{"id":12303,"date":"2022-10-10T00:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T04:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazineampm.com\/?p=12303"},"modified":"2022-10-07T17:17:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T21:17:11","slug":"cesar-lopez-ensemble-de-sinceridad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazineampm.com\/en\/cesar-lopez-ensemble-de-sinceridad\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e9sar L\u00f3pez: sincerity ensemble"},"content":{"rendered":"

My absent-mindedness has played tricks on me again. I had been sitting on the curb for 30 minutes until I decided to go and wait for him somewhere else, almost certain that he would no longer come. C\u00e9sar L\u00f3pez calls me on the phone, thinking that I probably took the wrong street. Is right. He apologizes to me for the delay: he had an emergency with his pet and rushed out. For a long time I have been planning a meeting with him, one of the most prominent saxophonists in the Cuban music scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, his mastery as an interpreter was not what prompted me to contact him through a mutual friend. It was his testimony full of sincerity in a documentary about Irakere, a group of which he was a member for eight years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cesar is a jovial man. Without delaying a minute, he shows off his Camag\u00fcey origin. In the living room of his house, music, his birthplace and his sports passion gravitate in different expressions: allegorical paintings to Cuba and jazz, miniature saxophones, multiple Cubadisco awards, small clay jars and baseballs adorn the place. .<\/span><\/p>\n

We started talking casually. He lights a cigar and, immediately, like the fire that consumes his cigar, with different intensities, weaves together memories of his parents and the circumstances that allowed his birth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His tone of voice acquires a romantic nuance. Accurate descriptions make Caesar an excellent storyteller. As he recounts his life, he himself cannot avoid falling prey to emotions. It is contagious and touching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His mother, a recently graduated stomatologist, was sent in 1964 to work at the Jaron\u00fa sugar mill in the former province of Camag\u00fcey. Then to the Florida municipality in 1965, to found the first public dental clinic in the territory and end the entrusted service.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

"That's where he met my father. Son of landowners and grandson of a colonel of the Liberation Army: Manuel Rivero G\u00f3mez de Avellaneda, who fought under the orders of M\u00e1ximo G\u00f3mez\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He cannot avoid making a parenthesis about a relative that would make any Cuban proud: a great-grandfather from Mamb\u00ed, first cousin of the distinguished Cuban writer Gertrudis G\u00f3mez de Avellaneda.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents fortunately fell in love and, in 1966, they got married. My mother became pregnant and came to Havana to give birth. Although she and her family were from San Nicol\u00e1s de Bari, they had lived in the capital since the 1950s. So, due to a family whim, I was born in Havana. But, a month later, they took me back to Florida. I am completely from Camag\u00fcey\u201d. he proudly admits, acknowledging that he does not escape the vanity of having been born in one of the most important and defining provinces in the economic, cultural and sociopolitical history of Cuba.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before starting at the Vocational School of Art, C\u00e9sar intuitively felt a connection with music. A cousin, trombonist of the Camag\u00fcey symphony was the main influence to start his musical path.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"El

