Exclusive Interview with Wickly!

por

Rumbero de Corazón
on Annais Records

Juan "Wickly" Nogueras came from Cuba in May of 1993, after having played with Pachito Alonzo and later, NG La Banda, for 5-1/2 years.  During the time he played with NG, he toured all over the world, taking that special brand of Cuban salsa to such far away corners as Japan and Mexico. 

He is a percussionist who plays virtually every percussion instrument, but his favorite is the tumbadoras. His family was here in the US, so he joined them and soon thereafter began playing with such greats as Cachao, Julio Iglesias and Arturo Sandoval.  He was one of the original musicians at Café Nostalgia at their first location in Little Havana, and was instrumental in creating the atmosphere of authentic Cuban rhythms and descargas!

"El arte es una repetición - aprendemos uno del otro"

"Art is repetition - we learn from each other." said Wickly in an exclusive interview with SalsaPower.   He learned from having the opportunity to play with some of Cuba's greatest bands.  He went through a long period of struggling, during which time he at first thought he had wasted a number of years.  He later learned that the suffering was a learning process and he came out of it a better person and a better musician. 

About that time he joined NG La Banda. They had that different flavor - un sabor distinto.   The music was a mix, a fusion, created from and for the people,  pa' gozar! They played in concerts all over the world in international venues, but the one crucial element that was missing was the promotional backing.  They knew the quality of the music was there, but they weren't receiving the recognition they felt they deserved because the word wasn't getting out.  He felt stifled, and longed to strike out on his own.

"Mi sueño es ponerle mi música al mundo entero."

It has taken Wickly a year and a half to get his first album to market.  Rumbero de Corazón represents a culmination of years of dreaming, and it pulls together elements from Havana, Puerto Rico, New York and Miami, with the roots of the music coming from CUBA.  "Cuba dió el sabor que faltaba."  Cuba gave it the flavor that was lacking.  Wickly gave it that special touch that only he is able to give...the rhythm that comes from the heart!

"Para mí, mi música es todo...está primero que todo."

"For me, my music is everything... it comes before everything."  Music is what gives him that air of tranquility, and what breathes fire into his hands as he plays from the heart.

"Con persistencia, con amor y con cariño yo le voy a demostrar mi talento... que es lo que Diós me dió a mí."

"With persistence, love and caring I am going to demonstrate my talent... which is what God has given me."  When one speaks with Wickly, his faith is something that permeates everything about him... his faith in himself, and in God as the source of his musical inspiration.  Pick up a copy of this CD, and see for yourself if it didn't really come from the heart!

--Jacira Castro

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