JESUS ALEMAÑY: EXPANDING THE ¡CUBANISMO! GROOVE

Jesus Alemañy and ¡Cubanismo! hit the Bay Area after what seemed an all-too-long abscense. Alemañy, director, musician and arranger has continued to push the envelope of musical expectations with his band. This concert at the Fillmore in San Fransisco was no exception as the room fillled with bright bursts of sound from in son montuno and timba tunes. Alemañy is the man behind the infectious energy ¡Cubanimso! creates as they play. I waited for a break to speak with him.

Q: What is happening with the current personel changes and Cubanismo's sound and style?
JA: First of all, we’ve always tried to enhance and expand our repertoire, especially when it comes down to musical direction. This has been in my thoughts for some time now—to expand a little, aside from traditional music, to do a little more modern music. Try to always add a modern element, like an update to the music, modernize our music without affecting our line of work, without losing what has become the style we’ve tried to develop since the inception of the orchestra. And well, the consequence of this has been that we’ve had to make some changes. In some cases, due to personel problems, because people have gone in different directions, [due to] work and all of that, and in part because we’re trying to add more energy and above all to find elements in musicians who can give something to the music, or [better yet] that we may have the chance to expand or play or move to any style or new musical direction.

Q: Has the musical shift been evolving throughout this year and a half, or is it something that just came about during this tour?
JA: No, it’s been in the making. We’ve been coming to the U.S., in particular once or twice a year, always playing a lot of shows in many cities, playing lots of concerts. After a while it gets tough to play the same thing over and over. Now that Best of Cubanismo has been released with a few hits, we’re taking advantage of this and that’s why we’re mixing some of the old material and adding some new elements. The thought behind it is that we’re looking for the opportunity to return to the studio and record some of this material, that’s why we’re trying all of these things. I believe, God willing, after our next tour to Asia, we’ll be meeting to determine when we’ll be able to find some time to go to the studio. It’s a lot of work as well since we have so many tours planned out; it’s tough to find the time to go to the studio. And it’s very important right now. It’s been over a year and a half or two years since we last released anything new. I mean, with Best of Cubanismo there are two new songs originally written by Bob Marley, which was something new for us, something we hadn’t done before, something we had never recorded before. And, like that, we’re always trying to add something new so people are listening to novelties and they don’t get bored, naturally.

Q: You’re going to be here for a few more days in the U.S., and then there’s another tour to…
JA: Asia.

Q: For how long?
JA: We’ll be gone for two or three weeks, and we’ll be in Hong Kong, Singapore and a few other places.

Q: And then?
JA: After that we plan on going back to the studio. There’s like a gap, some time, and we plan to take advantage of that space to go to the studio, but there are some other things falling into place for the fall and winter. I mean, we have a lot of pressure doing our jobs, there’s no time to relax, and we don’t have the luxury of taking the time to forget about things or just get away from work. You’re always thinking about work, because normally you have to start planning six months to a year in advance, which is the most difficult thing to do, but, until now things have come out just fine, thank God. So we hope to be able to continue bringing our music so people can keep listening to the orchestra.

Q: When do you find the time to compose - - during the tours?
JA: No, it happens in different places. All you need is a little bit of solitude and tranquility. It’s hard to plan in one moment, to sit down and write ten or eleven songs. In the end, you almost always end up repeating a couple of ideas, so what we end up doing is preparing a few things in advance and that way we have the time to find a focus or style or sound in each of the songs on the album.

Q: Do you have any plans to return to Havana at the end of the year, for rehearsals maybe?
JA: Currently I spend a lot of time in Havana. We practice a lot. As you have seen, we have six new musicians who have only been with the orchestra for about a month and a half and we need to keep working together a little more, dedicate more time to rehearsals and to practice together to find greater quality in the music. And above all, we need more communication with more involvement among all of the musicians. However, I am very happy. I think the orchestra has been invigorated with a little bit of energy, especially in the rhythm section and with the singers. Now we have the chance to take some new directions—as much with the traditional music as with the more modern style.

