Tropicana Internacional No. 16-2004 I learned on my way with Sur Caribe By: Luis Ríos Vega Photos: Juan G. Cuadras.

To portrait life through the music has been the task of Ricardo Leyva (Santiago de Cuba 1959). His parents wanted him to become a doctor but he felt a certain inclination towards music and since he was a child he felt the present of it in festivals that tattooed in his mind a big part of the repertoire from Santiago. He was influenced by the music from the Hot Land (Santiago) because his grandfather was cousin of the Hierrezuelo and an aunt was the founder of the Chorus “Madrigalista”

But life goes on and without forgetting the music he studied naval electricity. In 1977, once he graduated, he had the change of being part of the Navy and took advantage of this opportunity to be also part of the musical band of that Institution.

He began his studies with Norman Milanés – a musician of category who knew how to guide him and latter on he started a four-course of piano at the school Ignacio Cervantes. He chose piano because he always thought that it was an important tool to connect harmonies and that was conclusive to start putting ideas and dreams into practice.

I was decided to become a professional musician and in my first years of technical and musical studies in the capital I was in group of amateurs called Blanco Directo from the Sugar Ministry. I had the chance of working in the cultural house of Regla as a singer and pianist and participating in the different contests for amateurs. When I returned to Santiago , at the end of my studies, I formed a Group called Rubley-Son.

This group was one of Leyva´s first steps experimenting new things because a year latter the group was dissolved and he started in Conjunto Nuevo Cubanero. Latter, as an alternative, he was invited to be the Director of Renovación Santiago, a musical band that would definitively turn into Sur Caribe.

After much work, I was given the category of Director as an exceptional case that is given to musicians with exceptional conditions in terms of quality and outcomes. That was at the beginning when he formed Sur Caribe. Of course, I started to change in concept and give it another musical format to the band and compositions.

That is how I began to develop as a professional. The first Band gave me training because I was a pianist of Conjunto Nuevo Cubanero. I learned to lead my knowledge, to put them into practice with the help of the musicians from than band which I really appreciate. I got to Sur Caribe thanks to Francisco Miyares and Francisco D´Roman (tresero of the Group).

When Ricardo leyva starts his work as a Director it represented a very important moment in the music of Santiago de Cuba with the popularity of Karachi, Son 14, the Orquesta de Chepin (Chepin´s Orchestra) and some others.

I had little experience at that time, wren, in Santiago, all these excellent musicians had the boom in dancing music. I had to make come changes in the band, I had to look for know musicians who gave me what I was looking for to give the band another format, not to compete with the rest of the Bands but to be known to let them feel that that what we were doing was not the same it was being promoting.

Those were years of hard work for Leyva because in the new Band not everyone understood the new proposal but those who stayed were aware that the evolution was necessary.

There were moments that I thought to quit the band because I had no experience in this musical and personal confrontation. The changes were made by stages, no traumatic. I started the change but I kept the Tres and the drum trying to get a contemporary sound. There were many stages, many rehearsals to get a proper sound; but at last we achieved what we were looking for Sur Caribe.

With Eulises Benavides, and exceptional trombone player, current trombone player of Orquesta de Reve, we worked hard on that instrument in a very special way , very specific way, to express ourselves with him in a unique way and a clever accent, with a difficult range of instrument and take all these to the spirit of the Band.

Generally, the idea came out in the way the mambo was played that became an important part in the stamp of Sur caribe, although our band has a peculiar stamp in its base and voices. So, the new Sur Caribe provided something different.

The compositions are quite important for Sur Caribe such as the songs that have been popularised.

I’m a composer, I write songs, son, guarachas… I do not think everything I do is perfect. This is a very difficult art and we have to be patient and not follow the waves or commercial fashion of a recording house. One must try to get close to what he wants without affecting quality.

I don´t know how many song I have griten since the beginning. I don´t have the count, I just wrote and kept on mind what I did. One of the first things I learned was to write melodies. I mastered very well the tone levels. I always had a small notebook at hand and wherever something came to my mind I wrote it down. I also wrote the lyrics and started to create a stamp writing for Sur Caribe. I have also written music and Albums for other Groups from a Mexican Recording House, G+ PRODUCCIONES, FONOVISA. The albums and songs are there which I have made with a lot of respect trying the reflex people on them.

