A few of friends have taken vacations in Cuba recently, and they all report a lively musical culture there. Ry Cooder actually got into hot water with the State Department a few years ago for recording the legendary Buena Vista Social Club band there, so the easing of travel restrictions to Cuba have changed things considerably.
That there would be musical talent in Cuba shouldn’t be surprising – there are musically talented people everywhere. But because of the history between the US and Cuba. we are discovering each other on this social and artistic level all over again.
One of the things I heard is, because of the trade restrictions, Cubans have difficulty obtaining high quality instruments, but this doesn’t stop them from playing music that sounds really good.
I have long noticed that even cheap instruments sound much better in the hands of gifted musicians. I have some friends who delight in finding obscure cheap instruments whose look and sound appealed to them, and by God, they make them sound good!
Cubans don’t have much choice – once they get their hands on a playable instrument, they have to make do. Like any country with a depressed economy, they have endlessly clever ways to make do, so you might see a variety of imaginative fixes and modifications to instruments (and cars, too!) to squeeze more years of use out of them.
But for the most part, we do have a choice – our country has available a wide array of choices for affordable, decent-sounding, playable instruments. For those whose interest in playing music never gets beyond the casual stage, their needs are served very well by this availability. For those interest goes deeper, we can save our money and trade up to better quality instruments. For avid hobbyists, semi-professionals and professionals alike, we treasure those acquisitions.
For Cubans, by and large, those professional quality instruments are simply not in reach. From what I’ve heard, this is no deterrent – musicians keep on playing, on whatever they can get, and I am told it’s a joyous noise.
Two lessons emerge here – one, you don’t NEED great, expensive stuff to make great music. It’s proven all over the world, every single day. The second lesson – it’s a hugely worthwhile endeavor to try and make quality musical instruments available for musicians all over the world, every day. Our own CBA Darrell Johnston Instrument Lending Library is a great example.
