August

American artist Ian Dobson, like many of his compatriots, could not resist the charms of Latin music and its huge diversity of rhythms, so today he talked with us about the way he walked to become the talented multi-instrumentalist he is today.

Enjoy Ian’s incredible story in the following lines and learn everything he has to share.

How Ian became interested in music

With just five years old, Ian already took a genuine interest in playing the drums and did not have any other family members who also liked music, except his aunt, who was a violinist. Although he does not have a very special motivation to love this instrument, he remembers that when he was 12, someone showed him a samba rhythm on his own drums, and he liked it so much that he continued playing it himself until perfectioning it. As a teenager, he was very involved in jazz, which also led him to Latin jazz and other genres derived from it. 

On reaching majority, he had already discovered a little more of Latin music, so he began studying Spanish in order to understand it better, which of course helped him a lot for the following years. His curiosity about this colorful culture was such that he embarked on a series of trips to many Latin American countries, one of which was Venezuela, more specifically Margarita Island, in 1988. Ian wanted to practice his Spanish and see what rhythms he could find in that country, the most popular being salsa and merengue.

Genres and countries that most influenced Ian

Among the Latin American countries we can name are Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Cuba. He also had the opportunity to play on several cruise ships and visit many Caribbean islands.

Each and every one of these countries had things that caught his attention musically. In the case of Venezuela, Ian was able to study the maracas during his master’s degree in percussion in Washington. One of his teachers was Euclides Aparicio, with whom he was able to learn much more about the music of this nation. 

The artist points out that the country that most aroused his attention was Cuba, but he assures us that he liked all of them due to the musical and cultural diversity he found on all his trips, and he hopes to return to the same destinations someday. 

Mexico was the country where he spent more time, staying there for a total of six months. 

Academic background

Ian has a very interesting academic background that has provided him with a huge amount of knowledge applicable to his career. We can mention the University of Lisbon, where he was studying Portuguese and found it fascinating because there were many people from the African colonies, resulting in this music permeating Portugal and mixing with local music. One of its most renowned composers was Fernando Lopez-Graça, whom Ian had the opportunity to meet during his stay in the European country.

He became so interested in this subject that he wrote essays on how Brazilian music influenced Portuguese music and what role Africa played in all of this. Ian had already earned his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College, so he found all these topics very interesting and took them into account when it comes to studying music.

He also studied jazz at the Oberlin Conservatory, and although he did not complete his classes there, everything he learned obviously helped him a lot later on. At the University of Washington, he earned a bachelor’s degree in percussion and learned much more about music from a purely academic point of view.

Ian the multi-instrumentalist

Ian studied timpani, marimba, vibraphone, piano, drums, percussion, and many other instruments throughout his career, so he can be considered a multi-instrumentalist who has sought to specialize in as many areas of music as possible.

During our conversation, Ian showed us through video call some of the instruments he was going to play that same day, such as steel drums, an electronic marimba, a drum set, a ukulele, DJ equipment, and so on.

He assures us that he is capable of playing these instruments and others during his performances, but he loves steel drums and the ukulele, which are a fundamental part of his repertoire.

Ian the teacher

While it is true that Ian has no private students right now, he previously offered music lessons for some time, gave workshops and created online spaces for his students and followers to learn from his experience.

Today, he only offers concerts, but he always tries to make them as educational as possible. In fact, he always has a few extra pairs of drumsticks that he offers to some of his concertgoers so they can play themselves while Ian explains what to do. This makes the performance much more interactive and dynamic thanks to audience participation.

The most satisfying aspect of being a teacher was to see his students gain much more self-confidence, which led them to pursue their goals with greater intensity. No matter how bad his mood may be at any given moment, he is always happy to see others learn and enjoy what they do.

Read also: Efrain ‘‘Junito’’ Davila, Victor Manuelle and Ricardo Arjona’s producer in International Salsa Magazine

Lindsey McMurray, bandleader of the group Las Chikas, has graciously accepted our invitation to talk about the women’s orchestra she is leading, which makes us very happy and pleased, so we invite our readers to enjoy this interview from beginning to end and learn about the musical journey of this young artist.

