CubaPLUS Magazine

Able to discover the secrets of the Cuban identity with its &Catalejo" (telescope), the group Buena Fe burst onto the music scene more than two decades ago with an &Arsenal" of songs and the &Presagio"(premonition)ofbecoming a &Sobreviviente" (Survivor) of the music in the island.

Perhaps its debut album, Déjame entrar (2001), displays the nerves of those early steps, but fears dissolved with time and a dozen records today mark a trajectory of successes, resilience and a unique stamp.

Israel Rojas and Yoel Martínez’s leap of faith became the starting point for a journey through sounds such as rock androll,Latingenres,bachata,pop, samba, singer-songwriters, trova and native rhythms of the largest of the Antilles.

Rojas, a lawyer by profession, and Martínez, a guitarist, changed the course of their lives in 1999 when they opted for this expression as an amateur duo, which captured the public from their first performance and earned them entry into the ranks of the young artistic vanguard on the island: the Saíz Brothers Association (AHS).

Their evolution as a band was marked by their inclusion in the catalog of Egrem (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales), which promoted the development of Buena Fe and the recognition of their work in the Caribbean nation and other latitudes.

This resulted in albums such as Arsenal, Corazonero, Presagios, Catalejo, Extremistas Nobles with Frank Delgado and Pi (3.14), whose songs have been the soundtrack for generations of university students.

Songs that stand out include like La zanja, No juegues con mi soledad, Fuego y balacera, Tras tus pies, Fin de fiesta, Sé de un ser, Soy, Nacimos ángeles, Dios salve al rey, Contragolpes, Das más, Nalgas, Sigo cayendo, Gracias por el fuego, Cada país, La primera vez, Soy lo que ves, Cubañolito, Afuera, Emigrantes, Libre, Mamífero Nacional, Todo el mundo cuenta, among others.

Along the way, in 2015, the opportunity arose to sign with the record company Metamorfosis, directed by singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, which led to the track Soy, released internationally in countries suchasArgentina,Colombia,United States, Puerto Rico, among others. The journey has been accompanied by important figures from the island’s music scene, notably the collaborations with Luna Manzanares, Silvio Rodriguez, Frank Delgado and Vicente Alejandro Trigo, included in the album Sobreviviviente.

According to Israel Rojas on releasing the album in 2017, the selection of songs on Sobreviviente reflects a good part of what concerns Buena Fe, &we worked calmly, with the sound we wanted, that is why for us it is one of our best recordings."

Likewise, they have also had projects with Omara Portuondo and the duo Yomil y el Dany (Roberto Hidalgo and Daniel Muñoz), demonstrating the versatility of their repertoire, which also includes the urban genre.

Widely recognized both on the music scene and off, the group preserves the culture and the role of the young generations in the face of the challenges of today’s society, while their melodies provide encouragement in the difficult times faced by Cuba.

With no privileges and no concessions, Buena Fe has taken its music to different countries, adding a coherent discourse in tune with the island’s socio-political reality, embodied and upheld in each of their compositions.

A prolific career and 11 albums reward the band’s steady pace, whose leap of Faith (Buena Fe), has earned them recognition in Cuba and beyond, while their music marks the rhythm of a resilient people, capable of overcoming every battle.