Most of the songs of Sur Caribe are Leyva’s songs.

Yes, although most of them are mine, I have songs from Cándido Fabré, Adalberto Álvarez, cesar Pedroso, Manolito Simoné. Unfortunately, the only one who has given me a recorded cassette with his own voice was Juan Formell and unfornately I lost it. Of course, these musicians have a lot of work to do and this could be why it is difficult for them to give away some of their songs which has happened to me when I have asked for songs and I hadn´t had time to write them. I have also written songs to some authors, known and unknown, and this has to do with the strategy of incorporating authors whose work is similar, in quality and tone, to the Band.

In the 17 years of Sur Caribe, Leyva always wanted to share his work with musicians he respects and loves for their quality.

Now, we can do what we always wanted to do: to invite very well known musicians who have followed our work one way or the other such as, Pedro Calvo, Jenny, Jorge Leliebre, Robertón, Angel Bonne and Candyman. This is the emotional and artistic part of the provided to the CD.

The CD has 12 songs and it is dedicated with lots of love to Santiago de Cuba. It has the heat and magic of its streets, the energy, tender and hospitality of its people; the people who give the best of them every day. It is made to enter in any house with no offensive lyrics to anyone. It deals with every day stuff, dreams, worries, love and disaffection, victories and defeats. That is what the CD deals about.

This second CD of Sur caribe , caminando (Walking) has as colophon these ideas of Ricardo Leyva.

I thank all my musicians and invited people as well as my essential Agent Sergio Hernández who plays a very important role in this project, the designers of the front page which is excellent and has a lot to do with the content of the CD, the EGREM from the capital and Siboney Studios from Santiago de Cuba.

We just have to say if there a “musical train” from Havana; there is another one from Santiago that came to stay: Sur Caribe.

CD CAMINANDO CON SUR CARIBE

CD CAMINANDO CON SUR CARIBE (WALKING WITH SUR CARIBE)

It is hard to make Son without repetition in this moment if you take into account that there are so many musicians doing this. When we face the new format of Sur Caribe, not chronologically but stylistically, we can say that Ricardo Leyva the Director of Sur Caribe puts into practice quite well what he has learnt.

The first song he shows us is a Merengue that is sang in the streets of Cuba showing the connection between the audience and the social lyrics of Caminando (Walking) which is the tattle of the CD. The Cumbia Son “Ponte, que te toca ahora”(Get ready, it´s your turn) shows the approximation to Latin-American tones taken to the base of Son, letting percussion to play the main role in a coherent way.

With the Bachata Son “Y si miro al mar” (If I look at the Sea), we will understand there is no Bachata without a musical reference of Bolero which is a different sound in the thematic unit of the CD. The necessary musical and technical resources allow to make fusions (“Como un Son (Like a Son) and “El Caramelo” (The Candy)) as part of the CD getting closer to the different types of consumers of our music. This is how they inserted the rapper Candyman with some chorus of Jenny Valdés, singer of Van Van in “El Caramelo” , which is a song to hear in the world of fusions with rap. Leyva establishes Candyman´s Son patterns adapting the limitless improvisation in order not to be dissonant.

This new batch of Sur Caribe has at the end the Son “El fenómeno”, “De los Dientes para Fuera”, y “Oh, la Barbería”. In this last song we have the participation of Pedrito Calvo and Robertón together with Ricardo Leyva who give it, with his ideas, a especial stamp.

In this CD a guaguancó emerges (“Tu Negro está Sufriendo) with the interpretation of Angelito Bonne.

The Conga Son plays a especial role in this production with “S.O.S. Lluvia” (S.O.S. The Rain)and “La Pelota de la Suerte” (The Lucky Ball). These songs show a contemporary accent with all the atmosphere from the street of Santiago, the Conga de los Hoyos, its color, smell and flavour which show the variety and quality of the universal repertoire the dancers received, in a CD like Caminando (Walking). This CD applies very well the chiaroscuro of the musical notes and silence which is sometimes dramatic and shows that in this phonographic record there is a music that can not be forgotten.