Monday's Piano Lesson went very well. Paquito and I met for the second time since I have been in Miami, and we went over the following Cuban musical styles: Bolero, Son, Guaracha (a derivation of Son), and Cha-cha-chá. We played a duet of Quizás at the end of the lesson (which I recorded) and we also went over montunos and other technical aspects of Cuban music. It was unbelievable to be able to take a lesson with Paquito again, and I will look forward to listening back to the recordings of our lessons in order to pick up as much as I possibly can from our meetings. Paquito is such a nice man, and was very humbled and honored by my wanting to study and meet with him. In fact he called me on Tuesday (today), just to say that it was a pleasure meeting me and he hopes that we will keep in touch. During our lesson, I told him I would send him a CD of my band's upcoming performance at Chris' Jazz Café on August 11th (we'll be doing Cuban music). He told me over the phone today that "I better keep my promise!!!" because he wants to hear my band. He told me how great of a player I am and that I should keep up the good work. This is another prime example of the Cuban people; friendly, caring, and helpful. He told me to call him anytime with questions or just to say hello. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! (Not to quote Casablanca or anything.....haha).
It's 5PM right now on Tuesday. I'm making some dinner, and then Joel is coming over and we are going to go see the Phillies-Marlins game tonight! Luckily I'm in town when the Phillies are in Miami! Hopefully we'll have a good game with Halladay pitching!
My Dad is flying down tomorrow (Wednesday), we'll spend the day together, and then we'll start the drive on Thursday.
Hope to see many of you when I return!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Day 24-South Beach & The Ritz Carlton
Today I decided to sleep late and then head down to South Beach to read a book on the beach and relax. The day did not go exactly as I would have intended it, and I ended up walking around South Beach for about an hour, without sitting down to read. I had to drive around for a long time to find a spot to park (it is Saturday after all), and then I didn't know where I was going, so long story short...I only walked around and got used to my surroundings. Plus, there was a $20 fee for an umbrella/chair and I didn't think it was worth it. I only had a thin hotel towel, so sitting on that was not the best option. I spent a few hours in South Beach and then came back to my hotel. I made dinner, relaxed for a bit, and then headed over to the Ritz Carlton on Key Biscayne to hear the Cuban band one more time before I head back to Philadelphia. This particular evening was much more crowded than Thursday night (for obvious reasons), and I was lucky to find a seat. I stayed for the entire evening (all 4 hours), and found it quite funny to watch some of the hotel guests throughout the night. By 10PM, many people were dancing to the music and very involved with the band (they complained and yelled when the band stopped for a break). Some of the guests were getting drunker and drunker and seeing them dance at 8PM versus 11PM was VERY different and VERY funny. Luckily, I sat next to some very nice people from Tampa, FL who were on vacation. They told me about the strong Cuban population in Tampa and Ybor City (part of Tampa), and advised me that I should check that "scene" out at some point. Overall, I had a very enjoyable time listening to the music and "people-watching." I heard a lot of my favorite Cuban "standards" and I started to form some conclusions about the different Cuban musical styles and the different roles of some of the instruments in these particular styles. Yes...I've heard this group a few time before...and yes...it was a somewhat noisy venue where they were playing...but immersing myself in this music in all different settings and at EVERY opportunity has allowed me to start to understand it at a very different level than when I arrived in Miami at the beginning of July. Of course, I still have a long way to go, but I'm on my way!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Day 23-Amazing Interview & Amazing Concert
Today I had a long-awaited interview with Balmor Martinez, who I met at a concert in Little Havana 3 weeks ago. After the concert, I was able to talk to him for a moment and explain my project to him. He didn't speak much english, so it was difficult to communicate, but he understood the gist of what my project was and he offered his help in any way possible. So, I found a translator, had her call him, and we set up an interview. I knew that this would be a phenomenal interview because before Balmor came to the US, he was a professor of music in Cuba for many years (he is 58 years old). The interview started off slow, while I asked questions that gave me a better understanding of his background and experiences. Then, we started talking about different styles of music (Bolero and Son in particular), and I had some questions about the different styles. He found it easier to demonstrate, than to explain. First, he started singing some of the tunes, but then he felt that he could be clearer if he played guitar as well. So, he started giving me different musical examples of Boleros and the different song forms, how melodies and harmony are constructed, etc. What an incredible "master class" or "teaching session." I did not know how much time our interview would take, and it ended up being 2 hours and some change. Luckily, Balmor let me audio AND video record this experience so that I will be able to refer back to it many times in the future. Balmor kept telling me that if I needed more information to contact him again and we could set-up another interview. He also gave me his cell phone number to call him in the future with further questions. I left this interview very happy, and then decided to return to my hotel for some lunch before heading out again. After lunch, I headed out to Little Havana to a different section I had not been to before, and bought some souvenirs (maracas, a poster with a map of Cuba, etc.) to take back home with me.
