“Filin meant something of your own, a seal, a fashion of time and taste, the good taste of the period when it was born”, stated José A. Méndez.

Our aim was not to sing well or with charm, but to convey beauty. A way to interpret and convey a message, an emotion, in summary, a good way of singing," stated one of the main filin exponents, César Portillo de la Luz, the author of "Contigo en la distancia" (At a Distance with You), one of the most beautiful and well-known song of this genre. Specialists on Cuban music contend that this style emerged in the 1940´s. Features that shaped a way of interpreting the song succeeded in this style, which was defined by its followers as a sort of genre that emerged from the urban folklore. Filin singers use certain licenses in the tempo, special voice inflections as final portamentos with the addition of a melodic flourishment and a tendency to say the song in a conversational way. What is said in filin should be stressed by the melodic tune. In the forties, Cuban music held an important place in the Caribbean. There was a strong interrelation between the Cuban musicians and Mexico. Cuban bolero arrived in that country and joined the Yucatan song, marked by a romantic and sentimental nature. Both musical expressions strongly exerted its influence on filin singers, and on outstanding Mexican composers as Agustín Lara "Solamente una vez" (Just One Time) and Consuelo Velásquez "Bésame mucho" (Kiss me so much) as well as on many others. "Filin means feeling," stated José Antonio Méndez shortly before his death in 1989, one of his great creators, beloved and recalled by the Cuban people. "You can have a harsh harsh voice or a poor voice, but if you say it in a way that people get the message, then the song conveys "filin". And José Antonio added: "Thus this style emerges, whenever someone added a ninth or seventh, we used to hear say, ‘there is filin on that!’ This sort of music should be sung honestly, with the heart and intelligence, in the first place. For us to have filin was to have something on your own, a seal, a fashion of that period and taste, of the good taste of that time".

THE BIG LEAP Filin song triumphed on that first stage- at the beginning of the fifties -when the Conjunto Casino began performing its themes, singing the songs written by the first composers César Portillo de la Luz and José Antonio Méndez. Another important step taken in filin expansion was the setting up of a musical editing company "Musicabana" owned by their singers. According to Rosendo Ruiz, junior: "We had our own ideas and tried that the songs created by us were heard. At that moment we count on Lázaro Peña, the well-known trade union leader and his wife Tania Castellanos who admired our music. He explained to us the need to set up a Cuban editing company of music around which we could join and defend ourselves better. Lázaro, Niño Rivera, César Portillo de la Luz, Luis Yáñez, Jorge Mazón and Pablo Reyes met and founded the Association of Musicabana editing company. Many new names that emerged in that period were known through that agency as the great ones of Piloto y Vera, Marta Valdés, Ricardo Díaz, Tania Castellanos and many others.

A PLACE IN HAVANA The main composers and singers performed in renowned places of that period as Sherezada as well as in other hotel night clubs as those of Capri, Internacional de Varadero, Pico Blanco at Hotel St. John’s Hotel and others. Because of the atmosphere created and by tradition, the Pico Blanco at St. John Hotel became in 1981 an exclusive place for this attractive musical movement named "Rincón del Filin". In a first stage, José Antonio Méndez, César Portillo de la Luz and Ángel Díaz were the hosts and in recent years, from 1992, Ángel continues keeping filin alive and in practice in this little piece of sky at St. John´s Hotel.

THE JEWELS OF FILIN There are international well-known anthological pieces. Who could forget songs as: "Tú, mi delirio," (You, my delirium) by César Portillo de la Luz. "En nosotros" (In us) by Tania Castellanos. "Tú me acostumbraste" (You made me get used to it) by Frank Domínguez. "Duele" (It hurts) by Piloto y Vera. "Hasta mañana, vida mía" (Until tomorow, sweetheart) by Rosendo Ruiz Quevedo. "Tú mi rosa azul" (You, my blue rose) by Jorge Mazón. "Tú, mi desengaño" (You, my disillusion) by Pablo Milanés.

Filin has magic

It makes me feel sad to look at you Depressed and lonely Nothing is left of what you were Nothing, nothing...

The intimate and modulating notes of "Rosa Mustia" (Faded Rose), performed by Ángel Díaz is heard in this warm gathering at "Rincón del Filin" in the Pico Blanco, St. John's Hotel in Havana.... Each night, Angelito -as is known in the Cuban musical world- is the host of the place where he has sung and sings along others singers of this attractive melodic style known as filin. This faithful filin follower proudly states: "I love filin, I´m its final result, its product and will always make this type of music." We just wanted to have a look at his life and to the music he loves with passion. Journalist (J): " Where and how filin was born?" Ángel Díaz (A. D.): "Filin was born in my home, located at the Callejón de Hammel between the streets Hospital and Espada, the place where still I lived. In the midst forties I lived there with my father, Tirso Díaz, a follower of traditional trova and guitarrist. My brother Tirso and I were 17 or 18 years old when we listened our father and other trovadores who were his friends and visited our home. They were among many others the famed composers Rosendo Ruiz, Manuel Corona, Hilda Santana and María Teresa Vera. "Our friends from the Callejón de Hammel arrived home, we gathered night after night, we shared the same interest on the music for singing and creating songs. Just by chance during those years, I met César Portillo de la Luz and Justo Fuentes (deceased). My brother Tirso and I used to sing songs with the, always accompanied by the guitar, we sang songs of the traditional trova or Cuban songs in fashion at that time. We had also contacts with Dandy Crawford and Luis Yáñez with whom we enjoyed jazz. We went to Havana Harbor and danced sailors´music as boogie-boogie, swing, but at the same time, we sang old songs of the old trova and boleros of that time. "All these elements were joined and gave rise to this spontaneous and colloquial way of singing that we had to compose and sing. We named it "filin" which means sentiment, a word used once by Luis Yáñez and we still call it that way. Our house was the general headquarters of filin people. An important group was formed that share the pleasure for this music and the friendship formed around it. José Antonio Méndez, César Portillo de la Luz, Ñico Rojas, Rosendo Ruiz, junior, Omara Portuondo, Elena Burke and Moraima Sekada and many others never missed one of these gatherings. Thus filin was born in the Callejón de Hammel No. 1108." J: "Where does its Cubannes lie on?" A. D.: "Filin is entirely Cuban because it was born in the Callejón de Hammel in the very heart of Central Havana district. This is its genuine Cuban feature. It also has a rhythm that is completely ours, that is performed without stressing it too much while playing." J.: "Filin has won faithful followers. Who are they?" A.D.: "At the beginning, this way of singing was not welcome, the people used to say: ‘These singers sing out of tune. What´s wrong with them?’ They did not see in our style, the traditional way in which old trovadores used to sing, but little by little they welcome the new way and we won an important audience at that time. Still they listen to us and the youngsters fully enjoy it too."