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.