The boy Cesar Lopez. Photo: Courtesy of the interviewee.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI started singing and I had a teacher who belonged to a well-known trio from my town called Los Audaces. He gave me a lot of encouragement regarding music. A beautiful thing also happened, with which no one associates me. In 1980 the first children's troubadour festival was held in Tarar\u00e1. My start in music was as a troubadour\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the members of the jury in charge of defining the four winners of the event were Sara Gonz\u00e1lez and Noel Nicola. The boy from Florida was making his debut in the world of music. In the free category, he won the prize with a song by the Cienfuegos troubadour L\u00e1zaro Garc\u00eda (<\/span>has a wound<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The decision was made: C\u00e9sar would be a musician. But the inconveniences from then on would appear in his life as a circumstance that would always lead to transcendental moments for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the recently inaugurated "Luis Casas Romero" Vocational School of Art in Camag\u00fcey, C\u00e9sar passes the aptitude test without any setbacks. His guitar knowledge is decisive for this. Back in Florida, days later, a telegram arrives with the news: he had been chosen. Accompanied by his mother, he arrives at school and finds that his name is not on the guitar list, the instrument for which he auditioned. "I am a man with small fingers and it turns out that is why they did not allow me to study guitar, what i wanted. They were mistakes that were made. For me that is killing the illusion of a child. Although in another way, life was generous to me\u201d, says the now also pedagogue and music teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then C\u00e9sar is assigned another instrument: the saxophone. One of the people in charge of the aptitude test had observed in him ideal conditions. Juli\u00e1n Blanco was the name of the saxophone teacher who selected, without him knowing it at the time, the aspiring boy musician.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a fit and started telling my mom that I didn't want to study the saxophone. They sign me up and we go home, even with the idea that he only wanted a guitar. But my cousin, very far-sighted, insisted that I introduce myself and that is how I was awarded a scholarship to Camag\u00fcey\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At school he continues as a troubadour in parallel to his saxophone classes. Three months into the school year, C\u00e9sar begins to feel that he misses home too much. One night, he decides to elope and end the art school nightmare for good. On the 114, the bus in which he was traveling, arrives at the Camag\u00fcey railway terminal and <\/span>\u2014<\/span>with the ingenuity of someone who trusts everyone<\/span>\u2014<\/span>, asks a taxi driver to take him to Florida, where his parents would pay for the trip.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived with that man at my house around nine at night. The first thing my mother said was: `What happened?!' I started crying, saying I didn't want to be in school anymore."\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The parents did not blame the child for the fright, nor for the escape. C\u00e9sar thought, because of the calm that reigned in his home, that he would no longer go back to school. Even the taxi driver was invited to eat with them. But, almost immediately, they took him back to Camag\u00fcey.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy father did not have the level of education of my mother, but he was a very sensitive man. When we arrived at the school, the lady who took care of the children's shelter was on the verge of a fit, crying\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C\u00e9sar's father explained everything and promised to convince him during the weekend. Far from expecting some scolding, he began to be encouraged with the new instrument and to appreciate the place where he studied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cNow I think it's the most adorable school I've ever been to. I have done for her, but I feel that I need much more\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C\u00e9sar expresses himself moved. His voice changes tone, between the nostalgia of the child he was and the defining learning that would start his musical life, the feelings towards his mother school have become more intense. \u201cThis pisses me off. That way you will see me two or three times\u201d, he reaffirms with his tobacco in hand sitting in front of me and returns to the fray with more memories.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing was missing. Just to tell you that I premiered two Selmer Mark VII saxophones, which were among the most expensive in the world. At school I met one of the most beautiful souls I have ever met in my life: the teacher Mario Lombida\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He is already in the ninth grade and C\u00e9sar, together with one of his classmates, participates in the Amadeo Rold\u00e1n national contest, where all the elementary art schools in the country competed. The contest consisted of three eliminatory rounds. From the beginning of the competition, the two Camag\u00fceyans were prefigured as winners of the event.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe great competition was with my partner Quirino Guevara, a farmer from Vertientes. We were both on the same level on the saxophone, but he was a better human being. The competition was tight. During the break, one of the deliberating contest judges, a friend of my teacher, told him: <\/span>\u02bd<\/span>You have <\/span>fucked up<\/span><\/i> this here, because we don't know who we're going to give the first prize to<\/span>'<\/span>"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C\u00e9sar was the winner in the strong deliberation. Regarding the verdict in his favor, although today he remembers it with satisfaction, he feels that he is not interested in having won. The parity was more than defined and the affection for his friend has only increased over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI think that no great musician gets rid of the ego. You have to know how to control it so that it does not become sick. The influence of parents is very important to stop this in time. But no one can get on stage without a little ego, just the necessary dose "\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You have to light your tobacco again. "Remembering all this again is an injection of life for me," he confesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

He stayed in Camag\u00fcey to study intermediate saxophone, but one of his teachers, Jorge Luis Almeida, insisted on transferring him to the National School of Art in Havana (ENA). The distance helped the budding teenager become more independent. To feel that, from that moment on, the consequences of all the decisions he made were his sole responsibility. "I did about three doctorates and three master's degrees in fucking through the hostels I went through," he says with humor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Small in stature and quarrelsome by nature, C\u00e9sar formed part of his personality away from home, where spiritual and physical independence, as well as respect, were sometimes measured with fists first. \u201cI never liked to abuse. I couldn't tolerate it either. Of course, I was always giving leather. Maybe as a defense mechanism because of my size. Today, I meet several of my brothers from those years and we remember those times without any rancor.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C\u00e9sar turned 16 in Havana while he was studying at the ENA. The renowned jazz player Bobby Carcass\u00e9s, who liked to promote the careers of young musicians, met him then through a mutual friend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBobby invited me to his house and I started playing in his group. At that stage, students could not have professional contracts or charge for presentations. All of this was done hidden from the school.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

in 3rd. and D in El Vedado, Bobby Carcass\u00e9s founded a jazz club in which he was in charge of the programming. In this new space, C\u00e9sar L\u00f3pez has his first presentations as a jazz player. Since he couldn't get paid directly, the professional musicians collected a part of the money and gave it to him. With 80 pesos in his pocket, plus the allowance his family sent, and at only 16 years old, temptations began to appear for him. Although without major consequences, beyond some absences from classes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI graduated from the ENA and entered the Higher Institute of Art (ISA). But Bobby was on tour in Panama and applied for a permit so he could go with the group. In the first semester of ISA, things were not going very well for me. \u02bdC\u00e9sar con su 3', they told me, parodying the song <\/span>Quirino with his three<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A month out of Cuba. The first international experience dazzled him in many ways. However, he did not forget his classmates and, when he returned, he brought each of them a present from his trip. The reunions for C\u00e9sar work like a machine of emotions. He is a man who values friendship as a vital necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n

