Interview with Osvaldo Chacón
by , Local Correspondent for SalsaPower in London

Osvaldo Chacón is one of the original artists involved in the pioneering of Timba. Born in Havana, he is now a renowned singer/songwriter with his band "Osvaldo Chacón y su Timba". With 2 CDs behind him, "Salsa Afrocubana" and "Voy a Entrar", his popularity and especially his live performances, are growing. His song "Cumbia pa' Colombia" features in the "AQA GCSE Anthology of Music" and is used an example of Latin Music for students studying for music exams. He has performed with some of the most famous musicians in Salsa including Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri. Currently residing in the UK, and the only UK based Timba band, I caught up with him during his busy schedule.

Angela: How did you get started in music and songwriting?

Osvaldo: Ever since I was a child, I was surrounded by music. My father was a professional musician and we had all types of music at home ranging from Frank Sinatra to The Beatles to Kool and the Gang, but the most important music I grew up with was "Son". I love son especially as it reminds me of our history and because it is the father of the type of music that some people are now calling "Salsa".

Angela: Did you want to be a musician when you grew up?

Osvaldo: No. I wanted to teach physical education. In fact, I have a degree as a teacher for physical education.

Angela: What made you decide you wanted to sing?

Osvaldo: I joined my first band called "Iya Son" and realised how much I enjoyed it. At university, I moved onto my next band "Tiempo Nuevo". We were very popular and played at a lot of festivals. It was then that I realised that music was becoming more important to me than teaching and I made the decision to become a professional musician. It also offered me my first opportunity to travel outside Cuba.

Angela: Who were your role models when you were growing up and how did they influence you?

Osvaldo: My all time favourite was Beny Moré. He was my idol and his music and style influenced me greatly as I was growing up. He never forgot his roots and that was very important to me. Of course, Los Van Van and Celia Cruz also had a great impact on me. Outside of Cuba, I loved Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind and Fire. I loved to watch Earth, Wind and Fire perform and they influenced my performance style.

Angela: What was your first break?

Osvaldo: When I was younger, I used to go to a local club every week and watch the same band perform. I would sing along and knew all the words to every song by heart. One day, the singer didn't turn up and I volunteered to take his place. The name of the band was "Hipolito y su Nueva Banda Abreu". Hipolito used to be the leader of "Banda Meteoro", one of the biggest bands in Cuba, before leaving to form his own group. After my performance, he took my details and that's where it all started.

Angela: How long were you with them?

Osvaldo: I stayed with Hipolito for about a year. That year was the most important in my career. Hipolito had a lot of experience and I learned a lot from him, including how to perform and play with the audience. I had to prove to him that I could do the job. We played to some very demanding dancers at clubs like La Tropical - if you can't please the people there - you're in trouble! I had to learn very quickly. After I left Hipolito, I joined Paulito for a short time. Again, I gained a lot from my experience with him. Later, I joined Manolín, "El Médico de la Salsa" where I made my first video for "Una Aventura Loca". El Médico had one of the most popular bands in Cuba at the time but I left them in 1995.

Angela: You then moved on to Bamboleo.

Osvaldo: Yes. Bamboleo was the turning point in my career. With the other groups, I was always in the chorus, but with Bamboleo, it was the first time that I was the lead singer. I also wrote my first composition with Bamboleo on their first album "Te Gusta o Te Caigo Bien" and filmed my second video for "Circúlame". I had a great time there along with lots of TV and radio work and touring Cuba. It was with Bamboleo that I made my name known throughout Cuba and abroad. I stayed with them for 2 years, leaving in 1997.

Angela: When did you leave Cuba?

Osvaldo: 24th May 1997. I made the decision to leave for economic reasons. An Italian promoter saw me in Bamboleo and offered me the opportunity to work in Italy for 6 months. I was paid $25.00 a day, which for me, was a lot of money in those days, but then I realised I had the potential to earn a lot more money. I met my English wife while I was in Bamboleo, and our relationship became more serious while I was in Italy. After I left Italy, I arrived in London in December 1997.

