During the 25 years he was the main percussionist of Irakere, Valdés managed to
fuse the music of concert -utilizing the instruments afrocuban based on the
blues and the jazz- and
the sonorous expressions that are employed in the religious festivals of
Mariano.
With that group, they caused you revolve international by diverse
countries and in 1979 started the
Grammy to United States, country that a years later returned to nominate to
Irakere for the obtaining of said musical recognition.
In 1995, Valdés took the
decision to be separated of
the group, but five years later reappears with a new orchestra: Diákara, Jazz
Afrocubano, with the one that in September will be presented in the
International Festival of France and
later, in October, will perform the cultural tour «By Breaking the Coconut» in
New York, Chicago and other cities, you invited by U.S. universities, to finish
in Puerto Rico.
To Oscar Valdés pleases it to be in its study and, while converted, to
maintain its hands on the bongós, this practice the preserve because of that
way says that it is able palpate the instruments to extract them the best note:
it had had a quite extensive work with Irakere it explains- and already it there
was certain exhaustion so much physicist as mental.
Wanted to have a little tranquility. Besides, I proposed myself to do a work
with my children, that are also musicians. Thus is that I was four years giving
classes and shops of percussions, some in France and England.
Until nine months ago I managed to organize to Diákara with very young
musicians. "It agreed me to do the group with them because thus I can
explore a form of work in which they manage to understand my style. This it has
given me good results.
Last year we travel al festival of jazz in France and we have presented
ourselves in various clubs specialized.
In spite of the fact that in Cuba we have all those elements of the culture
afrocubana in our hands, I am able to say that I was the first musician that did
a rescue of the folk roots afrocuban to put them in the hands of the
contemporary music".
In encyclopedias of music, appears Irakere as one of the groups that did a
great one contribute al jazz.
Valdés says that that contribution went the form to touch the jazz with the
utilization of the diverse types of drums: beat, abacoa, chequeré, instruments
that are utilized in the rituals afrocubanos. It adds that, in its work of
composition, it does not apply to the music the instruments but does music for
them, only thus has achieved a good fusion of two
expressions.
What generally it is done -continues- is that to the music it is put the
instrument. The composer produces specific music and says: "we Are going to
put him this".
But it is more difficult to put before to a specific music, whose concepts
are based on the rhythms afrocubanos, the instruments, that to do music based on
rhythms or songs afrocubanos.
"To achieve this, the jazz is the most adequate kind because is bases on
improvisation. If we put fear them afrocubanos and that harmony to the
instruments is carried, likewise the improvisation based on those rhythms can be
done and fear.
The problem is to know those forms or melodies that are practically
unexplored. I began to hear everything that had to see with this music, created
does 40 or 60 years behind, and I nourished myself of investigations and of the
recordings of that epoch.
There I understood that that would be able to be utilized". Valdés aims
that it rescued the music based on the bases of the religion afrocubana putting
it al service of the contemporary music.
Of that mixture was born, first, the work that presented Irakere, in which
Jesus Valdés did its jazz and, he, its folk work inside that kind.
Now, the percussionist takes up again that style with their new group Diákara
and puts it available to the talent of the nine young musicians that accompany
it and that does not surpass the 20 years of age. -At this time -affirms- in
Cuba we have many youths with some incredible musical conditions, due to the
base of the public education established. It is very difficult to be found a
musician that remain in a medium level, all yearn for to
arrive al upper level.
With these characteristics there is an endless number of students with the
ones that various groups can be done, as Diákara. We have engraved already two
disks, the second, Oscar Valdés and their group Diákara, has just to leave and
itWe are promoting, therefore contains new compositions and is in living. "But,
it combined to this there is a reality: we do not have large spaces to touch
jazz.
Here in havana only The Jazz Coffee exists and The Zorra and the Raven, those
places have been opened especially for this kind of the music. I understand that
if there is not more is because the Cubans do not demand the existence of this
kind; to who more is exposed is the tourists, since only al two or three percent
of the population pleases it to listen jazz".
To counteract this situation, Valdés express that at least once al month
organize free concerts of afrojazz for the population in a stadium of beisbol
that there is in the neighborhood of Marinao, but that those presentations have
them to do with jazz dance number music or with African songs, that is what more
pleases to the Cubans.
Otherwise, if they offer the jazz of concert, perhaps to three or five please
them, but the remainder fades.
Featuring
- Jazz
- Latin Jazz
- Afro Cuban sounds
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Oscar Valdes II |
