In the Musician’s Defense
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It is astonishing that The Times would publish Agustin Gurza’s personal attack on Grammy-nominated Cuban musician Juan-Carlos Formell (“Enemies: A Musical,” July 7).
Formell is one of the best guitar players of Cuba--possibly one of the best in the world today--and his approach to songwriting represents a major innovation in Cuban music. Just listening to how he incorporates pedal steel into his songs is worth the price of his new CD, “Las Calles del Paraiso,” aside from the fact that it has one of the tightest, most proficient bands I’ve ever heard.
Gurza is way off base in comparing Juan-Carlos Formell to Los Van Van in any way. Juan-Carlos may be the biological son of Juan Formell, but he is the musical heir to Jose Antonio Mendez and Sindo Garay.
If Gurza understood Cuban music, he’d know that.
MARIO CRUZ
New York
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