His second year at ISA looked like it was not going to have a happy ending. His grades were not the best and the instability in teaching, due to work with Bobby, threatened his permanence in school. \u201cMy teacher, Miguel Villafruela, the first Latino to graduate in saxophone at the Paris Conservatory, was very angry with me. . I went to the first semester exam without practically rehearsing and failed. It was the only time I failed."\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C\u00e9sar had to face an extraordinary test to continue on the course. This time he felt like he was on a forked road, where the option he chose would forever determine his career as a musician.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhile I was preparing for the exam, I was still playing with Bobby at the jazz club. One night, a man who loved me very much, an inveterate music lover with a lot of culture, called Carlos Bernard, who was a hydraulic engineer, came to the club and told me: \u02bdC\u00e9sar, I bring you a message from Chucho V\u00e1ldes'\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The young saxophonist was only 19 years old that December 1987 and the surprise message caused more than just skepticism in him. \u201cChucho is waiting for you tomorrow at La Tropical. They want to give you an exam to see if you fit into their gang.\u201d He thought that call was a joke. But the man's seriousness left no room for doubt. Under some pretext he said goodbye to Bobby. I had to rest. The next day would be the ultimate test of his career.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Irakere.

Iraqere. Photo: Courtesy of the interviewee.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI went to my aunt's house. He had to be at 10 in the morning at La Tropical, Irakere's rehearsal room. I got up at 7:30. I had breakfast and began to try a reed for the saxophone. I warmed up for almost an hour and went out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The efficient operation of transport in those years allowed it to arrive 10 minutes before the appointed time. He, who inexplicably has trouble managing time \u2014something that has improved thanks, above all, to his Japanese wife, who carries accuracy as part of her idiosyncrasy\u2014, was punctual that day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhen I arrived, Chucho was already there. I had put on my most decent clothes for the moment. I introduced myself and the impact was total. The difference of 1.93 meters against 1.68 was quite significant. That was incredible. Chucho asked me to play a bit of <\/span>stand-up<\/span><\/i>. Jazz songs with harmonic movements that are used to study the skill of the musician\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everything was going perfectly. to the second <\/span>stand-up<\/span><\/i> observe gestures between the musicians of Irakere and Chucho. Signs of approval. The young man thought that the die was cast and that his entry into the group was imminent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThen they did another test. The strongest one. Sight reading. I had to read a sheet music in an instant. They played me a fragment of a song called <\/span>Monkey<\/span><\/i>, which I later played several times. I think the stars were aligned. When they gave me that paper I thought: this is an abuse! Some time later I told him. Chucho told me that he had already decided for me. But that was to confirm his choice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The circumstance that made it easier for C\u00e9sar to half understand the challenge in the form of notes placed in front of him was a call from a journalist to talk to Chucho. Oscar Vald\u00e9s, singer and manager of the group, called the audience to explain that the group's repertoire was not only concert music, but also dance numbers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caesar would have another major test ahead of him. His predecessors in that position were none other than Paquito D'Rivera and Germ\u00e1n Velazco, two essential saxophonists in national musicography. But the decision had been made and from that moment on he was an official member of one of the most important groups in the history of Hispanic music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIraqere's performances at La Tropical and at carnivals throughout Cuba were something I really enjoyed. Imagine what it meant for me to go from being with the fellows on the scholarship listening to a Chick Corea cassette, to being with the Irakere playing close to Chick Corea at the world's great jazz festivals\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The passage through Irakere was for the young man a baggage of extraordinary emotional and musical experiences. The real university. However, his commitments to the band prevented him from continuing to study at ISA. <\/span>Which is paradoxical because, at present, works composed by him and postgraduate courses \u2014which he has designed\u2014 are taught at a university from which he did not graduate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThey have promised me that they are going to give me an honorary title. If they don't grant it to me, it doesn't matter, but I would like to and it would make me feel very proud\u201d, he affirms hurt by his incomplete transit through that study center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, C\u00e9sar became the youngest musician to make up the Irakere payroll: \u201cThe youngest musicians in the group inherited a great responsibility, due to the high level of those who had been part of Irakere. Since I joined the band, my relationship with Chucho was like that of father to son. I have many memories of that stage. Imagine being 19 years old and traveling around Europe in various jazz festivals and sharing with the greats\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n