Havana Fairfax Connection 0097

RHYTHMS FOR A NEW MILLENIUM - In Burlington, Vermont 2009, I was invited to the First Jazz Lab as part of the Educational Event hosted by the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. It was at the Burlington City Arts Headquarters, where I hosted my first Power Point about Cuban Drummers with the help of Eric Ford, who worked for the BCA at the time, under the title of WHAT DO ALL THESE GUYS HAVE IN COMMON ? Three years later, in Havana, in 2012, drummer Ruy López-Nussa took me to Nacho Vázquez's house to check out Rodney Barreto and Oliver Valdés CD DVD Drums Habana, that had just been released under Bis Music label.
Nacho is a friendly quintessential man; journalist, photographer, producer, translator, and HE was glad that I had visited. When HE put on the DVD and I saw these two wonderful young cats playing 9 tracks, mostly originals plus a version of Havona by bassist Jaco Pastorius, arranged by pianist Tony Rodríguez, I thought I was going to host a whole TV show with DRUMS HAVANA, and that was at MMCTV Channel 15 in Richmond. It was a success, and several Vermont musicians asked me who were those two kids that I had on that episode. They were Rodney Barreto and Oliver Valdés sided by Two Dream Bands! Since then, I thought I needed other highly visible artists to get this project going. I had read in magazines and listened to many musicians saying that CUBA is the mecca of hand-drumming, but it was Peruvian-American drums master ALEX ACUÑA's album Acuarela de Tambores (Watercolors of Drums, Tonga Productions, 2000), who began icing the cake, and now again. Although I did not host any of the acts on Acuarela de Tambores on this TV episode, they have been on my radio shows since 1989.
FROM ACUÑA's ACUARELA: Giovanni, Michito and Conte - In 1990, I saw Giovanni Hidalgo and Airto Moreira with Dizzy Gillespie leading The United Nations Orchestra at the Havana International Jazz Plaza Festival. In 1993, I saw Michito Sánchez and Kevin Ricard at the National Theater in Havana, thanks to a visit of Peruvian-American Salsa and Soul Queen Cecilia Noël and her band the Wild Clams. That wonderful night Michito and Kevin joined forces with Tata Güines and Tris Imboden. Tris was Cecilia's partner at the time, and also the drummer of Chicago, and HE played two electrifying solos on his drums. There were also musicians of Tower of Power and Irakere on stage. Michito and Luis Conte have also recorded and played live with Síntesis AfroCuban Rock Group in their albums Ancestors in Los Angeles.
INSPIRING THOUGHTS MY WAY: I should mention that 5 musicians in particular were very important to this episode: Calixto Oviedo, Ruy López-Nussa, Oscar Valdés II, Haruhiko Kono, and Horacio "El Negro" Hernández. Before this adventure, we hosted 2 DVDs featuring Enrique Pla. For this reason HE is not on this one. PLA is also on episode 26 with singer Argelia Fragoso. If you like this DRUMMERS VOLUME ONE, check out some other HFC episodes. They all radiate rhythm! Peace Is All We Need.

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