Jesús Cutiño is a singer, songwriter and an accomplished performer of many guitar styles including Cuban, Latin jazz, Flamenco, Ska, Raggae etc. Today he is recognised as one of the best tres players in Europe (the tres is the Cuban guitar that is the mainstay of the Cuban 'son' sound). He is also recognised as one of the key members of the new generation of timberos in Cuba.

BACKGROUND

Born in Las Tunas, Cuba in 1974 Jesús grew up surrounded by music. His mum was a singer, his father and grand-father were both "trovadores" and played tres and guitar in the Oriente tradition. It was his father who first introduced him and his twin brother Amaury to the guitar. He was 5 at the time.

But soon, for Jesús, playing the guitar was not enough. At 16 he wrote his first song (and since then he hasn’t stop writing). He already knew then that music would be the love of his life. Jesús also wanted to study literature, learn and find inspiration from the great authors and poets. At the age of 18, while at university, he joined MARIACHI TUNAS as band leader, guitarist and vocalist. Jesús was finally a professional musician. Two years later he joined the 14 piece band SUPERBANDA SURIK (one of the leading bands in the province of Las Tunas and the first band to play Pura Salsa in Cuba) where he honed his skills as a vocalist and composer. Over his 8 months with SUPERBANDA SURIK the band played on stage many of his compositions including “Traigo El Sabor” which will later be recorded in the U.S. At 22 after gaining his degree in Spanish literature it was time to move to Havana where he joined and led the band SON DE MI TIERRA which, with their traditional repertoire, gave him the opportunity to learn to play the tres guitar and to record their first album.  

CAREER

In 1998, at the age of 23, Jesús moved to London and quickly became a feature of the city’s vibrant salsa scene, appearing with numerous London based bands, he has perform or share the stage with many prestigious artists including: Wynton Marsalis, Oscar D'Leon, Ricky Martin, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nueves, Pedrito Martinez Group, Lusito Quintero, Cano Estremera, Lusito Carrion, Maelo Ruiz, Tito Gomez, Leodan, Enrique Iglecias etc. 

In 2004 he joined the renowned band SKA CUBANO (a Jamaican and Cuban musical collaboration) and has since performed with them at many prestigious venues and festivals around the world including the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (Canada), Fuji Rock (Japan), the various WOMAD Festivals (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Sevilla, Estremadura, Canary Islands), Glastonbury (UK), Roskilde (Denmark) and the Nobel Peace Price ceremony in 2005, to name a few. He has also recorded two of their albums.

Today, in Europe, Jesús is the musical director and bandleader of the very successful JESÚS CUTIÑO & SON DE CUBA band, which has established itself as the leading and most exciting Cuban band in the UK.

LATEST NEWS: NEW ABUM

He has just finished recording his new album in Cuba "En La Cima" which is expected to be released in January 2016. The album features some of the most influential Cuban artists including the multi grammy award winner Chucho Valdés, Alexander Abreu, Manolito Simonet Y Su Trabuco, Carlitos Calunga, El Indio, Tania Pantoja, Mandy Cantero, Lele, Vania Borges and some of the best musicians. Jesús is planning to tour with his Cuban band end of 2016.

HIS MUSIC

Over the past 10 years Jesús has developed a different musical concept based on traditional Cuban son but giving it a new sound through strong contemporary harmonies, catchy melodies and poetic lyrics. He describes his music as mostly timba-son with some compositions being more salsa romantica. 

As with other great soneros his music goes from a traditional son to a mambo or cha-cha-cha magnificently but he does not stop there. Cuban music has always been inspired by rhythms and sonorities from all over the world and Jesús’ music is no exception. He is open-minded to experimentation and likes to surprise the dancer or the listener by breaking the rhythm with, for instance, flamenco, samba, jazz, bollywood, bachata or reggaeton. 

For Jesus lyrics are just as important as melodies and rhythms. He loves to play with words, using puns, double meanings, rich rhymes or images to tell stories, to recreate moments from daily life, impressions and feelings. Whether romantic, funny or provocative his texts almost always include - often between the lines - personal messages or references to special moments, events or phrases that only close friends and family will recognise. This makes his music fresh, spontaneous and engaging. On stage his improvisational skills, his energy and his ability to entertain people make him a star on the London salsa scene.

Jesus’ most important sources of inspiration are his family, his home town, Las Tunas and his everyday life in England or Cuba. His style, as a composer or performer, is influenced by Oscar D’Leon, Juan Formell y Los Van Van, Paco De Lucia, Camaron De La Isla, Chucho Valdés, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Willie Chirino, Manolito Simonet and Carlos Calunga.

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