Today, we’d like to introduce you to Degnis Bofill.
Hi Degnis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My name is Degnis Bofill, I’m a Cuban musician, vocalist, and composer. Music has been with me for as long as I can remember. My mom tells me that when I was barely 3 or 4 years old, I used to sneak out of the house to go listen to a band rehearsing nearby. I was born in the city of Manzanillo, Cuba, where I began my music studies at the age of 9, specializing in percussion. Later, I continued my education at a conservatory in Holguín, another Cuban city. After graduating as a Symphonic and Popular Percussionist – Professor, I taught at a music school for three years.
In 2009, I moved to Havana and started integrating into the city’s musical scene. I have played a wide range of styles, such as Cuban popular music, jazz, rock, electronic music, urban, pop, and classical music, among others. Additionally, I have been part of and collaborated with numerous bands and artists, including Blondie, Arturo O’Farrill, Síntesis, Omara Portuondo, Jon Cleary, Jaques Morelenbaum, Brian Lynch, and many others. In 2016, I won 2 Jojazz awards (a competition held in Cuba for young jazz musicians), 1st place in Interpretation and 3rd place in Composition. This motivated me to start my own band, and in 2019, I officially created Golpes Libres, where I combine Afro-Cuban music with modern jazz and world music.
In 2022, I participated in the recording of “Ancestros Sinfónico” with the band Síntesis, of which I was a member for six years, serving as a musician and vocalist. With this album, we won a Latin Grammy in the Best Folk Album category. I have recorded on more than 40 albums and performed at festivals and theaters in Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, and Latin America.
In 2023, I was selected to participate in One Beat, an annual residency and touring program in the United States that brings together emerging musicians from around the world to collaborate on composing, producing, and performing original music, as well as to develop strategies for civic and social engagement based on the arts.
I’m currently based in Miami, Florida, where I’m working to integrate myself and contribute to the city’s cultural scene. I have performed in clubs, museums, and other venues with my band, Golpes Libres. I recently participated in the US tour of the Grammy-winning album “Vida” by the legendary Omara Portuondo. Additionally, I’m collaborating with artists from various genres and organizing compositions to release my debut solo album.
In collaboration with a photographer friend known as Walker, we have found a space to support independent art for the benefit of the community and society called Blend Blend. These events take place on the last Friday of each month. Our mission is to educate through culture, and therefore, we offer free workshops for all ages, art exhibitions, live music, and DJs, among other activities.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a bed of roses. I left my hometown when I was only 14 years old, and since then, I have always been on the move. For example, now I live in the US, a country very different from mine, with a different system, culture, etc. As Cuba is a 3rd world country, there is not much access to instruments, technology, etc.
For example, I had my first instruments after graduating, and an uncle gave them to me as a gift because I didn’t have the money to buy them. I studied in bed or on a piece of wood. At the conservatory stage I got up every day at 6:00 am for three years to be able to reserve the only xylophone of the school or the Timpanis, we had one for all the percussion students.
When I moved to Havana, I had to adapt to the way of life in the capital which is very different from the rest of the country, I played a lot for free until I was connecting and creating my way. Music takes a lot of dedication and on those who devote themselves to it, as in my case, it takes its toll on other aspects of life such as family, friends, partners, etc.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love to mix other arts with music. In my performances, I always try to include poetry, visual arts, dance, etc. I like to improvise a lot. That’s why I love jazz. Although I always enjoy any genre, I play to the fullest.
As a percussionist, I am working on my own style called Spoken Cuero, which includes the rhythm of the Guaguancó clave with hand clapping, text, and melodies. I like to approach percussion, thinking more about melody than rhythm, although, of course, there is rhythm in everything.
What do you think about happiness?
There is nothing that makes me happier than playing. It’s like a drug in the best sense of the word. When I’m improvising specifically, I travel to a place where there are no problems, stress, etc. It’s always the same feeling, and of course, I always want to go back to that place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.degnisbofill.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/degnisbofill/?hl=es – https://www.instagram.com/golpeslibres – https://www.instagram.com/blendblendevents/?hl=es
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/degnisbofillm/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/degnis-bofill-659069284
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@degnisbofillygolpeslibres9866
Image Credits
Mavel Valdés @mavelvaldes.photos
