[Dixielandjazz] Interesting (and long) article about the possible Cuban influence on early Jazz

Fri Oct 28 16:31:37 EDT 2016

Robert and all -

The California Repercussions ( a large marching band that plays jazz, rock,
and some novelty songs ) was formed in the late 1980s and has travelled to
many parts of the world to perform at festivals, huge parades, and even
just "on the streets or plazas" for random audiences. Our trips are usually
mostly self-supported, more like fun vacation tours with instruments than a
working series of gigs.

  In the early 2000s we started the paperwork process to play in Cuba but
the State Department kept blocking our applications. The Cuban ministry of
culture and music really wanted us to come. We had all
performance, lodging, transportation, even eating details arranged well in
advance - with only a minimal and totally refundable  "down-payment" to
hold our booking until the US government approved our trip. The way the US
set the rules we could have no "Supernumeraries" - everyone on the trip
would have to be a performer or staff, but we always take spouses and even
children with us on our tours. Eventually the Obama State Department
approved the trip (with a relaxation of the "performers only" rule) and in
2014 we finalized the trip. As it turned out, we went to Cuba just days
after the President announced the changes in relationships with Cuba, so by
chance we became the first US music group to perform there while the
excitement in that country was so high (lots of newspaper and TV news
coverage!)

Getting a 50+ member marching band through the charter flight from Florida
was tricky - the airlines had very strict weight limits and high "over
weight/over size" baggage fees were incurred. When we finally arrived we
were told not to take pictures of the airport (military security, I guess)
and getting everybody through customs and such took quite a while. The
Cuban economy, such as it is, has a double money system - the general
population is paid in Pesos but foreigners (tourists or those there on
business) use "Cucs" which are pegged to the US Dollar. A peso is worth
about 10 cents or less, but workers in tourist industries have to pay a fee
to convert any Cucs they get to pesos. Anyway, a can of beer was usually
one Cuc, a bottle of very good rum usually cost 4 to 8 Cucs. A simple lunch
of chicken and rice at a peso restaurant costs less than a peso, but the
best food (other than at the international level hotels) is available at
the many semi-privately owned  *paladares (*home restaurants) that are very
popular because the chef-owners control the food quality, staff, and menu.
One family member has to live in the house full time, but the rest of the
building is kitchen and tables. We ate about half of our lunches and
dinners at *paladares - *usually seafood and pork were the featured items.
Musicians usually came by to perform for tips and CD sales, many different
styles of music and usually very good!

Our scheduled performances were all "Cultural Exchanges" - we would meet
and listen to local municipal bands, school or college groups, a few
professional international touring jazz musicians or dance ensembles, and
then do our show. We were very well received - especially by the high
school age music students because of our current  Pop Songs in our set
list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIXXCvNXSMU   We always did some
songs that the young Cuban musicians could join in on solos - sometimes
this led to 14 or more choruses!

Our only "minders" were the two guides on our busses. I don't think they
had ever experienced a group like us before (we have been to 16 other
countries including the then failing USSR) and we had a lot of questions.
Also staying in our hotel was a group of reporters and staff of The Nation
magazine - they had more political questions, I suppose. We were often met
at our performances by high ranking members of the Ministry of Culture and
Music, but eventually they let us loose to play when and where we wanted.
The weather had turned a bit cold and rainy so we didn't do too much of
that. This video was taken at a popular park and ice cream parlor a few
blocks from our hotel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyaklFPZq0Y

Overall, it was an interesting trip, glad we finally got to go! Cuba will
certainly be changing a lot as more US money flows in - they certainly need
the boost. There are a lot of ruined buildings, abandoned factories and
sports facilities, much of Havana is a real mess (and we saw it all as we
toured.) Musically, it was a good exchange - maybe the only sour note was
the flashy tourist show at the Hotel National - don't waste your time or
money...

Dave Richoux

On Friday, October 28, 2016, Robert Ringwald <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote:

> Dave wrote:
>
> Saw this on Red Hot Jazz:
> Here's an item for those interested in Jazz History
>
> *Where Did Jazz Really Come From?  How Did It First Hit New York?*
>          The story of jazz is littered with scraps of information
> neglected by historians dedicated to a narrative restricted by their
> adherence to definitions of jazz that originated in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
> But what was the truth of  what happened as America was entering World War
> I. Whose story can we believe?
> One of these stories is told in*:  **“Walter Kingsley and the Cuban Tinge
> - Ill-considered Trifles” by Daniel Hardie **-  *read at
> http://darnhard.blogspot.com.au
>
> When my big band played in Havana and the surrounding area in Feb., 2015
>
>
> Hey David, didn’t know you played in Cuba. Tell us about it. How long were
> you there? How many concerts?
>
> How were you treated?
>
> Were you guided to what the government wanted you to see:
>
> -Bob Ringwald
>
> we were entertained during one lunch by a local professional 6 piece Jazz
> band (playing mostly early New Orleans standards very well with just a hint
> of Cuban flavor.) After the performance I asked the tuba player about the
> history of early jazz in Cuba - my Spanish is not great and he only had a
> little English - most of what I got from him is confirmed by parts of the
> above article. Also, the series of books by Ned Sublette on the music and
> culture of the Caribbean get deep into this history.
>
> Anyway, it is more fuel for the fire in the endless discussion of the true
> roots of Jazz!
>
> Dave Richoux
>
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