馃敻Buenos d铆as Hivers... hoy vengo a compartir con ustedes un poco de lo que he ido aprendiendo en el camino de la m煤sica y el arte... espero les guste.
En mi ni帽ez con 5 o 6 a帽os pas茅 una vez con mi padre por un "Solar" en La Habana Vieja donde sonaban unos tambores y le ped铆 entrar. Para mi fue algo impactante ver como tocaban, cantaban y bailaban esa m煤sica contagiosa y sublime que me emocion贸 de una manera desconocida hasta el momento. Le pregunt茅 qu茅 era y me dijo -Eso es La Rumba Nen茅... te gusta?- yo lo mir茅, nos sonre铆mos... y el me dio un beso.
Ya con 24 o 25 a帽os al principio de los 90's mi amigo Luis Barberia (Habana Abierta) me llev贸 a una "descarga musical" en casa de Sergio, un core贸grafo Franc茅s amigo suyo que viv铆a en Cuba hac铆a unos cuantos a帽os y era amante del Jazz. Cuando llegamos me llam贸 la atenci贸n que no hab铆a ning煤n equipo de sonido, no vi guitarras ni tambores, ni ning煤n otro instrumento por ning煤n lado, extra帽ado le pregunt茅 al "Barbero" (como le decimos los amigos) y me dijo -Es que ellos van a tocar ahora- se帽al谩ndome hacia un rinc贸n en el que estaban sentados tres hombres vestidos de blanco de pies a cabeza (unos a帽os despu茅s tuve la oportunidad de conocer a dos de ellos, Giovani del Pino; Director de uno de los grupos Folkcl贸ricos m谩s reconocidos del pais y a Gregorio Hern谩ndez "El Goyo"; uno de los mayores exponentes y conocedores del folkclor afrocubano, ambos ya fallecidos... EPD y la luz sea con ellos).
A m铆 me pareci贸 muy raro, hasta ese momento yo no sab铆a quienes eran y no ten铆a la menor idea de lo que iba a pasar. Entraron a un cuarto, salieron con dos gavetas de escaparate vac铆as y pidieron dos cucharas. As铆 fu茅 como se hizo la m煤sica... empezaron a tocar y a cantar comunic谩ndose entre ellos con c贸digos propios a golpe de miradas, sonrisas, silencios, la m煤sica flu铆a limpia de sus bocas y manos de forma natural con total maestr铆a y sentimiento a la vez. Y me refiero a que; aunque tu no sepas lo que est谩 pasando se te aprieta el coraz贸n, se te salen las l谩grimas pa' fuera, te dan ganas de re铆r, de gritar, de llorar, de bailar, de cantar con ellos, de hacer los coros. El Barbero me dijo -Tranquilo Pi帽o, aprende y disfruta callao que aqu铆 no hay quien se tire- jajajjajajajaja y ten铆a raz贸n. Meterse sin saber era estorbar, lo que sal铆a de aquellas, gavetas, voces y cucharas, parec铆a una orquesta sinf贸nica.
Ese fue mi primer encuentro con una "Rumba e' caj贸n" de verdad, ejecutada por tres grandes maestros de nuestra m煤sica, portadores de primer orden de una tradici贸n ancestral que adoraron, promovieron y defendieron hasta el final de sus vidas. Ese d铆a se me qued贸 grabado para siempre en el coraz贸n y en la memoria y muchos a帽os despu茅s fue que pude entender la real magnitud del asunto, lo que representa para nuestra cultura ese hermoso complejo musical que es La Rumba con sus tres movimientos tradicionales: El Guaguanc贸, La Columbia y El Yamb煤.
En la mente de muchas personas que conozco, incluyendo desgraciadamente a algunos m煤sicos y cantautores, est谩 la rid铆cula idea de que La Rumba es un g茅nero menor... jajajajajajajajaja. Han tenido que pasar sucesos como el Grammy nortamericano otorgado al CD "La Rumba soy yo", producido magistralmente por la Sra Cari Diez y el maestro Joaqu铆n Betancourt, o recientemente el merecido reconocimiento como Patrimonio Intangible de la Humanidad; otorgado a LA RUMBA por la UNESCO. Pero na'... aqu铆 seguimos poni茅ndonos zancadillas y arrastrando aquella triste frase de "que nadie es profeta en su tierra" y con muy escasas excepciones entre nuestros "Productores", es muy penoso que siempre tenga que venir alguien "de afuera" a notar donde est谩 lo aut贸ctono, lo que vale, lo que tiene calidad, lo que nos va a sobrevivir en el tiempo.
Deber铆a darles verg眉enza a los decisores en las disqueras, la radio y la TV que dan prioridad a lo que est谩 de moda (en la mayor铆a de los casos, tonter铆as y frivolidades) y lo peor es que su "gesti贸n" no est谩 ni por asomo guiada precisamente a promover el arte y mucho menos nuestra cultura.
