Adalberto Lara - TROMPETICA -
"I have had the privilege of doing
what I enjoy doing, for over 50 years"
For Adalberto Lara -better known as "Trompetica"- the trumpet is not just another instrument. It has been the tool that has enabled him to enjoy an outstanding musical career, earned him recognition the world over, and established him as one of Cuban music´s living legends.
The renowned trumpet player, born in Havana, has been a part of some of the most emblematic Cuban big band orchestras of the last 50 years.
His relationship with the wind instrument began at the age of 12, under the guidance of his music professors Herminio Guerra and Ángel Martínez. "I was assigned a small drum in the school´s music program, so that I could play it easily because I was very thin, but I exchanged it for a classmate´s trumpet and since then I haven´t stopped blowing the horn", Lara details with his ever contagious laughter. "It was the best deal I ever made, thanks to that I have traveled the world 10 times over".
Shortly after, Lara decided to study the trumpet professionally, making it possible for the young musician to acquire experience by playing in numerous top notch stages. He was a member of various popular big band orchestras including: La Orquesta Juan Pujol, El Conjunto de Luis Santi, the Palermo Nightclub, the Tropicana Nightclub with Pedro Justi "Peruchín", and the Radio Orchestra with Generoso "Tojo" Jiménez. He also performed at the Teatro Musical of Habana with instrumentalist Tony Taño and the Hilton Hotel (the Habana Libre) under Juanito Márquez, among other greats.
However, it wasn´t until 1967 that he was able to enjoy the culmination of his ultimate dream with the creation of his own Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna (Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music), under the direction of Rafael Somavilla and Armando Romeu, it featured "the best musicians available on the island at the time".
That same year, he joined Conjunto Saratoga with Lino Borges, before creating, along with Juan Pablo Torres, the group Algo Nuevo, which allowed them to take their show overseas not only to Mexico, but also to a significant part of the European continent for a long, extended season.
There, he would live yet another important event in his career, when he joined Pino Danielle´s big band orchestra. The popular Napolitano performer was renowned throughout Italy, commanding sold out performances throughout Europe.
"There, I performed and toured with a first-class orchestra for three years", the seasoned musician details the experience as if it were just yesterday.
He returns to Cuba and begins performing with popular musicians like the "Irakere" band, Issac Delgado, Emiliano Salvador, and NG la Banda.
In the mid 90s, he returned to the United States, where he was an important part in the recording of the album "Tropicana", along with Paquito De Rivera. The album earned them multiple accolades, including the prestigious GRAMMY?.
After his arrival in Miami, the musician has worked with internationally recognized artists like Willy Chirino, Roberto Torres, Hansel and Raúl, Colombia´s Orquesta Guayacán, Sonora Alquimia and Tito Allen, among others.
The next major recording in his career was "Cubanismo", by Jesús Alemañi, a joint effort with pianist Nachito Herrera, that would take him on an extended North American tour.
After concluding this project, he is asked to join the "Tropicana All Stars" big band orchestra, created by celebrated musical producer Recaredo Gutiérrez. This new venture, with Lara as lead trumpet, brings about numerous recordings and as he explains, "we traveled to many places, it was very gratifying".
After that initial reconnection with the "big band" format, Gutiérrez once again asks him to join him, this time on a new project: the RG Royal Sound Orchestra, where he distinguishes himself through his solo trumpet performances.
"It is an honor to be allowed to be able to do what I know how to do, what I really enjoy and what I have done my entire life", he accentuates.
November 2009
