Son de la loma: The Music Gods sing in Santiago,
a book written by Reinaldo Cedeño Pineda
and Michel Damián Suárez

Versión en Español AQUI

Report and interview by
Translation to English by

The book, Son de la loma: Los Dioses de la música cantan en Santiago, is a brilliant and innovative work of art about traditional Cuban music and the musicians who have interpreted it through the years in the eastern part of Cuba.

The creator of this book, Licenciado Reinaldo Cedeño Pineda (born in Santiago de Cuba in 1968), is a journalist and poet and the co-author of the book is also a journalist, Licenciado Michel Damián Suárez, who is currently living in Spain.

The lengthy process of writing this book finally ended in 2001 when it was published by Mercie Ediciones - Andante, Editora Musical de Cuba.

This talented, creative and handsome young man, continues writing poems, articles, reports, interviews and more books at a fast pace. In addition to that, he also gives lectures and participates in poetry recitals or workshops for people who want to build their communication skills.

He grants interviews when the time allows, since he also works as a reporter for the local Santiago radio station, Radio Siboney, specializing in music and cultural information.

He also graciously accepts the numerous awards in recognition of his ongoing contribution to journalism and Cuban culture in general. He received the Premio Nacional de Periodismo Cultural, sponsored by the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) (Writer's and Artists' Union of Cuba) in 1998 and 2001. He is a member of the same, as well as the Asociación Hermanos Saíz.

He has published several poetry collections such as, Nadie se llama tristeza, Alma de Papel, Vísperas y Epílogos and more recently, Cartas a Saturno: Dulce María y Flor Loynaz. His work has been published in Cuban magazines and in other countries.

He was also the Editor in Chief of the Cultural section of Sierra Maestra, a newspaper in Santiago de Cuba.

Son de la Loma was a hit among the participants in the Book Fair in Guadalajara, México in 2003, and managed to be one of the top sellers. It includes numerous anecdotes, general history and details that make it especially attractive, beyond its poetic content.

The musical history of Santiago, beginning in the 16th century and all the way up to the current times, is presented to us through the stories of famous artists like Don Pepe Sánchez, Electo Rosell (Chepín), Antonio Fernández (Ñico Saquito), Mariano Mercerón, Pacho Alonso, Celeste Mendoza and the world renowned Francisco Repilado (Compay Segundo), Elíades Ochoa, Reynaldo Hierrezuelo as well as members of the Vieja Trova Santiaguera. It also includes Ibrahím Ferrer, Rodulfo Vaillant and Fernando Álvarez and many more who have contributed to the enrichment of our music..

The bibliography is also noteworthy as are the photographs that complement this investigative work.

There is beauty, dignity, national pride and reverence for the lives of those included in this book, which is an epoch of Cuban culture.

Interview with the book's author:
Son de la loma - Los dioses de la música cantan en Santiago de Cuba

Invigorated by the challenge of promoting the artistic creativity of our people, we invited Reynaldo Cedeño to meet with us to learn what motivated him to write this book covering the history of Cuban music.

Cedeño: The city where I was born, Santiago de Cuba, is the birthplace of Cuban music. It is the land of Compay Segundo, Ibrahím Ferrer and of Harold Gramatges. It is the land of the bolero, the son, of a long choral tradition. Many of the elderly troubadors used to sing on the corners. They were incredible and marvelous and we couldn't let them fade into so many stories of yesteryear, so we tried to capture them in black and white. Some things were already written in bits and pieces, but they had never been gathered together in one place. Now we can offer a guide to researchers and for all who are interested in learning more about Cuban music.

We had to study everything that had already been written and then put it together for the masses. During the editing process and just after, some of the witnesses passed away. Destiny allowed us to arrive on time for most. It was a pleasure that exceeded all expectations, demanded of us many all-nighters, and has brought unexpected happiness.

Nereyda: When and how did you begin this work? How long did it take?

Cedeño: It was Michel's idea in the beginning, but the research portion of it took on a life of its own and the end result doesn't look anything like the original idea. It took us about three years of research, trying to get the testimonies of the protagonists. We walked a lot, traveled to Havana or to Sancti Spíritus, trying to track down people who traveled a lot, to find family members of those who had already passed on. We went over material from every source imaginable. Then we had to put it all together, tossing out that which we found to be doubtful or inexact, double checking each testimony.

I think it is folly to look at an interview like a rehashing of questions and answers. An interview is the intent of supreme synthesis, to try to breathe in, in one breath, an entire lifetime of a person, reflecting what they said and what they kept quiet, reliving each smile, each silence and each tear. A complete interview requires focused questions, both personal and direct. These questions are sometimes bothersome but necessary. You can't leave out a portrait of the personality of the person who is interviewed and you must include the ambiance in which he carries out his duties, and that is pure narrative.

To write is a mystery. It is something that can be done in verse or in prose, but I don't know how to do it if I don't have poetry as an ally. The word is rapture, extasis, it is a lightning bolt, but beauty cannot be placed before testimony, it can't hinder it but rather it can elevate it to an unimaginable plane. I detest people who write prosaicly with their feet on the ground. If one does not have wings, it is better not to set foot in the world of letters.

