Like many American children, many of my initial cultural experiences were mediated by Walt Disney. I’m thinking specifically of the film, The Three Caballeros, which I have always loved for its music and animation/live action sequences. Only later did I learn it was part of the studio’s almost-propagandistic effort to participate in the US government’s Good Neighboor policy of the time. Anyway, as a kid, my favorite part was the Bahia sequence where Donald Duck and José Carioca meet Aurora Miranda and sing an infectious samba about who has the best cookies. I was reminded about my love for that song, “Os Quindins de Yayá,” when it popped up again in the middle of Strictly Ballroom last night (Yes, I was watching that movie. As well as three or four others in an orgy of Christmas relaxation).
So, now I’m on a binge to learn more about the history of “Os Quindins de Yayá”: who originally composed it, and what Latin- and South- American artists have performed it over the years. Bring in the ethnomusicologists! Teh internets are revealing very little. Disney has never released a soundtrack for the movie. On the Strictly Ballroom soundtrack, the credited artist is Stanley Black. It also seems that Roberto Inglez (a Scotsman posing as a Latin American bandleader so that he could ride the Latin dance music craze of the 40s) also covered the tune. iTunes shows that Cuban songwriter Bola de Nieve has contributed a more rubato rendition. And in my favorite recent post, a passionate fan loved the music so much that he ripped it from the Disney VHS and posted for all to download and enjoy. So, the mystery of composer/original artist remains unsolved until I can talk to an expert. In the meantime, here is the original clip from the movie. Rock on!
Hello Sylvia and readers of Onda Carolina.I wanted to take the time to respond to your post publicly: as it stands, our local Latin music community is still small enough that there needn’t be an unapproachable distance between the artist, the critic, the listener.
I definitely encourage more discussion like this amongst local dancers and aficianados.The last thing I would want to see is an attitude of “Wow, the Triangle is so blessed to have a big salsa orchestra, so we best not criticize it, lest its success be diminished.”Hardly.Y’all are allowed to hold us up to your high standards, that’s how we grow and improve.
If you’ll remember the discussion from a previous post, I mentioned GarDel’s struggles of entertainer vs. artist, dance band vs. listening band, and cover band vs. original material, and how those dualities complicate our decision making process.If our catalog has recently become slightly homogenized, it is because we weren’t looking carefully at the band’s presentation at that level.Andy and I have spent the last few rehearsals guiding the band through a series of exercises that help the members listen to each other more, towards a better rhythmic concept for the rhythm section and a conscious focus on dynamics and articulations for the horns.These incremental improvements may not be readily apparent to an audience, especially for a band that rehearses and plays out only so often, but it is the essence of ensemble playing.Diversifying the musical library is one of the next tasks Andy and I will fold into the mix.Even then, we will learn the lesson of “you can’t satisfy everyone” (even amongst band members).Which artists should we focus on?What about this album?Should GarDel ever play merengue and cumbia or should it remain a “pure” salsa band?And so on.
Looking back on 2008, I think GarDel has entered its early adolescence and 2009 will see the band mature into a “grownup band.”Andy and I have a dream for the band that sees it becoming its own master, defining a sound that places it beyond “cover band/dance band/local all-star jam session” and into a realm of mostly original material, inspired by the bands roots as a “salsa dura” ensemble, but influenced by our diverse cultural backgrounds and eclectic taste in music.The current roadblock?A lyricist!But that is for another post.
Hey all, great news! The Grammy nominations were announced about an hour ago and Zenph Studios is involved! As a present for being such a gracious emcee at the Art Tatum Shrine Auditorium concert in 2007, we let Gordon Goodwin create a big band arrangement around one of our Art Tatum re-performances. As you may know, Gordon is a very talended composer and big band arranger on the West Coast. He leads Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, and their latest album, Act Your Age, just now got nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. My hearty congratulations go to Gordon and his super-talented group of musicians.
Well, it just so happens that Gordon put his Tatum piece on this album: he chose to create a playful orchestration around Tatum’s “Yesterdays.” Think about that for a second: in 2008 a big band recorded with Art Tatum as the guest artist! This is the wonder and creative potential of re-performance. I am very pleased to announce that the Goodwin/Zenph/Tatum track “Yesterdays” has been nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement. This is a huge milestone for music industry awareness/acceptance of this groundbreaking technology. My hope is that in a few years time we will see some Zenph albums get their own Grammy nominations (if only because Steve Epstein is such a great producer).
I see you there: scanning your Google Reader instead of doing your work. Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Instead, I will offer you some interesting arts-related tidbits to round out your selection of smarmy political commentary and funny animal videos.
One thing that has been on my mind lately is community. I’ve been reflecting on how grateful I am for the communities around me (via some essays for a workshop application) and the fascinating ways in which they intersect. Salsa dancers and journalists, undergraduate music majors, bloggers, community activists, jazz elders, marketers, neighborhood associations, theater employees, rich entertainment clients, local politicians: I affect and am affected by my participation in all of these and more. I am only a moderate Facebook-user, and I am new to Twitter. At that reasonable level of non-addiction it is easy to see how these technologies really do help connect busy people to each others’ happenings, even if is only by a thin, virtual fishing line.
On a different topic, I recently reconnected with my good friend Yuri, who talked about self-publishing, pedagogy and education in the “real world” (outside of the university system) and the specific desire to start a blog/internet resource for more advanced, but ever-exploring jazz pianists along the lines of NewMusicBox. If I were to find time to be a member of the writing team, one of my first posts would most certainly be about injury-preventive technique. I’ve managed to avoid back and wrist pain in my playing for quite some time, but with some increased stress they have returned. The prerogative is to recognize the whole-body athleticism of piano playing and develop a pre-cognitive body awareness that allows you to naturally support your body and use your muscles without undue wear-and-tear. The result can be liberating. Though I am early on my journey here, I can recommend two great resources:
2. this person: Barbara Lister-Sink. Only an hour from where I live resides a super-friendly piano health guru, with a great DVD and training curriculum to boot. I saw her give a workshop and I’ll certainly be back for more.
The purpose of these techniques isn’t just to prevent injury, but rather to liberate the body so that a deeper musician expression might be executed, unencumbered by any form of resistance, physical, mental, or otherwise.
One last note before I head off to rehearsal: I am still in love with “Vento Em Madeira” by Lea Freire. Soundtrack of my life!
