongest musical folklore in the world. This is mainly the result of blending Spanish lyrical melodic influence with strong African rhythms. This is also typical of most Caribbean countries, but in Cuba it has flourished more abundantly and with more intensity.

Cuban popular music expresses itself in different forms and styles, mainly as danzones, guarachas, typical Afro-Cuban music, boleros, congas, puntos guajiros, comparsas, mambos, habaneras, rumbas, chachachas, zapateos and montunos. You will hear some of these forms and styles on this CD.

I made this CD, mostly of Cuban music, to please my family and dear friends. I hope you will enjoy it.

-Pablo