Se Feliz

Fernando Alvarez was born in 1928 in Santiago de Cuba. He started art at very early ages, performing in orchestras of popular music in his natal city. He worked also at Reinaldo Dambay´s, Pancho Portuondo´s and Mariano Mercerón´s Groups. Around the 50th decade`s first years, he moved to Havana to integrate the Giant Band of Benny Moré, where he remained up to the end of 1955 and alternated singing with the ocassional management of the group. Further more, he integrated Conjunto Casino conducted by Roberto Espí, where his popularity increased and made interpretative creations of diverse musical works, among them, Humo y Espuma bolero by Rolando Rabí. From this moment on, he became soloist and was hired by the Gema label, in which he recorded the song Ven aquí a la realidad, by Ernesto Duarte, that was a national and international success, at the same time , he became one of the most revered voices of his country. He made many radio and television programs; numerous performances and tours to Latin America and United States, country where he reached a definite success, above all, within the Latino community. His trajectory as a singer is remarkable due to his artistic and interpretative high quality and his selected repertoire and the master recreation of works as "Dos Gardenias", by Isolina Carrillo; "Vuélvete a mí", by Tania Castellanos; "Nueva Vida, by Piloto-Vera union; Si tú quisieras, by Frank Domínguez", plus other musical compositions from Ignacio Villa, José Antonio Mendéz and Luis Yáñez. Recording many long plays such as "Otra Vez con Fernando", "Nueva Vida" and "Refúgiate en mí"; he explored also the creative world with such works as the bolero "Ay Tristeza!". He was a well-known interpreter among all music composed around the decades of the 50's and 60's, worked with many generations of Cuban composers. In his voice, many compositions have became popular in Cuba and Latin America through his artistic career. "Se Feliz" was the last album that Fernando recorded. It was produced and directed by Descemer Bueno who is also the composer of all the songs in the album . They were able to bring together two very different generations to record the songs that inspired the late Humberto Solás to call them what he thougt to be the "Neo-Bolero".