Pancho Amat Strings & Bass – Artists
Cuba's leading contemporary tres master — Pancho Amat has spent his career expanding the expressive range of the tres while keeping it rooted in the Afro-Cuban son tradition.
About
Francisco "Pancho" Amat (Güira de Melena, April 1950) is a Cuban tres player and guitarist. He brought the tres to the concert stage by linking it with classical music, jazz and trova. In Cuba he is seen as a successor of great tres players such as Arsenio Rodríguez.
- Training: pedagogy at the University of Havana (1971) and classical guitar at the Ignacio Cervantes conservatory.
- Manguaré: in 1971 he founded this group, one of the leading groups of the nueva trova. He led it for more than 15 years.
- Adalberto Álvarez y su Son: after that he played in Adalberto Álvarez's band.
- El Cabildo del Son: his own group, with which he combines son and bolero.
- Collaborations: among others Joaquín Sabina, Oscar D'León, Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodríguez, Ry Cooder and Víctor Jara. With the Spanish rocker Santiago Auserón (Juan Perro) he brought the tres into rock.
Albums and awards
- Son por tres (1995): Premio Nacional de la Crítica at Cubadisco.
- De San Antonio a Maisí (2002): best traditional music album at Cubadisco 2002.
- Premio Nacional de Música (2010), from the Cuban Music Institute.
📝 Sources