Later on this evening, I decided to go see Orquesta Aragon, which is a popular and older Cuban group dating back to the 1940's. To my knowledge, this is their first concert in Miami. When I arrived at the concert hall, there were protesters across the street with signs that talked about Cuban blood on the hands of the orchestra and other accusatory remarks. I realized that this band must not be very popular to a lot of Cubans living in Miami, because these Miami Cubans associate the band with being close with Castro and the Communist regime within Cuba. While there were protesters, there were not many, and the police had them corralled in a barricaded section so that they could not cause any real trouble or danger to anyone at the concert. While the tickets were quite pricey (anywhere between $58 & $108), I decided to see this band that was causing so much hype and that was so famous and well-known among Cubans. I opted for the cheaper seats ($68), which were still on the second level Mezzanine, but very close the edge. I was amazed at how great the seats were and how small the venue really was. I felt more like I was in a Broadway theater than a large concert hall (thats how intimate the theater was). Of course, the band did not start on time (they started a half an hour late at 9PM instead of the start time of 8:30PM). I was impressed because the band performed for two hours and some change (with a twenty minute intermission). Considering the venue, the popularity of the band, and the ticket prices, I was expecting a long concert, so I was happily surprised. I did not recognize all of the songs, but I did recognize a few that I have become familiar with. It didn't matter if I recognized the songs or not though, because everything the band played was incredible. The musicians were incredibly talented and kept the crowd dancing, moving, and involved for the entire show. The instrumentation is not something you immediately think of when you think of Cuban music: Piano, Bass, 3 Percussionists (Congas, Timbales, Guiro), Flute, 3 Vocals (some doubling on other instruments), and 5 Violins. The arrangements were well written, the solos and improvisations were incredible, and the level of playing was at time virtuosic. There were also a few special guests who joined the band for a few numbers (male vocalist and flute player). I didn't catch either of their names, but the flute player I have seen playing around town. Overall, I really enjoyed this concert. It is important to mention that while this concert was in a venue resembling a small version of the Kimmel Center, this didn't stop the audience from getting up and salsa dancing or from moving in their chairs, or standing up and dancing by themselves. This music is so rhythmic and so stimulating, that its very difficult to sit still while listening to it. This got annoying at times, when the people in front of my would stand up and I felt like sitting and tapping my foot and actively listening, but overall it was quite the sight. One other thing to mention is that the crowd looked almost entirely of the Affluent Cuban population living in Miami. I found it very interesting that this band was not accessible to the general Cuban public because of the price (which was pricey). This class divide is definitely something that could use further study.
Later on this evening, I decided to go see Orquesta Aragon, which is a popular and older Cuban group dating back to the 1940's. To my knowledge, this is their first concert in Miami. When I arrived at the concert hall, there were protesters across the street with signs that talked about Cuban blood on the hands of the orchestra and other accusatory remarks. I realized that this band must not be very popular to a lot of Cubans living in Miami, because these Miami Cubans associate the band with being close with Castro and the Communist regime within Cuba. While there were protesters, there were not many, and the police had them corralled in a barricaded section so that they could not cause any real trouble or danger to anyone at the concert. While the tickets were quite pricey (anywhere between $58 & $108), I decided to see this band that was causing so much hype and that was so famous and well-known among Cubans. I opted for the cheaper seats ($68), which were still on the second level Mezzanine, but very close the edge. I was amazed at how great the seats were and how small the venue really was. I felt more like I was in a Broadway theater than a large concert hall (thats how intimate the theater was). Of course, the band did not start on time (they started a half an hour late at 9PM instead of the start time of 8:30PM). I was impressed because the band performed for two hours and some change (with a twenty minute intermission). Considering the venue, the popularity of the band, and the ticket prices, I was expecting a long concert, so I was happily surprised. I did not recognize all of the songs, but I did recognize a few that I have become familiar with. It didn't matter if I recognized the songs or not though, because everything the band played was incredible. The musicians were incredibly talented and kept the crowd dancing, moving, and involved for the entire show. The instrumentation is not something you immediately think of when you think of Cuban music: Piano, Bass, 3 Percussionists (Congas, Timbales, Guiro), Flute, 3 Vocals (some doubling on other instruments), and 5 Violins. The arrangements were well written, the solos and improvisations were incredible, and the level of playing was at time virtuosic. There were also a few special guests who joined the band for a few numbers (male vocalist and flute player). I didn't catch either of their names, but the flute player I have seen playing around town. Overall, I really enjoyed this concert. It is important to mention that while this concert was in a venue resembling a small version of the Kimmel Center, this didn't stop the audience from getting up and salsa dancing or from moving in their chairs, or standing up and dancing by themselves. This music is so rhythmic and so stimulating, that its very difficult to sit still while listening to it. This got annoying at times, when the people in front of my would stand up and I felt like sitting and tapping my foot and actively listening, but overall it was quite the sight. One other thing to mention is that the crowd looked almost entirely of the Affluent Cuban population living in Miami. I found it very interesting that this band was not accessible to the general Cuban public because of the price (which was pricey). This class divide is definitely something that could use further study.
