"Tosco" & "Ryu Murakami"

This project began with an article that I found on the Internet about José Luis Cortés (Tosco) written four years before his death (Tosco y Cortés|On Cuba News）.

"He has thirteen flutes, but they lost their favorite one on a tour. “[Ryu] Murakami said that I had to have the best flute in the world, and he bought me that one, made of full silver.”

I wanted to know more about José Luis Cortés and Ryu Murakami.

In the early 1990s, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba was in a "Special Period'' without supplies. José Luis and Ryu Murakami recorded and created several works during their "Special Period." There was a pure and sincere energy to the works from that time.

Jose Luis Cortés passed away in April 2022. You will never be able to record Tosco's music again.  So, I sent an email asking Mr. Murakami to consider streaming the albums he produced in the early years with José Luis.

May the music and stories of Tosco and Murakami reach Cubans around the world.