LJC Community Conversation: What’s Your Story?
LJC Community Conversations are designed to explore major ideas in the Latin Jazz world together as a community and inspire conversation through comments. My main motivator here is my belief that LJC readers hold a great deal of knowledge and passion around Latin Jazz, and I think that we can learn something from everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned Latin Jazz performer or a newcomer to the music, leave a comment and let your voice be heard!
Today’s conversation lets us get to know each other a little better . . .
Music enters our life at various points and always carries different reasons. Some people are raised around music – their parents may be musicians or they might carry a burning love for a musical style. Others discover music later in life. School music programs expose children to a wide variety of performance options and popular culture often serves as a major motivator. Some people become attracted to musicduring their childhood. Their spouse might be involved in music, or they might need the creative outlet provided by instrumental study. Once music takes over our lives though, we always remember the milestones that drive us deeper into our passion.
My background left me as an unlikely candidate to become a musician, and it created an even more unrealistic transition into a Latin Jazz fanatic. I grew up without a strong exposure to music; Christmas records and 1970s A&R radio constitute my strongest childhood musical memories. I took piano lessons at a young age, but dreaded each one. When I became a teenager, 1980s rock stole my mind and drove me to guitar lessons. Looking for other musicians, I joined my high school band; California tax cuts had ruined arts education, but we had a small program. I switched to bass and performed with the school’s jazz band, intrigued with improvisation and the higher level of musicianship. I still had a lot to learn, but it inspired me enough to stay with music.
I continued music in college, eventually finding my way into Cuban music. Guided by suggestions from teachers and peers, I became a huge fusion fan. Chick Corea and Weather Report captured the majority of my attention, and I found the Latin influence the most exciting. At that point, “Latin” songs were all the same to me; the only thing that defined them was the lack of a swing rhythm. When I attended a concert by the school’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, that generic impression of Latin music changed. I quickly signed up for a class on Cuban music, and then a class on Brazilian music. I studied bass tumbaos and samba rhythms in my private lessons, building the skills to play the music. Eventually, I joined the Latin Jazz Ensemble, playing a variety of classic charts from Poncho Sanchez, Tito Puente, and more. It left me with a deep love for Cuban music, one that would guide my life’s musical studies.
Years of learning lay ahead of me, but my experience in my college’s Latin Jazz Ensemble really changed my musical life. I became determined to learn everything about Cuban music that I could. I read Rebeca Mauleon’s Salsa Guidebook multiple times and regularly listened to a variety of specialty radio shows. I searched for recordings and I attended concerts. Eventually I went back to school in search of answers and learned a great deal about Latin Jazz and traditional Cuban music. After graduation I focused upon performing, joining every salsa and Latin Jazz group I could find. When I started teaching, I brought my love for Latin music into that context, sharing what I had learned. I saw the internet as a way to reach more people and looked to find a home for Latin Jazz. With every new step of my Latin Jazz journey, my appreciation and excitement for the music has grown, building into a major center of my life.
I’d be curious to hear how Latin Jazz entered your life . . .
We’ve all reached a common interest in Latin Jazz, but I’m sure that we all followed different paths to get there. Here’s a great opportunity for us to share our backgrounds and get to know each other a little better. LEAVE A COMMENT and let us know how you discovered Latin Jazz and what it has meant in your life. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone found Latin Jazz . . . fill us in – what’s your story?
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Do you have an idea for a future Community Conversation? As much as I enjoy exploring my own interests with this weekly post, I’d prefer to have this forum address the overall interests of the entire community. Do you have an issue that effects Latin Jazz? Do you have an idea for a fun topic? Let me know so that we can throw it out to the whole community – Leave a Comment or e-mail me.
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