Angela: When did you form the band?

Osvaldo: My very first gig when I arrived in the UK was with "Salsa Sónica" in Leeds (Leeds is a city in the north of England), but having experienced singing and writing my own compositions, I knew I wanted to form my own band. I actually made the decision to form "Chacón y su Timba" on 24th May 1998 - the same date that Beny Moré died.

Angela: Do you think that living in London has influenced your music?

Osvaldo: Definitely. London is a very multi-cultural city with lots of different musical tastes. I've tried to make my new CD "Voy a Entrar" reflect these different flavours, and tried to appeal to everyone. However, Timba is at the root of all of these different sounds, for example, Timba/soca and Timba/reggae. I hope to keep working in this way and continually develop my style. In this way, I hope to keep people interested in my music and recognise it as something different.

Angela: Cuban salsa, especially Timba, is very much a minority on the salsa scene. Many people find it hard to dance to and don't understand the rhythm.

Osvaldo: There have been many musicians who have influenced the development of Timba, although "Irakere" were probably the first band to really start Timba and influence the current generation of music. Also, "Tosco", who came from Los Van Van and Irakere, took elements from both styles and mixed them, "NG la Banda" also followed.

Timba has a strong brass section, drums, timbales and a strong influence of funk and rap. Think of a large group such as Earth, Wind and Fire, and you can see that for Timba to be successful, there has to be at least 10 members of the group for that big band sound. All Timba songs keep the original structure of son, but with all these additional elements. Within the same song, you're able to "tembleque", "casino" "despelote" and improvise.

For people who are unfamiliar with Cuban style, all of these elements are difficult to understand and hard to dance to. I've found that people from outside of London are more receptive to Timba than in London.

Angela: I don't think that's entirely true. I agree that a huge majority of salseros in London have been taught NY/LA style and prefer the more commercial salsa music on offer, but those who know Cuban have fallen in love with the style and music either in Cuba or just through the small number of Cuban clubs in London. Those people who know only NY sometimes find it difficult to switch to Cuban as both the dance and the music are very different.

Osvaldo: That's very true, but from my personal experience, I find that Timba is appreciated more outside of London.

Angela: Who do you think are the main musicians influencing Timba music at the moment?

Osvaldo: That's a difficult question to answer because there are a lot of good musicians in Cuba. Many people are also very emotional when it comes to their preferences in style. For instance, you could go to a Los Van Van, Charanga Habanera, Manolito or Paulito concert and all of them would be full. Right now, Pupy and Issac Delgado are very popular and, of course, Bamboleo.

Angela: Having seen you a few times in concert recently, and listening to comments made from other salseros, you are highly regarded as one of the best live performers around. You obviously enjoy performing and interacting with the audience. How much time does the band spend rehearsing to give such a slick performance? Do you use the same musicians?

Osvaldo: I try to use the same musicians, but sometimes it's difficult. In Cuba, the band is like a small company and receive start-up money from the government. They stay together and rehearse regularly together. Coming from that structure to here, it's very different. Many of the group are session musicians. I'm lucky because they want to play salsa and they want to play with me, so they try to make sure that they are available for concerts. However, we have the same core members and try to rehearse together at least twice a month. We usually have at least 3 gigs a week plus some international gigs. At the moment, there are 5 Cubans and 5 International members of the group. We are also the only Timba band based in the UK. I want the audience to understand that salsa developed from son. Many people believe that salsa is from New York and I want to educate them that all salsa songs have their origins from son.

Angela: Do you have any final comment to make?

Osvaldo: I want to say thanks to all the Latin people everywhere, and to everyone who helps and supports Cuban music, continues to listen to it and promote it, whatever they call it!

For more information on Osvaldo Chacón y Su Timba, check out his website on www.chacon.co.uk.

Interviewed August 2003

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