Q: Are you working on a video of Cubanismo?
JA: That would be wonderful! There have been several proposals but nothing solid, mostly due to the lack of time. But I believe we should think about it a little more and try to put together some of the things that are history for Cubanismo. There have been a lot of good moments, and great musicians with this orchestra. With time, I think, history is being made. I think it would be great to record all of that, and have it stored so that, I don’t’ know, maybe in 30, 40 or 50 years from now you can look back and remember some of the things in the past.

Q: Are you working on anything else aside from the music and tours?
JA: Let me tell you, currently this is what takes up most of my time. I mean, working with the orchestra, the dedication to the music and the musicians of the orchestra, and especially, like I said earlier, the pressures of the job. There’s always somewhere new that wants us to play, or there is a new project. We’re also thinking, now that the New Orleans thing is out, and the Bob Marley songs are out, that we should try to take that road to mix in the music with music from other parts. You know, I’m not really the type who likes to talk about future plans; I’ve always left things settled. It’s not until you have things in hand that you should talk about them —[I’m] a little superstitious!

Q: But they’re just thoughts, things that can be planned for the future.
JA: I understand, I understand. I’m always thinking of new ideas, but it doesn’t always depend on you. If it were up to me, and only up to me, everything that I would ask for would be done and life would be much easier, because I would wake up the morning and say, "I want to do this", and I’d do it. And even though we believe that, we believe that this is how we want to do things and we do them, there’s always a long road ahead to achieving your goals. But anyway, till now, like I said before, thank God things have been working out, even better than we hoped for when we first started and with time, things are getting better, things keep coming to us - - and we’re enjoying it especially. Things are coming in a way that when you have the chance or the opportunity, you enjoy it. And that is very important.

I thanked Jesus as he left to warm up before going on stage. The entire concert was ear-catching and feet-tapping. wThe audience looked like an ocean of dance and music lovers as they moved to the vibrant sounds of Jesus Alemañy and ¡Cubaminso!. We look forward to their next visit.

To view a video clip of Jesus Alemañy, click the 'Refresh' or 'Reload' button of your Browser window.

Interview, photos and video ©2002 by Julia Sewell
Transcription and translation ©2002 by Wright Interpreting
All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission.

JESUS ALEMAÑY: EXPANDING THE ¡CUBANISMO! GROOVE

Jesus Alemañy and ¡Cubanismo! hit the Bay Area after what seemed an all-too-long abscense. Alemañy, director, musician and arranger has continued to push the envelope of musical expectations with his band. This concert at the Fillmore in San Fransisco was no exception as the room fillled with bright bursts of sound from in son montuno and timba tunes. Alemañy is the man behind the infectious energy ¡Cubanimso! creates as they play. I waited for a break to speak with him.

Q: What is happening with the current personel changes and Cubanismo's sound and style?
JA: First of all, we’ve always tried to enhance and expand our repertoire, especially when it comes down to musical direction. This has been in my thoughts for some time now—to expand a little, aside from traditional music, to do a little more modern music. Try to always add a modern element, like an update to the music, modernize our music without affecting our line of work, without losing what has become the style we’ve tried to develop since the inception of the orchestra. And well, the consequence of this has been that we’ve had to make some changes. In some cases, due to personel problems, because people have gone in different directions, [due to] work and all of that, and in part because we’re trying to add more energy and above all to find elements in musicians who can give something to the music, or [better yet] that we may have the chance to expand or play or move to any style or new musical direction.

Q: Has the musical shift been evolving throughout this year and a half, or is it something that just came about during this tour?
JA: No, it’s been in the making. We’ve been coming to the U.S., in particular once or twice a year, always playing a lot of shows in many cities, playing lots of concerts. After a while it gets tough to play the same thing over and over. Now that Best of Cubanismo has been released with a few hits, we’re taking advantage of this and that’s why we’re mixing some of the old material and adding some new elements. The thought behind it is that we’re looking for the opportunity to return to the studio and record some of this material, that’s why we’re trying all of these things. I believe, God willing, after our next tour to Asia, we’ll be meeting to determine when we’ll be able to find some time to go to the studio. It’s a lot of work as well since we have so many tours planned out; it’s tough to find the time to go to the studio. And it’s very important right now. It’s been over a year and a half or two years since we last released anything new. I mean, with Best of Cubanismo there are two new songs originally written by Bob Marley, which was something new for us, something we hadn’t done before, something we had never recorded before. And, like that, we’re always trying to add something new so people are listening to novelties and they don’t get bored, naturally.

