William Vivanco:
More than a Pocketful of Rhythms

Born in Santiago de Cuba in 1975, William Vivanco represents the hybrid force that is Cuba. A fair-skinned young mulatto with sharp nose, full lips and romantic demeanor despite his dreadlocks, his music vibrates with Cuban and African traditional rhythms fused or decorated with rap, house, bossa nova, reggae and, above all, Brazilian music.

A vocalist in the Arabic style, Vivanco's instrument is the guitar, which he plays in a technique faithful to the Cuban Nueva Trova movement of the 1960's begun by Cuban singers Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés and the late Noel Nicola. The trova "is a storyteller's music and Cubans love telling stories," says Vivanco, before stepping on stage for the concert celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Nueva Trova movement.

"I conceive a song from the guitar, the melody and the percussion. I almost never find myself thinking about chords or wind instrument arrangements. I have it in my blood, in my roots and I play well. It's all percussion what I have inside" adds Vivanco, although he almost never plays the congas during his concerts...