Bassist, guitarist and composer Juan Carlos Formell Alfonso died this Friday, at the age of 59 in New York, due to a heart attack during a presentation of The Van Van, at the Lehman Center, according to the Cuban Institute of Music.
A video recorded during the concert this Friday shows the moment the musician leaves his instrument and the stage, just before disappearing between the side curtains, collapses to the ground and has to be helped by support staff.
Until the moment of writing this note, Los Van Van has not made any statement, nor has the family spoken.
Formell Alfonso was born in Havana in 1964 and resided in NY From 1993; A few years ago he began to be the bassist of Los Van Van, the group that he founded and led by his father, the maestro Juan Formell.
He studied music at the “Alejandro García Caturla” and “Amadeo Roldán” conservatories in Havana, and completed his training at the National Art School of Cuba. His talent as an accompanist instrumentalist allowed him to collaborate with renowned figures of Cuban jazz, such as Emiliano Salvador, Guillermo Fragoso and Joseíto González, director of the emblematic Rumbavana Orchestra.
In 1999, he released the debut album titled “Songs from a Little Blue House”, under the American record label Wicklow Records. This production received a nomination for the Grammy awardscementing his position as a talented and versatile artist.
Throughout his career, he recorded five record productions that stood out for their unique style and their influence on the music scene.
He is survived by his partner, also a musician Danae Blanco Villanuevaas well as the brothers Samuel and Vanessa Formell.
