CANADIAN SONGS, CUBAN BEATS
Trumpet player talks about traditional sounds and life as a musician
For the third year in a row, Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre is presenting a concert by Club Habana. The Vancouverbased ensemble is made up of Latin American- Canadian musicians led by trumpet player Miguelito Valdes.
To mark Canada’s 150th anniversary, the concert features new and classic Canadian compositions. Along with the Cameron Wilson String Quartet, Club Habana will perform Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, k. d. lang’s Constant Craving, and Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom, among others. Postmedia News talked to the Victoria- based ( and former Vancouverite) Valdes about the event. Q Can you tell us a little about what Club Habana will bring to some of these songs?
A We’re going to give a Latin flavour to some Canadian composers. We’re doing Hallelujah as a cha- cha- cha. K. d. lang’s Constant Craving is going to be like a salsa. Q And you’re doing a Gordon Lightfoot song ( Early Morning Rain)?
A That one’s a little tricky. We’re going to try to do that one a caballero, “like a horse.” Q You came to Canada in 2006, but still go back to Cuba. What’s the music scene like there?
A It’s been changing. There’s a lot of reggaeton, which is a techno music kind of thing. It’s easy to do. Anyone can make a song with just a computer in front of them. But ( traditional Cuban music) is coming back. There are a lot of new generation bands playing the real Latin music, the real Cuban music. It’s not lost. Q So would you classify your music as traditional?
A Yes. And we try to keep it simple. The tendency was to call it “timba,” which was a style that was more mixed with funk and jazz. What we’re doing in this concert is traditional, but also with some flavour of jazz. We try to be tasteful. We don’t want anything too dark or crazy. Q How would you compare a musician’s life in Cuba to a musician’s life in Canada?
A A musician’s life in Cuba is probably pretty lucky. If the musician is pretty good, he can make a good living. Of course, with some limitations. I don’t want to go into politics. But you can make good money compared to a doctor or an engineer. In Canada, so many people ask me, “What is your job?” I say, “I play music.” “No no no, your real job.” Sometimes in Canada, people don’t believe it’s a real job. Q You’re collaborating on this show with composer Cameron Wilson. How did you meet him?
A We did so many gigs together. In Vancouver, I got the chance to play all kinds of music. I did mariachi, Celtic music mixed with Latin. Cameron was one of those guys I met. He can improvise, he can play jazz, Celtic, all kinds of music. So I asked him to put the string quartet together. Q And there’s a new drummer you’re playing with for this show, is that right?
A Yes. We’re bringing in Calixto Oiedo ( drums) from L. A. He’s a legend. He’s been playing with so many people in so many cities. We worked together with the Afro- Cuban All- Stars ( a Cuban band that formed in 1996) also. We travelled all over the world. We’ve been friends since. CLUB HABANA CELEBRATES CANADA’S 150+ When: Friday at 8 p. m. Where: Vancouver Playhouse Tickets and info: from $ 32, at brownpapertickets. com, Highlife Records, Honey’s Doughnuts