How Lindsey got started in music

Lindsey’s journey to become an artist began very soon at school, when she was just 10 years old and started learning to play the trombone. Prior to this, she had already studied other instruments such as the keyboard and the recorder, but she ended up trying the trombone.

Soon after, at the age of 11, she joined the school jazz band, but it was not until college that she began experimenting with salsa in orchestras that played this genre. Until then, Lindsey had had virtually no contact with Latin music, as she had only listened to typical U.S. rhythms. However, once she discovered Latin American music, she could not escape her love for it and continues to play it to this very day.

It should be noted that the musician does not have any family member who is too. So she would be the first one to make music her profession and, of course, one of the most important areas of her life.

Professional experiences prior to Las Chikas

Before even getting to know of the existence of Las Chikas, Lindsey was on a TV show called ‘’Noches Con Platanito’’ in the musical side, but she did not really lead anything until the bandleaders of the groups who were there left. Her big break came in 2017, when she finally managed to become a bandleader herself and, in turn, started two groups at the same time. 

This is because Lindsey did not want to depend on anyone be called whenever she was required, but, on the contrary, she wanted to go on developing her autonomy to the point of being the one to create jobs for others instead of looking for them somewhere else.

Las Chikas

It is important to clarify that Lindsey is not the founder of Las Chikas, but that the group already existed before she joined during the pandemic. The idea of Las Chikas was born during “Noches Con Platanito” as part of the show, but Lindsey and the other members wanted to have activities outside of the show and what the production asked them to do. At that time, the leader and founder of the group was Eliana Rose who during the pandemic wanted to settle in Southern California, so she asked the artist to take her place, which she accepted.

This posed a significant challenge for her, as she had never led a Latin music orchestra in her life. However, the novelty did not make him get cold feet, but on the contrary, it was an experience she wanted to live in order to learn from it.

The current members joined the group thanks to recommendations from friends and other people in the industry. Already at this point, it can be said that they all are her friends, to the extent that they have shared all kinds of special occasions such as birthdays, trips, and much more. 

Why only women in the orchestra

What catches the attention about Las Chikas is that, as its name suggests, it is only composed of women. One of the reasons is that the industry, despite of the recent social changes, continues to be dominated by men, so these young female talents find support between themselves.

What the original founder wanted was to promote the idea that a group of girls could play Latin music without it being perceived as strange. Lindsey shares this vision with hundred percent and hopes new generations of women never think for a moment that their gender is a limitation to achieve what they want in music.

While acknowledging that there have been positive changes in recent decades, she thinks there are areas that do not have enough female representation such as percussion, bass, production, arranging, among others. It is very common for women to be vocalists in a band, but it is still unusual to see them in other areas of the project.

Las Chikas as a mix of cultures and ethnicities

On the band’s website, it can be read that the group is a mix of diverse cultures and ethnicities. In this regard, Lindsey pointed out that, while it is true that she is not a Latina, she has always sought to create something as authentic as possible that is rooted in Latin culture, of course with great respect. “Latin music is so joyful, intelligent, and capable of being beautiful to the eyes of any human being who hears it. I also want in a certain way to make non-Latinos enjoy this beautiful music as much as I do,” Lindsey added on the subject.

She also said that diversity plays a very important role, as non-Latino audiences tend to feel that they have permission to be part of the joy emanating from this music. In addition to that, the fact that the members have diverse backgrounds helps the band have different perspectives on what they want to do.

Today, Las Chikas is composed of Cuban singer Mayelin Vázquez, Cuban singer Whitney Hernández, American pianist Dolores Duran-Cefalu, bassist María Vega, Mexican timbalera Anita Garay, Mexican conga player Diana Teixeira, American trumpet player Anne King, Mexican saxophonist Marina Panzetta, and Lindsay herself on trombone.

Read also: The best of Cuban music in Tampa with Cuband Son Band

There are countless artists from all over the world who have fallen in love with Latin and Spanish-speaking rhythms due to their colors and richness, so we cannot fail to talk about cases like that of dancer, choreographer and dance teacher Fanny Ara, with whom we had the opportunity to talk for a few pleasant minutes about her beginnings in her native French Basque Country and her current career. 

This talented woman, who we met through her work with Javi Jiménez and his group Barrio Manouche, has a lot of interesting things to say, so we invite our readers to enjoy this story from start to finish.

