Tenacity, commitment, and sacrifice define an exceptional artist who radiates light from the immensity of his dreams and compositions, capable of caressing the soul with each chord until becoming essential to Cuban culture.
In search of his own ideas and a"er the breakup of Azúcar Band, Arnaldo Rodríguez ventured to found Talismán in 2002, a group whose sound and catchy lyrics enjoy admiration on the Cuban scene.
Thanks to his work as a producer, composer, arranger, and performer, he gained greater notoriety. It was a necessity that later became the best decision, he said in an interview with CubaPLUS Magazine.
Arnaldo considers himself a fusion of various styles, inherited from his collaboration with singer-songwriters of his generation and with notable exponents of Trova like Frank Delgado.
“In 1992, when I was still a student at the National School of Arts, I was a bassist in the group Cuerpo de Guardia, led by Frank Delgado. It was my first professional link with a recognized artist, one of the pillars of Trova in the 1980s,” he recalled.
Other musical influences came along with orchestras like Constelación and Charanga Latina, a legacy that he enriched with melodies that were heard outside of Cuba at that time.
“The style of my first recordings was a mixture of Cuban music with elements of foreign genres such as pop, combined with the literary influence of the New Trova,” he said.
When asked why Talismán, he replied: “I liked how it sounded, besides being the perfect name because of the magic that surrounds the word.”
The success and permanence of the format in the artistic scene is undeniable; his compositions entertain and at the same time sensitize through the depth of their melodies. The group’s purpose was to tell unique stories and captivate the human being through transparent music.
“I have always liked to create phrases of musical ideas that do not resemble other known ones, perhaps that is why the sound of Talismán, in terms of text and sound, stands out from other groups,” he said.
If something defines him, it is his simplicity; wherever his feet, dreams, and melodies touch, the nobility of an artist without borders is appreciated when it comes to spreading love and joy.
“That natural empathy has contributed a lot to the public’s a!ection and the success of our work,” he asserted.
His tireless work as a cultural promoter has also earned him recognition and applause in his homeland. The Lucecita community project, created in 2010; the Piña Colada Festival, held annually in the province of Ciego de Ávila; and the Habana Mambo Festival show how much can be achieved when talent and the will to cultivate hope are present.
An aspect of his career linked to his initial training as an art instructor, characterized by a comprehensive perspective on the promotion of culture. This, coupled with his status as a successful creator, contributes to boosting these events.
The Lucecita project, based in the Havana municipality of Playa, has trained hundreds of children and young people under a name that is in keeping with the spirit of one of his compositions, he explained. Meanwhile, the objective of the Piña Colada Festival was to bring together on the same stage artists with di!erent approaches to Cuban music, at a time when there was no platform in Cuba with a similar focus.
Arnaldo has focused in recent years on mambo, a genre that identifies his company Mambo S.R.L. and which he captured on the album Habana Mambo Orquesta, released in 2023.
Jirones de mi juventud, an album of 10 tracks that will feature little-known works by other composers, is his new record proposal, scheduled to be released in January 2025. In the future, he wants to explore other genres and his facet as an instrumentalist, because as he himself says: the “mulato acelera’o” seeks to contribute new things.
The virtuoso musician, celebrated for his accolades at prestigious national events, recently turned 50, surrounded by those he inspires to dream and who bask in the glow of his indomitable spirit.
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