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How does Los Van
Van maintain its popularity?
In
the 1970s and 1980s, Los Van Van sang about the daily reality
of Cuban’s at the time. Why is it that today most of the songs
are love songs? Are you no longer interested in reflecting the Cuban
reality?
—We
sing about everything, not only love. What happens is that there are
stages where the composer nourishes himself on phrases heard on the
street, and you use them to write. There was a time when people used
to say ‘Eso que anda’ or ‘Que se sepa,’ and
you tell a story based on these phrases. That’s a way to make a
chronicle.
Another way is to base a story on a theatrical play, as happened with ‘La Habana no aguanta más,’ based on the play ‘La Barbacoa,’ by Abraham Rodríguez. Or once I was asked to write a song for the movie ‘Los pájaros tirándole a la escopeta’ and I wrote ‘Y qué tú crees.’
Times
are different and people change. Another formula for song writing
surfaced which I began to fear. There are people who began to use
really ugly words, including some reggeaton songs from Puerto
Rico. I said to myself, ‘We better not follow that trend, we
shouldn’t measure ourselves by the same standards.’ But
we continue doing social chronicles, we haven’t totally
abandoned it.”
In
the 1990s, several popular bands were accused of using vulgar lyrics.
Nobody mentioned Los Van Van. How does Formell manage to
express Cuban traditions in his songs without resorting to vulgarity?
—For
me, vulgarity is to call things by their name, exactly as they are,
without using the refinement and the beauty of the double entendre
that we Cubans use when talking. In popular music, there are
techniques that give flavour and enjoyment to the song, you have to
use specific phrase, which does not have to be vulgar.
You
can look at examples of artists who came before us, such as Chapotín,
Matamoros, and others. ‘Cuidadito, Compay Gallo,’
by Ñico Saquito, is a very ingenious, cunning and beautiful
story. But it’s not vulgar.
I
learned from those authors. They talk about a certain issue in such a
way that the public can come to whatever conclusion they want. Look
at ‘La mujer de Antonio camina así...’. For
instance, how would Antonio’s wife walk for a photographer? We
all have an Antonio’s wife because everyone has a model of the
perfect female that they like.
In
the 1980s, there was a song by Los Van Van that went, ‘Si
yo subo la loma, voy detrás de ese mulo...’ (If I go up
that hill, I’m going behind this mule). There
was a story before the chorus that explained that in order to go up a
hill, people had to go behind the mule driver. If you want to
interpret it differently, suit yourself. That’s the basis of
the double entendre, and it’s not vulgar. That’s why Los
Van Van have never been accused of using vulgarity.
How
is it possible to remain on top in a country full of dance fanatics
like ours?
For
us the dancer is the most important. The dancer decides the game. If
the public doesn’t dance, we have to look at what went wrong,
because what we’re doing isn’t working.
This
is music for the masses, not at all for an elite audience. It’s
to be enjoyed by everybody. I’ve seen bands playing concerts
where the audience is motionless and the singer is saying, ‘Hands
in the air, let’s have some fun,’ and nothing happens.
It’s horrible.
That’s
why, when people say ‘No’ to reggeaton, I say, ‘If
people dance to it, and sing it, there must be a reason.’ The
masses are never wrong. There might be excessive radio play or other
things in play, but if it’s popular, it’s because it has
a value. Later on, life will say whether it transcends or not.
Necessary Changes
Is Los Van Van a school for the different generations of Cuban musicians?
—I think so, because José Luis Cortés and César (Pupi) Pedroso passed through here. There are also examples from our last stage. I decided to make some changes, not because I’m sick but because I’m hurt by time –I’m diabetic and it takes me a lot of effort to do some things— and I anticipate the day when I’m no longer alive. I had to make so many changes, and I was the first thing I changed.
I brought in a new bass player because I needed a new guy to play the instrument in a really ‘macho’ way; my hands were becoming weak. After that, a number of young musicians joined the band, including piano player Boris Luna, my son Samuel; and Cucurucho on piano, among others. They write and arrange, always under my discernment and point of view.
