美国国家公共电台 NPR--Bassist Juan Carlos Formell dies after a heart attack onstage. He was 59

（单词翻译）

Bassist Juan Carlos Formell dies after a heart attack onstage. He was 59

Transcript²

Singer-songwriter Juan Carlos Formell was born into Cuban music royalty³ but forged his own path. He was the bassist for Los Van Van, one of the most influential⁴ bands from post-Revolution Cuba.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Cuban singer-songwriter Juan Carlos Formell of Los Van Van has passed away. The band was among the most influential from post-Revolution Cuba, and Formell was a musical force of nature. Here's NPR's Jasmine Garsd.

JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE⁵: Juan Carlos Formell was born in Havana into music royalty. His grandfather, Francisco Formell, was a conductor of the Havana Philharmonic. In 1969, his father, Juan Formell, co-founded the iconic Afro-Cuban band Los Van Van.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "POR ENCIMA DEL NIVEL")

LOS VAN VAN: (Singing in Spanish).

GARSD: But the younger Formell very much forged his own path. He studied and played with some of the greats of Cuban music but felt stifled⁶ by the regime's control of the music industry, so he defected in 1993. While on tour in Mexico, he crossed the border, eventually moving to New York. His debut⁷ solo album, "Songs From A Little Blue House," was nominated for a Grammy in 2000. He released four more solo albums after that.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YANBANDO")

JUAN CARLOS FORMELL: (Singing in Spanish).

GARSD: It wasn't until 2014, when his father passed away, that Formell agreed to become the bassist for Los Van Van. The band excelled at building on Afro-Cuban music with rock, disco and hip-hop.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EL BUEY CANSAO (FEAT. TELMARY)")

LOS VAN VAN: (Singing in Spanish).

GARSD: NYU Professor Carlos Chirinos says this is what made Los Van Van so special since their inception⁸, the mix of tradition with new styles.

CARLOS CHIRINOS: Los Van Van took the popular music sound of rock and pop, kind of mixed it with the traditional charanga format⁹ that was originally just violins and flute¹⁰.

GARSD: Their last album was a family affair. His brother, Samuel, plays drums, and sister Vanessa is a vocalist. Formell was performing in the Bronx last Friday when he stepped away from his bass¹. He was having a fatal heart attack. He was 59 years old.

Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, New York.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROBERTO FONSECA'S "EL SONADOR ESTA CANSADO")