Day 22-Day Off, Night On
Today, I decided to take the day off from work and interviews (plus I had nothing scheduled so it seemed appropriate). I made plans to have lunch with my cousin David and his wife Anne. What a fantastic time! I have never met this part of my family (David is my grandfather's brother's son). It was sooo great to finally meet David and Anne and to share stories about the family and to hear their perspectives on Miami and other topics. After lunch, I came back to my hotel and relaxed for a bit, did some reading, watched a movie, and then made dinner. After dinner, I decided to go to the Ritz Carlton on Key Biscayne, where I had gone the second night I was in Miami. There is a band that performs Cuban music that plays in the lobby from 8-11 Thursday-Saturday. When I showed up this particular evening, I found a seat very close to the band, and started enjoying the music. The lead singer recognized me from coming a few weeks earlier, and asked if I would like to sit in with the group and play. I said I would love to play and they invited me up (the piano player stepped aside for a few tunes). I suggested a few Cuban numbers, but they wanted me to suggest jazz standards that we could turn into Cuban tunes. So....we ended up playing Autumn Leaves (Son) and Take The A Train (Bolero). After this, I retired back to my seat in the audience and continued to listen to them play for the rest of the set. On the set break, I ended up talking to all of the musicians, one of which who is actually Cuban (the rest are Columbian). We talked about some musical topics specific to Cuban music, he gave me a piece of sheet music to keep (a Cuban tune that illustrated a concept he was trying to explain to me). Before I left, the lead singer told me to come back any time I want to sit in with the group and hang. I told them I would try to come back again on Saturday night.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Day 21-Interviews with Two Older Cuban Musicians
José Curbelo, a 93-year old Cuban musician who made a career of performing, arranging, and managing big bands and other groups in NYC during the 1950's and 1960's. This is the man that I interviewed this morning. He is an incredible man, still able to do most things at his age. He invited me to his home at 12:30PM for an interview. When I arrived, he told me that he only had 30-40 minutes to talk. I left his house 3 hours later....Such a friendly man, had an incredible story, and was very generous with his time and advice. He began our talk by showing me the different pictures on the walls of his study/office. He had pictures of him an Ella Fitzgerald, him and Mario Bauzá, him and Tito Puente, him and Machito, him and Cab Calloway, etc. He knew everyone in NYC during the 40's, 50's and 60's when Jazz and Latin music was the popular art form in NYC. He explained to me how he was the first piano player to play for Tony Bennett during a live show, how he could hear Art Tatum, Tito Puente, and Dizzy Gillespie all in the SAME NIGHT! So many stories about NY. He also made comments about today's music scene and about live music venues. He was quite disgusted with the present state of affairs and how very few good clubs with live music there are. Once we had this discussion about his past experiences, I started to ask him some interview questions regarding his education, his experience with Cuban Popular song forms, and things that could potentially relate to my research study more specifically. He did not have many concrete details of his early education, but was able to tell me a few things that I found interesting. He told me that in Cuba, he originally wanted to be a Doctor and was in school for that, but eventually decided to follow his love for music, which brought him to NY. Before he left Cuba, he did not have any "real" musical training. He learned the piano by studying with teachers, but mostly performed and played informally with his father's band and other musicians and friends in the area in which he lived. It was hard to get this information from him, because he either kept talking about his career in NY or about the present situation with music. While it was hard to focus him on what I wanted to talk to him about, I also think it was difficult for him to remember so long ago, I mean after all he's 93 (and a half) years old. He did tell me that he took arranging and jazz piano lessons from a man in NYC while he lived and worked there. This man's name escapes me now, but I have it on the audio-recording that I made, and will look it up at a later date. After we talked for a few hours, he put on some albums of music that he thought I should hear. It was incredible music. We listened to both Latin Jazz (Cuban) as well as Jazz. Everything was incredible, and most of it was stuff that I had never heard of before (but that I will surely purchase or get a hold of now that I have heard it). One other thing that José discussed was the different styles of Cuban music. This helped give me a better understanding of the music, specifically "Son" music. He explained to me that the different sections of the "Son" pieces have different names. Generally speaking, the beginning section is called the "guaracha" with the improvisatory section called the "son-montuno." I will be listening back to the recording to map this out more fully and concretely. After our talk, he asked me to play a few songs on the piano. I played a few pieces and he told me that he really enjoyed them. I played: There is No Greater Love, I Can't Get Started, and Quizas, Quizas, Quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps). When I was finished, he instructed me to practice 1-2 hours a day (every day), dedicating the first half of the practice section to Hanon and Czerny exercises, which would allow me to play more complex and intricate improvisatory lines. He told me that if I do that, I could sound like Oscar Peterson. I really appreciated his advice and encouragement. I thanked him for his time and left his house to go to my next appointment, which was with Paquito Hechavarría.
To make a long story short, Paquito and I ended up at the University of Miami music building in a practice room with a baby grand yamaha piano. I set-up my audio recorder and we went to work. We started with an interview that lasted about 20-25 minutes and then went on to some piano playing. He also gave me a biography sheet that listed his accomplishments and the different bands that he has played with. We worked on some basic son montuno and tumbao patterns, played through a few pieces and talked some more. He played for me the classic and very popular tumbao that he played on Gloria Estefan's Conga song in the 1980's, and told me the story about how he did that recording as a studio session (meaning he got a one time payment for it). Now, he only gets small royalty checks, but nothing like he should be getting if he had made a different arrangement with the record company at the time of the recording. I played Quizas for him, and then asked if he could play me his version. He has great facility at the keyboard and has a very tasteful way of playing. He doesn't play too many nots, picks some great harmony, and has a unique sound (in my opinion). It's a shame that he is 73 years old and is not working that much in terms of performing or teaching. I was glad that I was able to meet with him, study with him, and help him along in terms of monetary and other factors. He's not the first musician I've met who is older and doesn't have it easy. I felt that he wanted to conclude the lesson, because he kept saying things like "Ok...so is that good? Is that it?". I took this for what it sounded like and thought he had had enough, so I concluded our lesson/interview at an hour. Originally (over the phone), I said that I would like to do at the most two hours. He thought we were going to do two hours and was surprised when we stopped at one. I told him that I would be happy to schedule another hour before I left to come back to Philly. I will hopefully be able to keep that promise.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with José Curbelo and Paquito Hechavarría. While I don't think I have as much tangible information for my research study as with the other people I have interviewed, I have definitely gained invaluable life lessons and information about the life and careers of two very underrated musicians of our time. What an honor to be able to interview and talk with these musicians who have made such a contribution to the music we listen to today. These are experiences that I am glad that I am able to experience when I am younger, because these musicians will not be around forever. Things never go the way you expect them to, I've definitely learned this lesson by now, but I am lucky for the fact that I was able to meet and spend some time with these musicians. Each one told me how honored they were that I wanted to interview them (and study with them) and that I was so interested in the older Cuban music. To know that I made two older gentleman feel honored that I wanted to talk with them, makes me know that I was successful, everything else is secondary.
Tomorrow, I do not have anything project-related scheduled. I have lunch plans with my cousin David and his wife Anne. I will probably confirm an interview I have scheduled for Friday. Also, since it is Thursday night, I will be hearing some sort of live music somewhere in Little Havana or elsewhere in Miami. Until tomorrow...
