EGREM/Areito (cover designer: Hipólito Cabrera, photographer: Jorge Puig, mural artist: René Portocarrero), "Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC," ca. 1970s. Offset print, vinyl LP record

The cover design by Hipólito Cabrera features a photograph by Jorge Puig of a mural by renowned Cuban artist René Portocarrero, located at the Palacio Lesión in Havana. Photographed through window panes, the composition creates a grid overlay across Portocarrero's vibrant abstract imagery—organic shapes, stylized flowers, and fragmented figures rendered in rich blues, oranges, browns, and creams. The geometric window frame bisecting the artist's flowing, dreamlike mural creates visual tension between structure and freedom, reflecting GESI's mission to balance experimental innovation with traditional Cuban musical forms while honoring one of Cuba's most important visual artists.

This album showcases the core members of the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC—Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, and Noel Nicola—performing foundational nueva trova compositions. Founded in 1969 under Leo Brouwer's direction at the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC), GESI revolutionized Cuban music by combining sophisticated musical arrangements with socially conscious poetry. The repertoire includes iconic songs like "Te Doy Una Canción," "Canción Para Angela Davis" (dedicated to the American activist), and "Comienzo El Día." These compositions defined nueva trova as a movement that merged artistic excellence with revolutionary commitment, establishing a musical language that would influence Latin American song for generations.