Madrid, Spain - The Spanish Performing Rights Society (Sociedad General de Autores y Editores - SGAE) reported today that Cuban composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Tito Duarte died yesterday at age 57 at the Hospital Reina Sofía in Córdoba (Andalusia, southern Spain).

He was the son of legendary Cuban pianist and composer Ernesto Duarte, and was in the Andalusian city working on a show titled Sueños de ida y vuelta (Dreams of Come and Go) by flamenco guitarist Víctor Monge “Serranito”, programmed for today at Córdoba's world famous guitar festival, Festival de Guitarra de Córdoba. In this regard, and as a tribute, his fellow musicians have decided to continue with the project. There is also a recording project, with the same title, that will be released by the Factoría Autor label, owned by the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE).

Similarly, Factoría Autor was working this month on what was going to be the new recording by Tito Duarte, La herencia del viejo sabor (The Legacy of the Old Flavor),in which the multifaceted artist had intended to recover old songs from popular cuban music canciones de la música popular Cuban music such as Suavecito (M. Luna), La María (Saumell), Buena Vista Social Club (Israel López “Cachao”), Para Vigo me voy (Lecuona), Mambo in Sax (Pérez Prado), Mambo In (Mario Bauzá) or Como fue (Ernesto Duarte).

Factoría Autor has confirmed today its intention to finish the CD project “as the best tribute we can pay. Most of the songsd are already recorded, as well as Tito Duarte's performances and arrangements”. Many well known artists participate on La herencia del viejo sabor, such as Luis Dulzaides, Víctor Merlo, Horacio Icasto and Jorge Pardo, as well as singers such as Miguel Bosé, Moncho and Ángela Carrasco. The album was being recorded at the Sonoland studios in Madrid, produced by Julio Palacios and Luis Miguel Fernández.

Duarte toured Latin America recently with Miguel Bosé, a Latin pop star.