Is Juan Formell no longer directing the orchestra?
I’m still directing it. A popular music orchestra is not directed with a baton in hand, like a classical orchestra. Pop music orchestras are usually directed by someone who’s part of the group
For me the director is the person who composes, makes the arrangements and establishes the band’s sonority from the very first song. Why? Because the first time I scored a hit, La caldera, many people said to me: ‘Great, we did it.’ But four months later people started saying to me ‘Hey, don’t you have another song like that one?’ And I thought, ‘Not like that one, no;’ but a new one would work just like the other one that was popular. So people would then come back saying, ‘We did it again.’
Can you imagine this going on for 38 years, even when the lead singer, at the height of popularity, comes and asks you to leave, or you have to take him out of the orchestra? And you have to look for another singer, someone who may not be able to sing the same songs. This forces you to compose another four songs that are instant hits.
Now, young people in the group who compose support the Van Van sound. Of course, with fresher and more revolutionary ideas, but they follow our base sound. That’s how the orchestra keeps its popularity. It is a trademark that we maintain.
My
son Samuel learned this, which means there is a relief pitcher with
many years of experience and under my council. But,
I’m still working, approving things, writing music and
composing. When it comes to recording or
organizing a concert, I decide what’s right or wrong. I have
the last word.
Was
Van Van’s sound affected with the departure of Pedrito Calvo
and Cesar (Pupi) Pedroso?
I
don’t think so. Although they were important musicians, the
orchestra moved on. They represented a stage in the history of Van
Van. In the case of Pupi, who is a writer and a composer, I think his
departure hurt me more than that of Pedrito’s. Pedrito,
although he was an attractive image, could be replaced more easily. A
composer, however, is more difficult to replace.
What’s
valuable is the song; and Pupi is a hit-maker. His hits with Van Van,
such as Tranquilo, Mota andSeis semanas are still
remembered today. I was saddened by his departure. Nevertheless, the
orchestra carries on and nothing is going to happen.
A woman in Van Van?
Did
you include a female singer to follow a trend or in search of a new
sound?
Neither of the two. I started to review the
practical results of the orchestra. We do two international tours a
year: one in the winter and another in the summer, with more than 20
dates each. We have to travel more than 10 or 12 hours a day by bus,
and sometimes held over in an airport up to six hours because the
flight is delayed.
Playing
a concert every day for more than two-and-a-half hours is really
tough, especially for the singer who has to sing both the solos and
the choruses. The chorus wears you down more than the solo because
they can last up to ten minutes. However, women have a different
range; what is more comfortable for a woman can be too high-pitched
for a man.
The
choruses of Van Van are distributed among the different voices: the
highest-pitched voice is Mayito’s —the most important
singer. He was getting really hurt with the choruses, but Yeni is
very comfortable with them. That was the first reason.
The
second was Team Cuba. When Jose Luis Cortes discovered Yeni and put
her in his line-up, I said to myself, ‘That young girl can
really sing.’ I knew what she could sing. When she first joined
the orchestra, her presence was questioned by many people, and I
would say, ‘Take it easy, let people have a good listen to her
first.’
There
have not been many female son singers in the history of Cuban
music. Generally, they perform boleros and ballads, with some
exceptions, such as Omara Portuondo, Elena Burke and others.
But
there have not been as many female soneras with the same
inspiration and ability as male soneros, because of the words
used. It is easy for men to say, ‘Mulatona, you’re so
sexy.’ For a woman, it’s more difficult to say that, she
has to find another way to improvise. And I think Yeni does it well.
The
other thing was replacing Pedrito Calvo, who, during his last period
with the orchestra, more than a voice, was an icon and replacing that
was not going to be easy. If I would have put in Lele alone, he would
have been immediately compared to Pedrito and people would have
completely thrashed him. Yeni was the one who took the beating
instead.
I
did it on purpose. I knew they would just focus on the woman and
leave him alone. That was the strategy I used and it worked. Little
by little, Yeni convinced the people and nobody ever criticized Lele.
Although he does not have the same vocal abilities as Pedrito, he has
grace and charisma.
Part One
