While at the Cuban Music Awards at Floridita,
I was privileged attend a joint interview session
along with three other journalists upstairs in
a Meza back room with Yoruba Andabo, the grammy-award-winning
sensation that had just left the crowds shaken
and more than a little stirred with their soaring
live performance.
The
room was tightly packed with friends, PR people,
managing agents and fans – thankfully a
few of them bilingual, like their lawyer, who
kindly translated for me – who were supporting
them in this, their first European tour.
Personally,
I was really impressed with the group’s
soulful solidarity, as despite their evident exhaustion
and the fact that only a few of the 17-member
group were actively addressing the questions asked
of them because of the language barrier, they
all waited patiently and alertly throughout the
interview, seemingly eager to convey their agreement
in spirit if not in words.
Keeping
the faith
Mattias
Giovanni del Pino Rodriguez, Yoruba Andabo’s
70-something singer and general director, acted
as spokesperson for the group, explaining in his
richly timbred voice the raison d’etre for
their music: “We are making music and performing
all over the world to keep our Yoruban culture and
traditions alive. This is why we are called ‘Yoruba
Andabo’ – because ‘andabo’
means friend in the Yoruban language, and we are
the friends and followers of the Yoruban religion.
It is very simple.
Our
ancestors were labourers that first came to Cuba
from Africa, from Nigeria, and all they had to
take with them was their religion and their music
– everything else they had to leave behind.
We are still playing the same music; it has stayed
the same since that time. It is all orishas [prayers
to the Yoruban deities].”
When asked whether the Yoruban religion is the
same thing as Santeria in Cuba, he said, “Yes,
it is the same thing. We mix with the creole of
Cuba – it is a mixture with Catholic religion,
because we had to cover our practices of worshipping
our gods with the saints of the Catholic religion,
because our religion was suppressed. So, Changuo
became St Barbara, Babalu became St Lazarus, and
Yemaya became the Virgin of Regla.”
Considering the Yoruban slaves of Nigeria were
first brought to Cuban in the 16th century, this
is quite a long time to strive to keep a faith
and a musical tradition alive, but this is in
fact what Yoruba Andabo are all about: being able
to worship their gods in their traditional way,
and keep their sense of Yoruban identity intact.
Although they are currently performing to international
acclaim since winning their Latin grammy in 2001
(for ‘Best Folkloric Music’) and being
chosen to represent the best of Cuban musical
talent on this tour, their real sense of success
is in their ability to share their passionate
spiritual devotion to their gods, not only by
performing but also by teaching others their traditions
(they regularly host workshops and seminars in
Cuba on folkloric percussion, dance and chanting).
Keeping
it fresh
When asked to describe their music, Matthias continued,
“Our music is more religious, not like [profane]
rumba, which is more Spanish. The last song we
played tonight was like a choir, saying to the
people, ‘hands up for the young people –
if you don’t know how to dance, move your
feet!’ Our music has evolved from the time
we first began playing in Havana, in the name
of Compania Folklórica Yoruba Andabo. We
have been performing for 20 years, though we change
the members to bring fresh blood into the group.
We have usually 13, 14 players; now there is Ronald
[Gonzalez], who is a very good singer, he composes
many of the songs himself. Also there is Regla
Monet, a very good singer. With her on the stage
we have also two other female dancers [Zulema
Hardy and Jennyselt Calvo], also Pedro [Dubois],
Ramses [Hechevarria] and Héctor [Abreu]
are the male dancers.
“We have won one grammy award already and
we have been nominated again – we will find
out on the 2nd of November if we have won. We
have also been nominated for awards of the Spanish
Academy, in the ‘folkloric’ category.”
The band’s manager, Maria Ulloa, explained
that the band would also be performing for a special
charity dinner at Floridita in two nights’
time. The purpose of this charity event would
be to raise money for people in Cuba and to create
music schools; on offer for £90 was a dinner
with stage performances from Yoruba Andabo and
others, plus a half bottle of wine and welcome
drink.
So far, the group has travelled to the US, Canada,
Mexico, Colombia and Spain, where they have returned
several times over many years, but this trip to
Europe (this tour of the Cuban Music Awards was
arranged to appear in five main European locations
– London, Madrid, Cyprus, Moscow and Dublin)
was because they had been previous grammy winners
and were therefore deemed a signal showpiece of
Cuban music.
“So where do they play when in Cuba?”
I asked. Ms Ulloa said they play in the basement
of the national theatre in Havana, as well as
De Lidio Habanera, Cabaret Las Vegas and Cabaret
Nacional.
Mr
Giovanni having finished saying his piece, the
interview proper was over – but the spirit
of these generous, lively performers lingered
on.
To hear Yoruba Andabo’s music, check out
their most recent recording, ‘Rumba en la
Habana con Yoruba Andabo’ (Universal Music
Latino, 2005) or the newly released ‘Best
of the Cuban Music Awards’ compilation CD,
available online.
©
Jane Cahane, November 2006, www.salsaeditorial.com