To make a long story short, Paquito and I ended up at the University of Miami music building in a practice room with a baby grand yamaha piano. I set-up my audio recorder and we went to work. We started with an interview that lasted about 20-25 minutes and then went on to some piano playing. He also gave me a biography sheet that listed his accomplishments and the different bands that he has played with. We worked on some basic son montuno and tumbao patterns, played through a few pieces and talked some more. He played for me the classic and very popular tumbao that he played on Gloria Estefan's Conga song in the 1980's, and told me the story about how he did that recording as a studio session (meaning he got a one time payment for it). Now, he only gets small royalty checks, but nothing like he should be getting if he had made a different arrangement with the record company at the time of the recording. I played Quizas for him, and then asked if he could play me his version. He has great facility at the keyboard and has a very tasteful way of playing. He doesn't play too many nots, picks some great harmony, and has a unique sound (in my opinion). It's a shame that he is 73 years old and is not working that much in terms of performing or teaching. I was glad that I was able to meet with him, study with him, and help him along in terms of monetary and other factors. He's not the first musician I've met who is older and doesn't have it easy. I felt that he wanted to conclude the lesson, because he kept saying things like "Ok...so is that good? Is that it?". I took this for what it sounded like and thought he had had enough, so I concluded our lesson/interview at an hour. Originally (over the phone), I said that I would like to do at the most two hours. He thought we were going to do two hours and was surprised when we stopped at one. I told him that I would be happy to schedule another hour before I left to come back to Philly. I will hopefully be able to keep that promise.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with José Curbelo and Paquito Hechavarría. While I don't think I have as much tangible information for my research study as with the other people I have interviewed, I have definitely gained invaluable life lessons and information about the life and careers of two very underrated musicians of our time. What an honor to be able to interview and talk with these musicians who have made such a contribution to the music we listen to today. These are experiences that I am glad that I am able to experience when I am younger, because these musicians will not be around forever. Things never go the way you expect them to, I've definitely learned this lesson by now, but I am lucky for the fact that I was able to meet and spend some time with these musicians. Each one told me how honored they were that I wanted to interview them (and study with them) and that I was so interested in the older Cuban music. To know that I made two older gentleman feel honored that I wanted to talk with them, makes me know that I was successful, everything else is secondary.
Tomorrow, I do not have anything project-related scheduled. I have lunch plans with my cousin David and his wife Anne. I will probably confirm an interview I have scheduled for Friday. Also, since it is Thursday night, I will be hearing some sort of live music somewhere in Little Havana or elsewhere in Miami. Until tomorrow...
Day 20-The Emergency Room & The Supposed Interview
By the title, I'm sure you are probably wondering what happened at the Emergency Room. Don't worry...Nothing happened to me. I took my friend Joel to the ER to have his ankle checked out because he sprained it on Tuesday playing basketball. Luckily, nothing was broken, and it was nothing more than a sprain and he just has to stay off it for a few days. I was rather impressed with the ER that we went to; we arrived at 1:30PM and were out of there in about 3 hours (give or take). Considering past experiences at the ER, this was incredible and more or less efficient. Before I took Joel to the ER, I had an interview scheduled with Trompetica, a very famous Cuban trumpet player living in Miami. We had the interview scheduled for 12PM (Noon) in Little Havana (at my translator's apartment). I arrived promptly at Noon, and ended up waiting until 1PM, making small talk with the translator, with no sign of Trompetica. We tried to call him every fifteen minutes and he never picked up or called us back. To date, we have not heard from him. It was very peculiar, but unfortunately things like this happen. Luckily I have plenty of other people to interview, but it would have been nice to at least have a phone call from Trompetica saying that he could not make it or something like that. Unfortunately, thats the way things go sometimes and as they say, you just have to "roll with the punches." I was able to finally set-up an interview and lesson with Paquito Hechavarría for Wednesday, which made my Wednesday very busy because I also had an interview with the 93-year old José Curbelo in the early afternoon. Take a look at Day 21's Blog to read about these two interviews!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Day 19-Powerpoint Presentation & Phone-calls
Today was pretty hot down here. I spent a good chunk of the day inside my hotel room working on a Powerpoint Presentation that needed to be submitted by tomorrow morning for the Diamond Research Scholars administrators. They requested that all of the scholars report on their research progress to date. I wrote an abstract for my project, wrote up some of the information that I have found and learned since I have been Miami, as well as some areas for further study while in Miami. I started this around 11:30AM and finished around 2:30PM or so, with a few short breaks in between. After finishing this, I decided to venture out to Little Havana and try and purchase some cigars and souvenirs. It was VERY hot walking around, and I only lasted about an hour, but was able to pick some DVD's of Cuban music and some postcards. I went into three Cigar shops and really didn't know what I was looking at. The shopkeepers explained the differences between the cigars, their origins, and what the best deal was. Who knew that cigars were so expensive? Single cigars range from $5-$20 and boxes look pretty expensive $80-$150 and beyond. I even saw "mini-cigars" that were infused with Rum. Quite honestly, every cigar shop I went into looked the same, carrying the same or very similar products. I will make a purchase before I leave to come back to Philly, but as of now I am just seeing what is out there. I will try and ask around and see if anyone down here can guide me and advise me on what Cigars to purchase.
After Little Havana, I got stuck in some lovely rush-hour traffic, and then came back to my hotel and made Dinner. Then, the rest of the evening consisted of phone-calls. I called a musician in Philadelphia to discuss an upcoming gig, and then received a phone call from my cousin David, who lives in Miami. It was nice to finally talk with him and his wife Anne, and we will be setting up a time to get together one day later this week. Also, I got a phone-call from Paquito Hechavarría, whom I have been trying to reach to interview and take a lesson with for several weeks now. He told me that he would have time tomorrow if it was convenient for me. Luckily, it is and we will be meeting at UM for a lesson/interview at some point in the later afternoon (3PM or so). I have an interview at Noon, and then I told Paquito that I would call him when that appointment concluded.
Overall, things are moving right along. Two interviews tomorrow, One on Wednesday, and possibly one or two more. I will definitely hit the beach at some point this week and finish up my research. 9 Days until Philly....I'm anxious to come back to Philly, but will surely enjoy the rest of my time in Miami as best as I can!
After Little Havana, I got stuck in some lovely rush-hour traffic, and then came back to my hotel and made Dinner. Then, the rest of the evening consisted of phone-calls. I called a musician in Philadelphia to discuss an upcoming gig, and then received a phone call from my cousin David, who lives in Miami. It was nice to finally talk with him and his wife Anne, and we will be setting up a time to get together one day later this week. Also, I got a phone-call from Paquito Hechavarría, whom I have been trying to reach to interview and take a lesson with for several weeks now. He told me that he would have time tomorrow if it was convenient for me. Luckily, it is and we will be meeting at UM for a lesson/interview at some point in the later afternoon (3PM or so). I have an interview at Noon, and then I told Paquito that I would call him when that appointment concluded.
Overall, things are moving right along. Two interviews tomorrow, One on Wednesday, and possibly one or two more. I will definitely hit the beach at some point this week and finish up my research. 9 Days until Philly....I'm anxious to come back to Philly, but will surely enjoy the rest of my time in Miami as best as I can!
Day 18-Day Off
Today involved sleeping, swimming, and relaxing. It was a much needed day of rest from my busy "antics" in Miami. This upcoming week I have two interviews schedule, a Powerpoint Presentation to submit, and some phone calls to make (in order to set-up more interviews). I'll also be spending some more time at the Cuban Heritage Collection and venturing to Florida International University to check out their Cuban Music Collection. Also, I'll be getting music together for a Cuban gig I will be doing when I come to Philadelphia. The gig will be on August 11th @ Chris' Jazz Café from 8PM-11PM.
Much more blogging to come this upcoming week!
Much more blogging to come this upcoming week!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Day 17-Cancelled Interview & South Beach
Today, I was supposed to interview a 100-year-old Cuban musician who lives in Miami. Unfortunately, I got a phone call early this morning that he has been in the Hospital for several days. I am hoping that he is alright and that we can reschedule for a time before I leave Miami. After this interview was cancelled, I decided to take the rest of the day off and relax. Well, I wouldn't say that I relaxed all day, but got some things done in the afternoon and then went out in the evening. This afternoon, I went to La Casa De Las Guyaberas in a remote part of Little Havana, and purchased a guyabera, which is a type of button-down shirt that Cubans wear in Cuba as well as in Miami. It is designed to keep Cubans cool during extremely hot temperatures. I wanted to purchase one as a souvenir, as wel as to possibly wear in the future when I play with my Cuban band. After this, I met my friend Joel for Cuban food at a restaurant right next to my hotel. We both attempted to speak spanish to the waiters, and they were patient, but still spoke in english when necessary. I could see that they respected that we were trying.
