Son Cuba Live At Coco68
Michael Cesarczyk
Havana, Brooklyn
By now it shouldn’t be surprising to find great Cuban music in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Neighboring Williamsburg’s transformation into an alternative pop mecca has led to an enormous influx of musicians of every genre. Some of it had to spill over. Son Cuba, however, is quite different from the hipster-saturated Billyburg scene. The trio, having just finished a month-long stint at Coco68, plays traditional Cuban music and original songs in Spanish. Moreover, their level of musicianship is incredibly high, even by professional standards, and serves as an example of why Cuba holds a very special place in the hierarchy of world music.
The group’s sound, while pure and folksy, can perhaps be best described as intensely playful, a characteristic already evident in their name: “Son Cuba†is a double entendre. Translated into English, it means “They are Cubaâ€. It also refers to son, a traditional rural style that is the essence of all Cuban music.
During their last performance at Coco68, Son Cuba put their unique stamp on a number of traditional songs. Among the highlights was a mischievously subtle version of “Guantanamera” filled with teasing time-shifts and delightful lyrical improvisations. The latter was particularly revelatory, bringing badly needed spontaneity to a classic that has been butchered by countless unskilled singers. Many of the songs Son Cuba chose to play were written by Miguel Matamoros, a supremely gifted Cuban singer-songwriter from the 1930′s. Some of these included a buoyant performance of “El Fiel Enamorado” (The Loyal Lover) with a brilliant chorus that defied gravity. Another was “Mama, Son de la Loma” (Mama, They are from the Hill) featured a call and response so visceral one could swear one was in a smoky prewar Havana nightclub.
Son Cuba is even entertaining on a visual level. All three musicians seem to literally dance with their instruments like some surreal ballet. Drummer Alex Garcia has an infectious smile and every so often breaks into ecstatic laughter when the band hits a fine stride.
Cuban-born and bred frontwoman and troubadour Isa Alfonso plays acoustic guitar and employs a soothing, distinctive voice honed by years as a solo artist, member of the all-woman group “She Said”, and back-up vocalist for artists such as Cuban folk-rocker Roberto Poveda. She also shows considerable skill as a songwriter, matching sophisticated tunes with intelligent and introspective lyrics. And wouldn’t you know it? The bespectacled, raven-haired beauty moonlights as a professor of Spanish literature at St. Joseph’s College.
Alfonso is backed by the glove-tight rhythm section of Garcia and Ariel de la Portilla, both New York-based jazz virtuosos with eclectic resumes and Cuban roots. Garcia comes from Latin American musical royalty. Born in Chile to award-winning composer Fernando Garcia Arancibia and choreographer Hilda Riveros, he moved with his family to Peru at the age of 7. Six years later, they moved to Cuba, where Garcia went to music school, eventually studying drum-set with Enrique Pla, the legendary drummer from Grammy-winning Cuban band, Irakere. After playing and recording with a wide spectrum of artists throughout Latin America and Europe, he moved to New York where he founded Afromantra, a highly acclaimed and innovative Latin jazz ensemble. His drumming is extraordinarily supple, precise, and bursting with ideas. Never letting himself get carried away with his own technical abilities, Garcia instead constantly demonstrates good taste and a matchless instinct for traditional Cuban rhythms.
De la Portilla, the bassist, is Cuban-born and Miami-raised. His musical identity is no less multi-faceted than those of Alfonso and Garcia. Having grown up surrounded by Cuban, Brazilian, and American music in Little Havana, de la Portilla went on to study classical bass and jazz at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and later at the University of Miami. Since arriving in New York, he has become a popular and respected fixture on both the jazz and Latin jazz scenes. He is currently a member of the Ze Luis Quartet, Lengua Moderna (a conceptual guitar trio) and Afromantra. Both de la Portilla and Garcia are also members of Brooklyn-based progressive rock band Sineparade. De la Portilla’s bass playing is gorgeously melodic and as solid as steel. His nimble, super-concentrated solos look effortless, but sound volcanic.
Luckily, one won’t have to wait long or go far to hear Son Cuba in the near future. The group is currently recording an album that is sure to capture the energy and freshness of their live shows. But Brooklynites of any neighborhood should hope for any upcoming gigs.
You can listen to Isa Alfonso here: