Helson Hernández (Havana Times) interviews Sonia Cornuchet, a Cuban singer who “has never forgotten her Cuban roots,” although she has lived abroad for years. Currently, she is a pianist and music director for Peruvian singer Tania Libertad. Here are excerpts from his interview:

HT: Tell us about Mezcla.

Sonia Cornuchet: Without a doubt, the band marked an important stage in my life as a student. I joined Mezcla while still at the conservatory, before I graduated. Mezcla was a school for me in terms of professional development. There, I worked with Pablo Menendez, the director and Jose Antonio Acosto, who had been a bass player and the director of Los Magneticos. I also got to know Lucia Huergo. In short, I learned everything that has been useful to me as a musician. I have never lost touch with them, because good friendships, like love and plants, need constant care. I feel my work with Mezcla has been crucial to my life as an artist and person.

HT: What impact did Donato Poveda’s work have on your career as a singer?

SC: I first met him when he was going around with his guitar looking for a place to sing his songs. That’s when we began to work together. I later ran into him in Mexico, where he’d gone with Estefano, as a duo. I always liked his songs. I first recorded Como una campana (“Like a Bell”), Poveda’s well-known piece, in 1989, for an album titledFronteras de sueño (“The Borders of Dreams”) that was produced in Germany and featured Mezcla. I recently re-recorded the song, as one’s voice matures over the years, and one’s experiences enrich both your voice and the way you perform a song. [. . .]

HT: You’ll be traveling to Cuba this year for the Voces Populares festival.

SC: Yes. As Tania Libertad was invited to participate in the festival, I also had the opportunity to come back. As I said, I am her band’s pianist and music director. The story of my relationship with Tania is interesting. We met in Peru, I was there with Albita Rodriguez, at Estacion Barranco. She saw me perform, and, as it happens, she was looking for a female pianist for her band.

When we got back to Mexico, we met up and staged our first concert, she sang and I played the piano. In the Canary Islands we recited poems by Benedetti, whom I had the pleasure of meeting through this performance. We then recorded an album in Paris y Senegal, titled Ritmos de Negros (“Black Rhythms”). I was the producer of the album, which was nominated for a Grammy. That’s how we began to produce albums and organize projects that have been of importance to her career. My work as an arranger and producer has clearly had an impact on her, as I’ve suggested she include pieces by Cuban composers in her repertoire. At the same time, Tania has had an impact on my career. She’s a fabulous singer, her concepts have marked my work, as though we were a family.

[. . .] HT: What’s it like to be far from your home country?

SC: I’ve never been able to forget my roots entirely. Being far from your birth country makes you cling to its customs more strongly. I think I look for Cuban dishes abroad more than I do when I visit the island. Another thing you tend to miss quite a lot are the idiosyncrasies and personalities of Cubans. We have a very direct way of saying things which sometimes puts people off. In Mexico, I’ve had to soften that a bit. That said, what I try to do more than anything is to remain authentic, to remain Cuban, and I can travel to the island constantly, thank god.

HT: Where would you place yourself among the great voices Cuba has given us?

SC: It’s not for me to say, that’s up to those who wish to categorize this whole affair. If I had to, I would say I am part of that group made up by Xiomara Laugart, Anabell Lopez, Tanya, that whole generation, Carlos Varela, Edesio Alejandro, in short, a generation that had the fortune of deciding to start singing when all of Cuba’s Nueva Trova festivals were still being held in Varadero. There were new rock bands with female leads. Mezcla was afusion band and combined several genres, something very common in Cuban music. Our music had more of an influence from great bolero singers at the time, than from foreign music such as rock or jazz. I would place myself there, I think. [. . .]

For full interview, see http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=115320