Afte dinner, we ventured into South Beach to Van Dyke's Café to hear the Cuban group Conjunto Progreso, whom I heard last Friday night at another venue. The band was quite good, and I ran into Jorge Gómez, who I had interviewed in Miami Beach yesterday. He introduced me to the older musician in the group, Rolando Perez, and I told Rolando about my project. He told me to come to their gig next Saturday night at another venue in Miami, and we could do an interview during one of the set breaks. At the moment, I plan on going to this gig, but on the off-chance that I am not able to make it, I have his number as well to call him to set-up a time other than during the gig. I will be interested to interview him if possible. Also, I finally was able to set-up an interview with Trompetica (trumpet player from the Afro-Cuban All Stars). We will be getting together on Monday morning with a translator that I found from the University of Miami. I am definitely looking forward to this interview.
Overall, today was fun and eventful, but not extremely busy. Honestly, I am beginning to get a little burned out and tired after being here for a few weeks. I am by no means "sick of" my research project or of Cuban music, I'm just a little exhausted from all of the leg work I have done to make contacts, go to concerts and schmoozing with musicians to ask them to participate in my study, and making so many phone calls to set-up interviews and get information. I have 3 interviews recorded right now, and I will be happy if I can leave Miami with 6 interviews (3 more). I don't think that this will be difficult, and I will more than likely have a few more than this, but I think that is a reachable goal given the timetable for the rest of my trip. I will be taking tomorrow (Sunday) off to relax, possibly go to Joel's and hang out at the pool, get some reading done, maybe even go to the beach. I will make one phone call on Sunday to set-up an interview with an older Cuban musician for this upcoming week, but that is the only piece of "work" I will be doing. I will begin again on Monday, hopefully feeling refreshed and ready to conquer this last full week in Miami. I plan on concluding my research (interviews, researching in libraries, etc.) at the end of next weekend, and take my last few days in Miami to relax and act like a mini-vacation (I definitely feel it is well-deserved after all of the work that I am doing down here).
I just realized that I should be working on a powerpoint project that is due on Tuesday (A "Work in Progress" research abstract, title, and information). I will work on this a little bit on Sunday, and finish it up on Monday. Goodnight....
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Day 16-Tropical Depression, Interview & "I Love Calle Ocho"
Today was definitely an interesting day. It started out by waking up to hearing about a Tropical Storm on the morning news. Of course, I had slept through the worst of the rain and wind, but the meteorologists still advised that people not go out unless they absolutely had to due to the high winds (40 mph) and possibility of severe rain and flooding. I had an appointment in Miami Beach at 1PM to interview Jorge Gómez from Tiempo Libre and I did not want to have to cancel because of bad weather. Right before I was about to leave, the skies opened up and the sun came out. Regardless of the weather report, I ventured out to the interview. Of course, it was VERY windy when I got to Miami Beach (being literally 500 feet from the beach), but there was little to no rain during the entire afternoon, and even if it did rain, it was all sun-showers. I arrived at Jorge's Condo, which was on one of the penthouse floors, and we spent two hours together. We started with the interview for the first hour and progressed to a Cuban a piano lesson for the second hour. His experiences and thoughts were very interesting, and one thing I will mention is that he suggested that I might talk to younger Cuban musicians who just came over to the US after having just gone through the Music Education system. He gave me the name and number of one of his bandmates (who is 21 years old and just came to the US). I won't go into any more detail about the interview, but will of course share the details when I am able to transcribe the interview off of the video and audio. One thing I will mention, is that he taught me the basic piano rhythms and parts for the Cha Cha, which was something I did not know how to play before. This was very exciting and I hope to adapt this to practical use in future performances when I return to Philly.
