By Dave Veitch -- Calgary Sun. JAM! Monday, June 26, 2000
CALGARY - The Buena Vista Social Club has belatedly exposed traditional Cuban music and its long-neglected stars to worldwide audiences.
But in Cuba, many young people aren't grooving to the old-time music of Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo or Omara Portuondo. Hip-hop is da bomb there as it is here.
"Honestly, we think we represent -- and are -- the new generation of Cuban music," guitarist Roldan boldly declares about his group Orishas, which plays the Palace tomorrow as part of Jazz Festival 2000.
The four singularly named Havana musicians, all of whom now reside in Paris, have united past and present on their phenomenal debut CD, A Lo Cubano. It filters hip-hop and funk stylings through son, rumba and guaguanco rhythms, all performed with live percussion.
This Afro-Cuban hip-hop melange is infectious and celebratory, even if you don't understand their lyrics, rapped in Spanish and French.
Band founder Livan came to Paris "to open new doors and -- why hide it? -- he wanted to make money. He decided, for him professionally, it was more convenient and a little easier to build his career (in Paris) than it was in Cuba," Roldan says through an interpreter.
Livan paired with French rap composer-producer Niko. They recruited three other Havana musicians living in Paris: Roldan, the veteran of many traditional Cuban music bands, and rappers Russo and Yotuel.
European record-buyers have been won over by these Cuban expatriates. A Lo Cubano has gone gold in Spain and is taking off in France and Italy. Strangely, the record has yet to be released in Cuba -- although Roldan stressed it has not been banned.
"Basically, we wrote this album for Cuba," he points out. "It's based on each of our realities that we grew up with. But we don't have songs that are too profoundly critical. We don't want to destroy. We want to make constructive criticisms.
"It's different for us," he continues.
"I spent 24, 25 years in Cuba. I'm 29 now. As a result of growing up there and spending a few years here in Paris, I guess we're a little more balanced politically. Our objective is not to criticize politically -- in fact, I'm not very political at all. And if I could take politics out of
people's heads, I would."
That doesn't mean Roldan doesn't have strong opinions about the culture of violence that surrounds much of U.S. hip-hop.
"It's the worst that can happen, especially in this beautiful medium of music," he says.
"An artist can motivate and improve and energize their audience. For me, it's a very dirty thing that people choose to push violence or drugs.
"I don't want to name any names, but there are obviously a ton of groups that I know in France and even in the U.S. who grew up in a very bourgeois, very wealthy environment and then they go on inventing negative stereotypes and pretending they're bad boys.... What we're talking about is
our natural story."
And, in its own way, Orishas is passing the musical traditions of its homeland to a new generation of Cubans. Roldan, for one, isn't surprised interest in Cuban music -- whether it's the smouldering boleros of Ferrer or the contemporary sounds of Orishas -- is sweeping the globe. The time is
right for Cuba.
"For 40 years, we've been hidden in the corner, isolated politically but also musically because of the U.S. embargo," he says.
"Now, in the last few years, international relations have been a lot better, especially with European countries. As a result, you have more labels, managers and producers going to Cuba working with artists.
"On the Cuban side, it's been a lot easier for us to leave and travel and tour. Before you had to wait for papers for three months and your contracts would come up and go.
"But now it's our turn for the little guy, the Cubans, to take the place we deserve."
Copyright © 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. |