Photo: PL.

The Cuban orchestra, Los Van Van, puts rhythm to the stages of the Japanese capital during these days, as part of the tour "¡Vívela! Salsa Tour 2023".

The presentations for the Tokyo public began yesterday at the Blue Note club, where they performed several of their greatest hits such as "Eso que anda", "Después de todo" and "Me mantengo", among others.

Today, the leader of the group, Samuel Formell, gave a talk at the Cervantes Institute on the evolution of Van Van in its more than half a century of history.

The percussionist also mentioned that his father Juan Formell and drummer José Luis Quintana (Changuito), gave rise to the songo, a Cuban rhythm derived from son montuno.

He also stressed that Formell, through the combination of diverse instruments, created a unique format of popular dance music that revolutionized the genre in the decades of the 70s and 80s.

Next Thursday, those who follow the winners of the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album (2000) will be able to dance and sing their songs at the Zepp Shinyuku club, the culmination of their stay in Tokyo.

The next stops of the "Cuban Music Train" will be Nagoya and Osaka, on September 1 and 2 respectively.

Before, they participated in the "Isla de Salsa" festival held from August 25 to 27 in Fukuoka, along with other Antillean artists.

The Van Van returned to Japan after 13 years of absence from the Asian nation's music chart.

The tour was planned for 2020, as part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the group, but was postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo: PL.

(With information from Prensa Latina)