1980s–1990s Archive of the Post-Revolutionary State-Run Havana Music Industry and Beloved Cuban Musicians, Primarily Benny Moré

On offer is a small but significant archive related to Cuban singer Bartolomé [Benny or Beny] Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez (1919–1963), better known as Benny Moré. The archive is equally important for its connection to the post-Revolutionary Dirección Provincial de Cultura del Poder Popular and to the musicians it promoted. The centrepiece of the archive is a 32-page printed program for a September 1981 live cultural event held at Havana’s Teatro América, being the Segundo Festival Provincial de Música Cubana “Benny Moré.” The festival featured a competition between thirteen Cuban musical acts, gala tributes honouring César Portillo de la Luz and Roberto Faz, and related performances by leading Cuban musicians. The program opens with an introduction by Guanary Amoedo, praising post-Revolutionary Cuban artists. A translated excerpt reads: “The Revolution has allowed our instrumentalists, orchestrators, composers, and artists in general to reach a high technical level, which is constantly improving… we are not surprised by the quality of the works presented at the Second Provincial Festival of Cuban Music, ‘Benny Moré,’ organized by the Provincial Directorate of Culture of the People’s Power, whose fundamental objective is the development, stimulation, and promotion of Cuban music.” The program lists the jury, orchestra conductors, invited orchestras, and production team, and outlines the events for each festival day with the featured artists. Each of the thirteen competing acts receives a two-page spread with a full-page black-and-white photograph, performance credits (composer, orchestrator, and performer), and complete song lyrics. Among the thirteen competitors were: No Tardes – composed by Carmen Faxas, orchestrated by Pedro Coto, performed by Cuarteto Yo, Tú, Elle y Ella El Son – composed by Joaquín Mendívil Guerra, orchestrated by Neffer Milanés, performed by Magaly Tars Pequeño Tema Para Decir Te Quiero – composed by Gustavo Casals, orchestrated by Rafael Casas, performed by Miguel Ángel Piña Benny Moré Presente! – composed and orchestrated by Sergio Calzado, performed by Estrellas Cubanas Confío Amor – composed by Francisco Garzón Céspedes and Jorge Garciapourrua Álvarez, orchestrated by Edegio Alejandro, performed by Estherlierd Marcos (Unverified online sources report that Joaquín Mendívil Guerra won the competition with El Son [Algaret, 2010].) The festival’s Artistic Director was Braulio San Agustín, assisted by Luis Montalvo. It was hosted by Eduardo Rosillo, Marialina Grau, Aseneh Rodríguez, and Ramón Fraga, and organized by the Centro/Unidad Provincial de Espectáculos y Carnaval de Ciudad de La Habana, a branch of the Dirección Provincial de Cultura del Poder Popular [SEE BIO NOTES] The program illustrates the early results of Cuba’s post-Revolutionary centralized entertainment management system and offers an exceptional snapshot of the early-1980s Cuban music scene — both the institutionalized remembrance of Benny Moré and the state’s curatorial role in national music culture. Rounding out the archive are two postcards printed in 1999 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Benny Moré’s birth, published by Ediciones Pontón Caribe, S.A., each featuring a black-and-white photo under rights held by BISART. The first postcard, titled ¿Dónde estabas tú?, shows Moré looking curiously at a contemporary. The second, untitled postcard, is a close-up profile of Moré. These editions, produced jointly by BISART and Pontón Caribe, attest to his enduring posthumous fame and Cuba’s continued institutional commemoration of its musical icons. The festival program measures approximately 10 × 7 inches and is in Good condition with mild age toning and some spine separation at the staples, but remains intact. The postcards are Very Good, with only light toning. Included for context as a gift to the buyer, and at no charge, are three printed photographs of Benny Moré, produced on Kodak paper in the 1990s and held by the Cuban collector who assembled the archive. These are not originals but complementary reproductions. BIO NOTES In post-Revolutionary Cuba, the government centralized cultural administration, eliminating private promoters and absorbing them into state agencies overseen by the Dirección Provincial de Cultura del Poder Popular. This Directorate organized public shows, managed artists’ contracts, and coordinated the Havana Carnival (Cubarte, 2007; Bibliografía Cubana, 1981; Archivocubano, n.d.). A related unit, the Unidad de Casas de Cultura, supervised community arts centres and promoted local participation in music, theatre, and visual arts (Regalado, 2010). Other branches covered libraries, museums, and film exhibition, all reporting through the provincial Dirección as part of the state’s centralized cultural network (Granma, 1981). The Havana coordination of carnival and public spectacles was carried out by a provincial-level body variously titled Centro Provincial de Espectáculos y Carnaval, Empresa Provincial de Carnavales, or similar entities under the Dirección Provincial de Cultura. SOURCES Algaret, V. (2010, April 24). Biography of Joaquín Mendívil Guerra. Archivocubano. (n.d.). El carnaval de La Habana y la Revolución. Bibliografía Cubana. (1981). Plan del Carnaval 1981: Ciudad de La Habana. Instituto Cubano del Libro. Cubarte. (2007, July 26). En sus marcas… listos… La Habana en Carnaval. Granma. (1981). Granma newspaper index 1981. Regalado, O. (2010). El carnaval de La Habana: pasado, presente y futuro.