- Jazz Off Your Chest.
HAVANA BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN WHICH HAS OFFICIALLY CELEBRATED THE INTERNATIONAL jazz DAY SINCE ITS CREATION IN 2012, WITH A CONCERT THAT WAS BEAMED OVER 190 COUNTRIES ALL AROUND THE GLOBE
Jazz. As simple as it gets, or not? Because for those free music tunes in way deep down inside, talking about jazz is a well-rooted passion, almost a call for war. In Cuba we’ve always known all along that the creative sap that oozes out of this land had whipped into shape more than just one way of dealing with music from around the globe. And we all know all along that the paths of blues and jazz in the U.S. are closely knit to the national identity of the American people. However, although the ties were a fact and amid the mutual influences, it was the last week of April 2017 the date handpicked to mark a turning point in this story.
In Cuba, in Havana, the International Day of Jazz was held for the first time with an unprecedented foreign turnout. Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding, among others, took center stage across Cuba to bring their undeniable knowhow to the island nation, an experience conquered with tempo and beats.
Meanwhile, top performers from the largest Caribbean island also shone through with such boldface names as Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bobby Carcasés, Roberto Fonseca, Orlando Valle "Maraca", Jorge Reyes, Carlos Miyares, Rameses Rodríguez, William Roblejo and a whole troupe of major local artists that whooped it up in what panned out to be the first weeklong event entirely devoted to jazz worldwide.
The echoes of their music still blare out and the aftertaste of this musical feast still remains, a banquet in which art was the universal language, a language without borders. In this regard, the Excelencias magazine shares some exclusive views.
"This is a celebration of top-quality music that motivates, which develops and makes people better in the most diverse ways. People become more organized, more careful and sensitive, making it possible to give a wonderful contribution to peace on the planet, to the end of intolerance. Because music has a power that many politicians do not recognize, but here in Cuba itself people do see it that way. In the rest of the world, it’s so very hard to find other governments that actually invest in arts as a profession. And there are three essential things in life that if ended, would do away with the Earth: water, air and music. Cuba and its music are a passion for me.” Ivan Lins, one of Brazil’s most famous pianists and songwriters.
"Many believe that Cuba is open to the world now, but it's just the opposite, as this concert has shown: the world is now open to Cuba. The fact that this event was held here is very nice and brings more media hype on Cuban musicians and the great talent and artistic level on the island, which makes me feel even prouder for being Cuban.” Roberto Fonseca, Cuban pianist and leader of the Temperamento band.
"In the United States always we had a feeling of very strong musical connection with Cuba. Since I began studying and playing jazz, I was in contact with Afro-Cuban jazz, which it’s so important to the history of the genre. I was also mindful of Dizzy Gillespie’s ties with Cuban artists and musicians who all worked hard and went the extra mile to visit us and play for us. Therefore, I always lived up the feeling of having to listen to what was being done in Cuba, which is amazing. I knew it would happen one day and it finally happened. I spent time and performed with Cuban musicians and it turned out to be the way I thought it’d be, the way I’d been told: pure passion. In the world many people work with music, however, they do not connect with it from their hearts. Cubans cannot play without a heart; therefore this has been quite an incredible experience.
"There’ll be no doubt more sessions to come. It was difficult in the past, but now the doors are open on both sides. Personally I’d love to do more collaboration with Cuban artists. I am sure that all of us who came will do something marked by this influence. I'll wait, let everyone do their thing and next year I’ll go out and bang! I’ll surely come up with something new, something different." Marcus Miller, an American musician recognized as a pioneer of modern bass, super influential and musically prolific, named Artist for Peace by UNESCO.
"What has happened here is something very special, perhaps the most important thing of the past 40 or 50 years with regard to jazz. It is a tremendous exchange between all musicians not only from Cuba and the United States, but from the world. It has been historic. I'm very excited." Chucho Valdés, artistic co-director of the event, universal Cuban pianist, composer and arranger, winner of various Grammy awards.
Read all the interviews on www.caribbeannewsdigital.com
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