A Dream Fifteen Years in the Making: Zanna Records Completes the Epic New Recording of “Cuba Libre”
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Cuban-born rock legends Rudy and Robert Sarzo, Love/Hate frontman Jizzy Pearl, Robin Diaz at drums and original singer Ruben Martinez join producer Danny Saber and songwriter Gianluca Zanna at Clear Lake Recording Studio to bring a song born in a dream to its definitive form. Releasing worldwide August 20, 2026.
BURBANK, CA — On July 27, 2026, at Clear Lake Recording Studio, a song that began as a dream more than fifteen years ago was finally given the recording its creator always imagined. Zanna Records has completed the official new version of “Cuba Libre,” written by Gianluca Zanna — an anthem of exile, freedom, and the unbreakable Cuban spirit, now reborn through the hands of some of rock’s most storied musicians.
A Song Born in a Dream
The story of “Cuba Libre” began not in a studio, but in a dream. More than fifteen years ago, Gianluca Zanna heard the melody in his sleep while the suffering of the Cuban people weighed on his heart — the images of a nation longing for freedom giving rise to a song he could not shake. He wrote it, recorded a first version with singer Ruben Martinez, and carried it with him for over a decade, waiting for the moment it was meant to become what he first heard.
That moment arrived this July. “I truly believe it was not a coincidence that all of us came together to record this new version,” said Zanna. “I dreamed this melody more than fifteen years ago, watching the Cuban people suffer for their freedom. Now destiny has brought me together with these extraordinary human beings — each one a master of their craft — to give ‘Cuba Libre’ the epic recording it was always meant to have. This is more than a song to me.
It is a dream finally coming true.”
When Destiny Assembled the Room
The lineup that gathered at Clear Lake carries a chemistry no session could manufacture. On bass and guitar, Cuban-born brothers Rudy and Robert Sarzo — who fled Havana as children in 1961 and rose to become two of rock’s most celebrated names — lend not only their artistry but their lived history to a song about the country of their birth. Love/Hate frontman Jizzy Pearl brings his unmistakable voice to the new arrangement, sharing vocals with Ruben Martinez, the song’s original singer and the son of Cuban refugees, closing a circle two decades in the making. Drummer Robin Diaz anchors the rhythm, Claudette Lyons adds background vocals, and the sessions were produced by the legendary Danny Saber, whose credits span The Rolling Stones, U2, David Bowie, Michael Hutchence and Black Grape.
The Recording
Music & Lyrics Gianluca Zanna
Producer Danny Saber
Executive Producer Gianluca Zanna
Bass Rudy Sarzo
Guitar Robert Sarzo
Vocals Jizzy Pearl
Vocals Ruben Martinez
Background Vocals Claudette Lyons
Drums & Percussion Robin Diaz
Audio Engineer Eric Milos
Recorded at Clear Lake Recording Studio — July 27, 2026
Worldwide Release August 20, 2026
“To have Rudy and Robert Sarzo — two men who actually lived the exile this song is about — play on ‘Cuba Libre,’ with Danny Saber producing and Ruben returning to sing the song he first gave a voice to, is beyond anything I could have scripted. Some things you do not plan. Destiny plans them for you.”
— Gianluca Zanna, Songwriter & Executive Producer, Zanna Records
About the Release
The new recording of “Cuba Libre” will be released worldwide on August 20, 2026, through Zanna Records. A video documentation of the recording session, captured by Agency 32, will support the release.
About Zanna Records
Zanna Records is the independent music label founded and operated by Gianluca Zanna, built without major-label backing. Performing as “Luca” in the EDM duo Luca and Claudette alongside singer Claudette Lyons, Zanna is a Rome-born, Arizona-based songwriter behind a catalog of original compositions spanning EDM, rock, and classical. The label’s music reaches audiences worldwide through verified radio airplay across 495 stations in 99 countries & territories on 6 continents, a YouTube channel with over 40 million total views and 36,000 subscribers, and 1.36 million monthly YouTube Music listeners. Learn more at www.zannarecords.com.
Media Contact: Robert “RJ” Sarzo Jr. — Agency 32 Inc. | Zanna Records | www.zannarecords.com
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