Current Projects
Projects
Freddy is currently working on several projects that combine his research on literature, music, and other cultural productions from Latin America and the US with his creative work.
In 2021 he produced a documentary film on the Abakuá Society in Cuba, highlighting the often ignored contributions of this Afro-Cuban Society to Cuban culture and identity.
Similar to the collaborations for his previous work, Abya Yala Choral Suite, he is collaborating with several Afro-descendant poets in the composition of a new choral work. This new composition features the poetry and music of different regions in Latin America and the US, including Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia.
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Scheduled for September, 2022, in Portland, OR, this concert showcases the multiple influences of African music in the Americas. Featuring Cuban Master percussionist Román Díaz, these performances will include music from the Abakuá Society of Cuba, and from the Ekpe Society in West Africa. The program will also include rhythms and instruments from other African musical traditions that have been preserved and "Cubanized" by Afro-Cuban musicians in Cuba and now in the US.
Afrodescendants in The Americas: Choral Composition
This choral composition is the result of a collaborative work with several Afrodescendant poets from Latin America and the US. This work features poetry by authors from Perú, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba the US, and it showcases music and percussion instruments from the Youruba, Arará, Abakuá and Bantú traditions, among others.
From Abakuá to Rumba, Son, and Latin Jazz: Documentary Film
This documentary film is the continuation of our "Abakuá: Myth and History" film, which provides historical background to better understand the creation of this unique Afro-Cuban Society. Modeled after the Ekpe Society in Western Africa, the Abakuá Society is responsible for the preservation and current practice of numerous Afro-Cuban rituals, ceremonies, cultural and musical traditions. Abakuá music and musicians have made invaluable contributions to the development of rumba, son, and Latin Jazz, among other music styles.
Septeto Turquino
Production of the 4oth anniversary album and documentary film about Setpeto Tuquino. Regarded as one of the most emblematic son bands in Eastern Cuba, this project will highlight the contributions made by this septet to Cuban and Latin American music.