Q: You’re going to be here for a few more days in the U.S., and then there’s another tour to…
JA: Asia.

Q: For how long?
JA: We’ll be gone for two or three weeks, and we’ll be in Hong Kong, Singapore and a few other places.

Q: And then?
JA: After that we plan on going back to the studio. There’s like a gap, some time, and we plan to take advantage of that space to go to the studio, but there are some other things falling into place for the fall and winter. I mean, we have a lot of pressure doing our jobs, there’s no time to relax, and we don’t have the luxury of taking the time to forget about things or just get away from work. You’re always thinking about work, because normally you have to start planning six months to a year in advance, which is the most difficult thing to do, but, until now things have come out just fine, thank God. So we hope to be able to continue bringing our music so people can keep listening to the orchestra.

Q: When do you find the time to compose - - during the tours?
JA: No, it happens in different places. All you need is a little bit of solitude and tranquility. It’s hard to plan in one moment, to sit down and write ten or eleven songs. In the end, you almost always end up repeating a couple of ideas, so what we end up doing is preparing a few things in advance and that way we have the time to find a focus or style or sound in each of the songs on the album.

Q: Do you have any plans to return to Havana at the end of the year, for rehearsals maybe?
JA: Currently I spend a lot of time in Havana. We practice a lot. As you have seen, we have six new musicians who have only been with the orchestra for about a month and a half and we need to keep working together a little more, dedicate more time to rehearsals and to practice together to find greater quality in the music. And above all, we need more communication with more involvement among all of the musicians. However, I am very happy. I think the orchestra has been invigorated with a little bit of energy, especially in the rhythm section and with the singers. Now we have the chance to take some new directions—as much with the traditional music as with the more modern style.

Q: Are you working on a video of Cubanismo?
JA: That would be wonderful! There have been several proposals but nothing solid, mostly due to the lack of time. But I believe we should think about it a little more and try to put together some of the things that are history for Cubanismo. There have been a lot of good moments, and great musicians with this orchestra. With time, I think, history is being made. I think it would be great to record all of that, and have it stored so that, I don’t’ know, maybe in 30, 40 or 50 years from now you can look back and remember some of the things in the past.

Q: Are you working on anything else aside from the music and tours?
JA: Let me tell you, currently this is what takes up most of my time. I mean, working with the orchestra, the dedication to the music and the musicians of the orchestra, and especially, like I said earlier, the pressures of the job. There’s always somewhere new that wants us to play, or there is a new project. We’re also thinking, now that the New Orleans thing is out, and the Bob Marley songs are out, that we should try to take that road to mix in the music with music from other parts. You know, I’m not really the type who likes to talk about future plans; I’ve always left things settled. It’s not until you have things in hand that you should talk about them —[I’m] a little superstitious!

Q: But they’re just thoughts, things that can be planned for the future.
JA: I understand, I understand. I’m always thinking of new ideas, but it doesn’t always depend on you. If it were up to me, and only up to me, everything that I would ask for would be done and life would be much easier, because I would wake up the morning and say, "I want to do this", and I’d do it. And even though we believe that, we believe that this is how we want to do things and we do them, there’s always a long road ahead to achieving your goals. But anyway, till now, like I said before, thank God things have been working out, even better than we hoped for when we first started and with time, things are getting better, things keep coming to us - - and we’re enjoying it especially. Things are coming in a way that when you have the chance or the opportunity, you enjoy it. And that is very important.

I thanked Jesus as he left to warm up before going on stage. The entire concert was ear-catching and feet-tapping. wThe audience looked like an ocean of dance and music lovers as they moved to the vibrant sounds of Jesus Alemañy and ¡Cubaminso!. We look forward to their next visit.

To view a video clip of Jesus Alemañy, click the 'Refresh' or 'Reload' button of your Browser window.

Interview, photos and video ©2002 by Julia Sewell
Transcription and translation ©2002 by Wright Interpreting
All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission.