Son Cubano music – a blend of Spanish and African rhythms - originated in the highlands of Cuba in the late 19th century. And since then, it’s come to represent Cuba musically around the world. So what happens when a Detroit born, virtuosic piano player/composer wishes to dip into the genre without completely appropriating the sound?
Well, Arthur Hanlon (aforementioned virtuoso) enlisted the help of Orishas, one of the most captivating and well-known hip-hop groups from Cuba to collaborate on this organic sounding single.
As YOTUEL of Orishas describes it, “The song is a good example of the beautiful fusion that a great pianist, who admires Cuban culture can create… with a bit of our help. The way Arthur plays piano reminds me a lot of Cuban percussion.”
Today we have the exclusive premiere of the music video for “Como Suena el Piano” (Listen to That Piano), which was filmed on-site in Cuba to add more sabor to this cross-cultural collaboration.
Arthur had this to say about exploring musical sounds from around the world, "For me, exploring and expanding to other cultures - especially Latin cultures -feeds my musical soul. Whether it’s recording Samba in Brazil, Vallenato in Colombia or jamming and recording at 2am with Orishas in Havana, Cuba, taking myself out of my comfort zone and finding common ground between my piano and other cultures ignites for me the creative process and is the catalyst for finding the magic in the music."
Hanlon boasts a solid resume of collaborations from Ozuna to Juanes to Luis Fonsi to name a few. This is just another super solid collab to add to that impressive curriculum of fusion sounds.