Fanny Ara’s beginnings in dance

With respect to how Fanny first became interested in dancing, Fanny explained that her aunt was a Spanish classical dancer and convinced her parents to sign her up for dance classes when she was about six or seven years old, to which they agreed and so they did. The little girl was so pleased with this discipline that she knew at once that she wanted to be devoted to this for the rest of her life.

She studied piano, although nowadays he does not play it, and obtained a degree in music at the Bayonne School of Art and, once he had finished all her studies, she wanted to try his luck in Spain. Been there, she had the opportunity to work side by side with some of the best exponents of flamenco dancing such as Isabel Quintero and Antonio Najarro, sparking her curiosity for looking further into it and specializing in it. 

In the end, she stayed in Spain for a few more years and had no incentive to return to her country of origin. She had already started a new life in a completely different place and a profession that kept her there for the time being.

Moving to the United States

While still living in Spain, Fanny fell in love with an American and went to live with him in San Francisco, where her partner had always lived. She was fortunate enough to move to what was no other than the city with the largest flamenco music scene in the country, so it was not at all difficult for her to adapt to the new world that was opening up before her.

In fact, it did not take long for her to join dance companies, teach classes and perform just like she had been doing in Europe. The only difference is that San Francisco was a big city, while her hometown was very small and Seville, where she lived in Spain, was not a big village either, so this was a big change for her.

San Francisco opened her mind tremendously in many ways that she had not considered, so she decided that this would be her new home indefinitely.

Differences between the American and European market in terms of dance

Given that San Francisco had a much wider variety of cultures and music, Fanny was able to experiment with many other art forms like she had not done before, so she was able to dance different genres from flamenco such as jazz and even salsa, especially at social events.

The fact that her new home did not have the same traditional barriers the dancer encountered in Spain helped her to expand her horizons and try new genres and dances. In addition, being able to work in Canada and Latin America has also allowed her to expand her knowledge to unimaginable levels.

Awards and nominations 

This entire career has also led Fanny to be recognized for her talent. The artist received six Isadora Duncan Dance Award nominations for important categories such as Most Outstanding Individual Dancer and Most Outstanding Musical Performance. In addition, she earned a recognition from New York’s Vilcek Foundation as “Creative Promise in Dance.” 

She feels absolutely happy and lucky to be awarded and recognized for her achievements in several of her greatest works, including “Magia Flamenca,” “A Través de Tus Ojos,” “Tattooed,” “Lilith,” among others.

Biggest challenges of being a dancer and choreographer

According to Fanny, one of the biggest challenges facing an event producer and choreographer like her is the obtaining of economic resources needed to carry out her ideas, which makes it difficult to get financing for her projects, especially after the pandemic.

In addition, many venues and restaurants are not interested in paying what corresponds to a flamenco show, which greatly reduces the chances of making some labour agreements.

Another disadvantage encountered by the artist and her team is the refusal of some theaters to allow them to use their premises, as the flamenco tablao requires a certain footwear and tap, which can be a little damaging to the floor of these establishments. 

However, these problems have not been an impediment for her to continue her work, although she has had to adapt to certain conditions.

What motivates Fanny to create her choreographies

One of the things that move Fanny to create a choreography is to give a voice to those who cannot speak. In the last two productions the choreographer has made, she has sought to address the abuse suffered by human beings, especially women. The plot of the play is about three dancers who have suffered some form of abuse throughout their lives, showing how important it was for Fanny to show what many people suffer today with no one to listen.

What the artist wanted was to bring a message of hope to her audience and give a voice to those who have remained silent in the face of any form abuse to them. Best of all, words were not required to give the message, as the dancers expressed their emotions through their movements and gestures, which was more than enough.

In the case of “Lilith,” Fanny was the lead dancer together with two other musicians who accompanied her to offer a simple but powerful performance about the hard life’s way of a woman, something the artist wanted to illustrate through her work.

Ara sought to raise awareness among the audience during the hour or two her show lasted, so that attendees would go home with a different view of what they had believed until now. 

Read also: Javi Jiménez from Barrio Manouche talks about his career in Spain and then in San Francisco