Cuban-Born Rock Legends Rudy and Robert Sarzo and Love/Hate Frontman Jizzy Pearl Join the Epic Re-Recording of “Cuba Libre / Exilio” — an Anthem of Exile That Is Now Going Viral Among Cuban Activists
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The Sarzo brothers fled Castro’s Cuba as children in 1961. More than six decades later, they bring bass and guitar to Gianluca Zanna’s 2005 anthem — joined by Love/Hate frontman Jizzy Pearl on lead vocals, reuniting Zanna with original singer Ruben Martinez, son of Cuban refugees, and produced by the legendary Danny Saber at Clear Lake Studios in Burbank. Rudy Sarzo’s performance fee is being donated in full to a non-profit organization.
BURBANK, CA — A song about Cuban exile is being recorded by two men who lived it. When Gianluca Zanna brings his 2005 anthem “Cuba Libre / Exilio” back into the studio at the end of July 2026, the bass and guitar will be played by Rudy and Robert Sarzo — brothers born in Havana who fled Castro’s Cuba as children in 1961 and went on to become two of the most celebrated names in rock. Their presence turns a re-recording into something closer to a homecoming. The sessions, at Clear Lake Studios in Burbank, California, reunite Zanna with the song’s original singer, Ruben Martinez, the son of Cuban refugees, and are produced by the legendary Danny Saber — all as the original 2005 recording spreads across TikTok in the hands of a new generation of Cuban activists.
From Havana to the Hall of Heavy Metal History
Rudy and Robert Sarzo were born in Havana, Cuba. In 1961, as Fidel Castro’s communist regime tightened its grip, their family fled — Rudy around ten years old, Robert just six — part of the early wave of Cuban exiles who left everything behind for an uncertain future in America. They arrived with little, faced poverty and a new language, and built their lives from nothing. They also built two of the most respected careers in rock.
Rudy Sarzo became one of the most recognizable bassists in heavy metal, anchoring Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, and Dio across a catalog that has sold tens of millions of records; he was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History in 2017.
Robert Sarzo, known as “The VuDu Man,” is the founding lead guitarist of Hurricane and a four-decade studio and touring force. For these two exiles to lend their instruments to a song called “Cuba Libre / Exilio” is more than a session credit — it is the lived experience of exile speaking through the music itself.
A Partnership Born in America
The story of “Cuba Libre” is inseparable from the friendship at its heart. When Gianluca Zanna emigrated from Rome to the United States in 1998, one of the first and most enduring creative partnerships he formed was with music producer Simone Sello and singer Ruben Martinez. Beginning in 1999, the 3 collaborated on a body of songs together — a working relationship built on a shared belief in music as a vehicle for meaning. “Cuba Libre,” written by Zanna in 2005 with Martinez as its original voice, original arrangements by Simone Sello, stands among the most personal of those early works.
Martinez, the son of Cuban refugees, brought a lived authenticity to the song that no studio could manufacture. Now, as the original recording circulates among Cuban activists online, his return to the microphone for the definitive version closes a circle two decades in the making.
A 2005 Recording Finds Its Moment
The resurgence was not engineered — it was organic. The original “Cuba Libre / Exilio” has been adopted on TikTok by Cuban activists and content creators, its themes of exile, longing, and the hope of a free Cuba resonating with audiences who were children, or not yet born, when the song was first recorded. That grassroots momentum is the engine behind the decision to record a new, fully realized version worthy of the song’s renewed reach.
An A-List Lineup Behind the Microphone
For the re-recording, Zanna Records has brought together a roster of world-class talent.
Danny Saber — Producer.
One of the most distinctive producers and remixers of the modern era, Danny Saber brings three decades of genre-defining work to the project. A former member of the Manchester band Black Grape, Saber produced and performed on their UK-platinum debut before becoming an in-demand studio force whose production, performance, and remix credits span The Rolling Stones, U2, David Bowie, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, and Public Enemy.
Rudy Sarzo — Bass.
Havana-born and a Cuban exile since 1961, Rudy Sarzo is one of the most recognizable bassists in rock history, with credits including Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, and Dio, and an induction into the Hall of Heavy Metal History. In a gesture that reflects the spirit of the project, Rudy Sarzo’s performance compensation for “Cuba Libre / Exilio” is being donated in full to a non-profit organization — turning his artistry into direct support for a cause close to the song’s heart.
Robert Sarzo — Guitar.
Also Havana-born and brought to America as a young child in the same 1961 exodus, Robert Sarzo — “The VuDu Man” — is the founding lead guitarist of Hurricane and a longtime Zanna Records collaborator. Together, the Sarzo brothers bring a chemistry, a pedigree, and a personal history with this song’s subject that no other rhythm section on earth can claim.
Jizzy Pearl — Senior Singer.
The voice of the legendary rock band Love/Hate, Jizzy Pearl and now official singer for Quiet Riot, joins as senior singer, bringing his unmistakable grit and presence to the new arrangement.
Ruben Martinez — Vocals.
The song’s original 2005 singer and the son of Cuban refugees, Martinez returns to deliver the vocal that started it all — now with two decades of resonance behind it.
Robin Diaz — Drums & Percussion.
A powerhouse drummer whose credits include Hole, P.O.D., LIVE, and Candlebox, Robin Diaz brings the rhythmic foundation to the new recording.
Claudette Lyons — Background Vocals.
Singer of the duo Luca and Claudette, Claudette Lyons adds her voice to the background vocals, deepening the song’s emotional texture.
Gianluca Zanna — Executive Producer & Songwriter.
Rome-born, Arizona-based songwriter and founder of Zanna Records, Zanna wrote “Cuba Libre” in 2005 and shepherds its definitive recording two decades later.
“I wrote this song in 2005, and Ruben gave it its first voice. We had already been making music together since 1999, not long after I arrived in America. To see the original recording now move people on TikTok — to see young Cuban voices carry it — told me it was time to give the song the recording it always deserved. And then to have Rudy and Robert Sarzo, two men who actually fled Cuba as children, play on a song called ‘Cuba Libre / Exilio’ — with Danny Saber producing — that is not a coincidence, that is the song finding its family.”
— Gianluca Zanna, Songwriter, Executive Producer & Founder, Zanna Records
About the Recording
“Cuba Libre / Exilio” will be recorded at Clear Lake Studios in Burbank, California, at the end of July 2026. The session is executive produced by Gianluca Zanna and produced by Danny Saber for Zanna Records.
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, Zanna is a Rome-born, Arizona-based songwriter behind a catalog of original compositions spanning rock, EDM, and classical. His music reaches audiences worldwide through verified radio airplay across 468 stations in 99 countries & territories on 6 continents, a YouTube channel with over 35.8 million total views and nearly 19,000 subscribers, and 1.36 million monthly YouTube Music listeners.
Learn more at www.zannarecords.com.
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