Conjunto Universal explores how the traditional Cuban music of the namesake band united the first generation of Cuban-American exiles who sought comfort in the enchanting rhythms of their homeland as they came of age in their new country. Told through the eyes of the band members themselves, this documentary features a history of how the band came together, their rise to prominence in South Florida (particularly at gatherings known as “open houses” and “bailes cubanos”), their interactions with other local bands at the time and how the changes in social and musical trends led to their decline in popularity and the evolution of the Miami Sound in the decade that followed.

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interviews will also highlight how throughout their run, members of Conjunto Universal were united by a sense of family and brotherhood. Moreover, the joy of playing music for the exile community always gave the group pride and purpose. As the group reminisces in the present about the their commercial peak in the 1970s, their conversations will elaborate on how they helped a community living in exile cope with the hardships of a new, unfamiliar homeland through their hits “Que Se Sepa,” “Dolorita,” and “La Gorda,” just to name a few. Will the band want to reunite after all this time?

​

During their career, Conjunto Universal released 12 albums and passed on the torch for a new generation of musicians including Willy Chirino and Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. The film is co-directed by the incomparable Michael Mechoso as well as George V. López, son of one of the original band members, in his documentary filmmaking debut.

​

​