Quiero dedicarle este Post como tributo y sincero agradecimiento, a todos Los Rumberos de Talla y de Fama (los que bailan, cantan y tocan), los que convirtieron este arte en un estilo de vida, a los que he tenido la suerte de conocer y disfrutar muchas veces en directo, de los que he escuchado minuciosamente sus legendarias grabaciones y a los olvidados, aquellos que no salieron del "solar" por falta de suerte o pretensi贸n personal y vivir谩n por siempre en la memoria de todos los que valoramos y disfrutamos de su arte. No voy a mencionar nombres ni grupos porque son muchos, del pasado y del presente, y no quiero ser injusto por omisi贸n con algunos de esos gigantes de nuestra cultura.
ASHEEEE PA' LA RUMBA...
G脺IROOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Sin m谩s, a ustedes queridos Hivers muchas gracias por su tiempo de lectura, espero les halla gustado y podamos encontrarnos muy pronto en una nueva publicaci贸n... Les mando un saludo cari帽oso y muchas bendiciones desde La Habana!!!
馃敻Good morning Hivers... today I come to share with you a little of what I have been learning in the way of music and art... I hope you like it.
In my childhood when I was 5 or 6 years old I once passed with my father by a "Solar " in Old Havana where some drums were playing and I asked him to enter. For me it was something shocking to see how they played, sang and danced that contagious and sublime music that moved me in a way unknown until then. I asked him what it was and he told me -That's La Rumba Nen茅... do you like it?- I looked at him, we smiled at each other... and he gave me a kiss.
When I was 24 or 25 years old in the early 90's my friend Luis Barberia (Habana Abierta) took me to a "musical download" at Sergio's house, a French choreographer friend of his who had been living in Cuba for a few years and was a Jazz lover. When we arrived I noticed that there was no sound equipment, I did not see any guitars or drums, or any other instrument anywhere, surprised I asked the "Barbero" (as we friends call him) and he told me -They are going to play now- pointing me to a corner where three men were sitting dressed in white from head to toe (some years later I had the opportunity to meet two of them, Giovani del Pino, director of one of the Folk groups in Cuba); Director of one of the most recognized Folkloric groups in the country and Gregorio Hernandez "El Goyo"; one of the greatest exponents and connoisseurs of Afro-Cuban folkloric music, both now deceased. .. EPD and the light be with them).
It seemed very strange to me, until that moment I didn't know who they were and I didn't have the slightest idea of what was going to happen. They went into a room, came out with two empty display cases and asked for two spoons. That's how the music was made... they began to play and sing communicating with each other with their own codes through looks, smiles, silences, the music flowed cleanly from their mouths and hands in a natural way with total mastery and feeling at the same time. And I mean that; even if you don't know what is happening, your heart is squeezed, your tears come out, you feel like laughing, shouting, crying, dancing, singing with them, doing the chorus. El Barbero told me -Tranquilo Pi帽o, learn and enjoy quietly that here there is no one to jump- jajajajajajajajajajajaja and he was right. Getting in without knowing was getting in the way, what came out of those drawers, voices and spoons, looked like a symphony orchestra.
That was my first encounter with a real "Rumba e' caj贸n", performed by three great masters of our music, first class bearers of an ancestral tradition that they adored, promoted and defended until the end of their lives. That day was engraved forever in my heart and memory and many years later I was able to understand the real magnitude of the matter, what represents for our culture that beautiful musical complex that is the Rumba with its three traditional movements: The Guaguanc贸, The Columbia and The Yamb煤.
In the minds of many people I know, including unfortunately some musicians and songwriters, there is the ridiculous idea that La Rumba is a minor genre... hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Events like the North American Grammy awarded to the CD "La Rumba soy yo", masterfully produced by Ms. Cari Diez and maestro Joaqu铆n Betancourt, or recently the well-deserved recognition as Intangible Heritage of Humanity; awarded to LA RUMBA by UNESCO, have had to happen. But na'... here we continue to trip ourselves up and dragging that sad phrase of "nobody is a prophet in his own land " and with very few exceptions among our "Producers", it is very painful that someone "from outside " always has to come to notice where is the autochthonous, what is worth, what has quality, what is going to survive us in time.
Shame on the decision makers in the record companies, radio and TV that give priority to what is in fashion (in most cases, nonsense and frivolities) and the worst thing is that their "management " is not even remotely guided precisely to promote art and much less our culture.
I want to dedicate this Post as a tribute and sincere thanks, to all Los Rumberos de Talla y de Fama (those who dance, sing and play), those who turned this art into a way of life, those who I have been lucky enough to meet and enjoy many times live, those whose legendary recordings I have listened to in detail, and the forgotten ones, those who did not leave the "solar " for lack of luck or personal pretension and will live forever in the memory of all of us who value and enjoy their art. I am not going to mention names or groups because there are many, past and present, and I do not want to be unfair by omission with some of these giants of our culture.
ASHEEEE PA' LA RUMBA
G脺IROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Without further ado, to you dear Hivers thank you very much for your time of reading, I hope you liked it and we can meet very soon in a new publication .... I send you a warm greeting and many blessings from Havana!!!!
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