After leaving Jorge's, I went food shopping and then returned to my hotel to have something to eat and take care of a few things. In the evening, I decided to go to Little Havana to hear a Cuban band at Cuba Ocho, a Cuban bar and venue in the heart of Little Havana (I went to this same place last Saturday night and heard two fantastic and authentic bands). I arrived at 930PM, for a 10PM show, and they instructed me that the band probably wouldn't begin until 1030PM, so I decided to walk around a bit and see what other bands were performing closeby. After all, it was a Friday night. I walked by this venue/café by the name of I Love Calle Ocho and started talking with the host in front of the club (the person who's job it was to recruit people to come inside). He did not speak english, so we conversed in spanish for a few minutes. He was very patient with my spanish speaking skills, which started to become easier as our conversation went forward and I started to get "in the zone" (as the saying goes). He explained to me about the musicians that night, mainly Malena Burke, and older and well-known Cuban Bolero singer. The cover charge was a little expensive, $25, and I was not sure if I wanted to take the chance and pay the money not knowing too much about the band. While I was talking out front, the front door opened, and out comes Yoel Del Sol, a fantastic Cuban Percussionist whom I had the pleasure of meeting on Monday night at the Loews hotel and who I interviewed Thursday night. We were surprised to run into each other, talked for a moment, and he was the deciding factor for whether or not I was going to stay and here the band. I told the host that I would come for the show, and he took my name, reservation, and told me I had to go home and change (I had shorts an flip flops on, which hasn't been a problem so far in Miami for the night-life). He instructed me to change into pants and shoes. I had a little less than an hour till show time, so I got in my car, and went back to my hotel to change. I made it back with a few minutes to spare, went inside, ordered a Mango Juice (which was incredible), and waited for the show to begin. Cuban Time once again.....the show started at 1130PM (an hour after it was supposed to start). Once the show began, the trio (vocalist, percussionist, pianist) performed for three hours non-stop. At one point the vocalist pointed at me and asked (in spanish) if I was having a good time and if I understood spanish. It was difficult for me to understand what she was saying because of the sound system, but I was able to yell something back to her across the room saying that I was having a good time. She then told me (in english), that she would sing something to me that I would surely know. She began to sing Somewhere, Over the Rainbow in English to me in a rubato style with only piano accompaniment. I was beside myself, being serenaded by an older Cuban vocalist HAHA. She performed the song beautifully!!! Shortly after this song, someone in the room sent over a mojito to my table :) The performance ended at 2:30PM, and I spoke to a few of the audience members and musicians and then came back to the hotel. It was a long night, but I had A LOT of fun and had an incredible experience. One thing I have learned while being down here is that you NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN!!!
After leaving Jorge's, I went food shopping and then returned to my hotel to have something to eat and take care of a few things. In the evening, I decided to go to Little Havana to hear a Cuban band at Cuba Ocho, a Cuban bar and venue in the heart of Little Havana (I went to this same place last Saturday night and heard two fantastic and authentic bands). I arrived at 930PM, for a 10PM show, and they instructed me that the band probably wouldn't begin until 1030PM, so I decided to walk around a bit and see what other bands were performing closeby. After all, it was a Friday night. I walked by this venue/café by the name of I Love Calle Ocho and started talking with the host in front of the club (the person who's job it was to recruit people to come inside). He did not speak english, so we conversed in spanish for a few minutes. He was very patient with my spanish speaking skills, which started to become easier as our conversation went forward and I started to get "in the zone" (as the saying goes). He explained to me about the musicians that night, mainly Malena Burke, and older and well-known Cuban Bolero singer. The cover charge was a little expensive, $25, and I was not sure if I wanted to take the chance and pay the money not knowing too much about the band. While I was talking out front, the front door opened, and out comes Yoel Del Sol, a fantastic Cuban Percussionist whom I had the pleasure of meeting on Monday night at the Loews hotel and who I interviewed Thursday night. We were surprised to run into each other, talked for a moment, and he was the deciding factor for whether or not I was going to stay and here the band. I told the host that I would come for the show, and he took my name, reservation, and told me I had to go home and change (I had shorts an flip flops on, which hasn't been a problem so far in Miami for the night-life). He instructed me to change into pants and shoes. I had a little less than an hour till show time, so I got in my car, and went back to my hotel to change. I made it back with a few minutes to spare, went inside, ordered a Mango Juice (which was incredible), and waited for the show to begin. Cuban Time once again.....the show started at 1130PM (an hour after it was supposed to start). Once the show began, the trio (vocalist, percussionist, pianist) performed for three hours non-stop. At one point the vocalist pointed at me and asked (in spanish) if I was having a good time and if I understood spanish. It was difficult for me to understand what she was saying because of the sound system, but I was able to yell something back to her across the room saying that I was having a good time. She then told me (in english), that she would sing something to me that I would surely know. She began to sing Somewhere, Over the Rainbow in English to me in a rubato style with only piano accompaniment. I was beside myself, being serenaded by an older Cuban vocalist HAHA. She performed the song beautifully!!! Shortly after this song, someone in the room sent over a mojito to my table :) The performance ended at 2:30PM, and I spoke to a few of the audience members and musicians and then came back to the hotel. It was a long night, but I had A LOT of fun and had an incredible experience. One thing I have learned while being down here is that you NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN!!!
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