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...