Nereyda: You are known for your work ethic, your energy and your iron discipline. Has this contributed to the success of your publications?

Cedeño: Thank you for that. I always appreciate people who challenge their limitations, their enemies and even themselves, and I try to emulate them. I chose to become a journalist because I was really very shy, and I think it has helped me to overcome it. I am being completely honest with you. I am very grateful to others and have tried to learn from them, and that too has helped me. Of course I have run across all sorts of people out there, some of whom deserved a whipping for their petulance. But these are evil beings from whom, luckily, I feel very distant and I try every way possible to keep them from getting near me.

I may still be lacking in discipline, but up to now I have found the energy to pick myself up from all of my stumbles, including those where there has been a trap set for me. Besides, when I see a blind person or a mother who has lost her child, I think that any problem I might have is nothing in comparison and that even complaining is an excess.

I am not particularly a pessimist, nor an optimist. I work. I take care of my needs first of course, it is my livelihood. I don't live off of any sort of income nor from any money that anyone sends me. I believe in what Voltaire said ...that work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need. That is why I throw myself into my work as if possessed. When I am investigating something that interests me it is as if I was in a trance, like a "psychosis" and I don't quit until I manage to get something. When I have something to do, I feel pressured until I complete it.

Nereyda: With regard to your priorities, which part of your grand scheme will you tackle next?

Cedeño: I have a tremendous amount of ideas. I already gathered all of my poems that I think are worthwhile and after having published them in this magazine or that newspaper, I would like to see them appear in a small book.

Likewise, there is already a book of my memoires from Guantánamo in the works and I have great hope for it. That is where I began to work and I owe it many stories. There is another story there of "La Guantanamera", a journalist who met Neruda on a visit very close to the Naval Base in Caimanera and even another one about a ghost who lived in my house in Guantánamo. Right now I have set a goal to continue my research regarding titles in the press, which is what I based my thesis on for my Masters in Social Communication Sciences. It is a very important topic and it ends up being very poorly treated in journalism. With digital media, titles have become even more important and I believe it would be a huge loss for those who write to have the reader only read the title and not continue on to the actual text. All that stuff about people being too busy and reading only the titles is only an excuse not to think because actual web pages show with mathematical precision that good titles are an impetus to read what follows, and when it is on paper, the eyes either continue on with the rest of the article or keep on going if the title isn't catching. A title should suggest, rather than say it all. It is an appetizer and not a main dish, and it should be chosen just as carefully as a title for a movie or a best seller. The writer who doesn't care about the title is lost or he goes off on a tangent. I have managed to put together thousands of good and bad examples from the Cuban press and the Hispanic press in general. I am open to any form of collaboration.

Nereyda: As authors, you do not do musicological analysis, but you have put together alot of data, much of it previously unknown, as true historians of our musical heritage. Do you plan to continue working on projects such as this, or perhaps a second part to the book?

Cedeño: Yes. Son de la Loma will surely have to be expanded, and perhaps republished. We do intend to do that, but right now I'm tied up with several other things and it will have to wait a bit.

Nereyda: The beauty, the color and the folklore that are reflected in this book, besides painting a picture of this enchanting world called Santiago de Cuba, do you think it will motivate the fans of Cuban music and the tourists to want to get to know the magic this city has to offer? Afterall, it is the birthplace of the "bolero" and the "son".

Cedeño: Yes, I had a very interesting experience at the Havana Fair. I actually had to leave during the presentation of the book because the number of people who came to buy it placed me in physical danger. I never thought I'd see that ... I signed the book for Chileans, French, English, Australian people ... the National Library asked me for a copy, and someone sent me a note to tell me that they were planning their trip to Santiago because they had fallen in love with the city through having read our book. If only for that, it was worth writing!

Nereyda: Can you share some of your dreams with us?

Cedeño: The first one is to be healthy and that my parents would also be healthy for a long time to come so that we can continue to share time together. I would also like to be able to visit many places about which I have only read or seen on the movie screen, but we'll see, because I travel a lot with my mind. I would like to have a lot of energy for a long time to be able to write, because writing is the salve that saves me. I have more profound dreams, but with your blessing, I'd rather keep them for myself.

Nereyda: When you speak of your plans for the future, you don't get excited, but I'm pretty sure that sometimes you must not be able to believe your good fortune of being able to dedicate yourself fully to an activity that you love. Besides, it bestows on you the admiration and praise of your collegues and your thousands of readers.

Cedeño: Up to now they have said things to me that are enough for me to jump on a cloud ...both everyday folks and renowned people. But I haven't let it go to my head, because that would be stupid since I haven't done anything to deserve it and my upbringing prohibits that sort of attitude. I am grateful that in this fast paced world we live in today, someone takes the time to read what I wrote. That is what I live for, and it is not for all the money in the world.

And finally, I would like to thank you, and I would ask that you not erase it, because it is because of people like you who show love for so many, that one can begin to believe again and realize that the process of creating is worthwhile.

Santiago de Cuba, Mayo, 2004

 

 

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Esta página fue actualizada el día 03-Jan-2008