Cubismo

Cubismo is a Croatian salsa and Latin jazz band, formed in Croatia in 1995 by eight well-known musicians from various Croatian bands, and still active: it marked its 25th anniversary in 2020. It is the most successful band in the history of the Porin, the Croatian music award, with a record 24 Porins and more than 40 nominations. The name comes from Dizzy Gillespie's "Cu-bi Cu-bop", one of the first mixes of jazz and Afro-Cuban music.

The band is led by percussionist Hrvoje Rupčić "Cacique". A few months into rehearsals they were joined by the Venezuelan singer Ricardo Luque, which steered them toward more popular Cuban music. In 2020 the nine members were Luque, Rupčić, guitarist Mario Igrec, bassist Krešimir Tomec, drummer Zdravko "Barba" Tabain, Davor Križić on trumpet, Nenad Grahovac on trombone, Mladen Ilić on bongos and Maria Penton Hernandez on piano and vocals; six of them were there from the start.

One of their first Porins was for "Night in Tunisia". The debut album Cubismo (1997) was followed by the live Viva La Habana (1998), recorded at the Gavella theatre with Josipa Lisac, and by a Christmas album, Alegrate mi pueblo / Radujte se narodi (1999). Motivo cubano (2000) was recorded in Cuba with musicians from the Buena Vista Social Club and was nominated in a record 13 categories; Junglesalsa (2002) won a record seven Porins.

Many singers have joined them: Lisac on "Na Na Na Na", Oliver Dragojević on "Picaferaj", Šaban Bajramović on "Geljan dade" and "Đelem, đelem", Gibonni on "Tempera", Nola on "Lijepa si danas", Jimmy Stanić on "Autobus Calypso", and Gabi Novak, Tereza Kesovija and Ibrica Jusić on Latin versions of Croatian evergreens. Autobus Calypso came out in 2007, a concert film from the Lisinski hall in 2005, and Tumbao, with the HRT Jazz Orchestra, in 2020. Later singles brought in Neno Belan on "Bambina". The playlist gathers their recordings.