Salsa-ing against wind and tide
• Caribe Girls, an all-women band that has dared to take on Cuban timba • Known throughout the region, in Europe and even in Japan • Will their new CD win over Cuba?

BY MIREYA CASTAÑEDA —Granma International staff writer—

CUBA has a wonderful tradition of producing all-women bands. Anacaona – meaning indigenous voice – is an emblematic example. But moving in the artistic world on this, the so-called "isle of music", has never been an easy thing for women. The universal difficulties that members of the "weaker sex" have to face still exist, despite the age, plus skepticism from lovers of dance music.

Five years ago, Thiving Guerra, a young choral studies graduate from the National College of Arts with close to 10 year’s experience in groups such as Son Damas and Las Chicas del Solar, decided that it was the moment for a challenge, to form her own group, with its own musical language and something very different to offer.

During an interview at the Granma International offices, Thiving Guerra confided her principal desire: to form her own female jazz band, "but it’s very difficult to find musicians, particularly for the brass section, a complicated business for women."

And so she opted for a salsa group, christening it Caribe Girls. "It was because our debut gigs were in Martinique and Guyana and those performances were a fusion of Caribbean music: suk, reggae and merengue, all mixed with salsa."

Nowadays their repertoire is more extensive. Of course salsa is still a major component but now there’s also son, rumba, cha cha, timba and even boleros. "We don’t just want to play in nightclubs, but also festivals and jazz concerts."

These 12 women – two on trombone, one on drums, plus timbales, congas, piano, bass and four singers – were immediately accepted and contracted for performances in Italy, and have returned there every year since 1999. Then came summer and winter tours throughout almost the whole of Europe: France, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Germany.

From their 2000 and 2001 tours, came two compilation discs, Salseando en la calle (Salsa-ing in the Street) and Rica Timba (Rich Timba).

Nowadays, everyone knows of the Japanese passion for salsa. They have even established a festival in Nokonoshima, known as "the isle of salsa". The Caribe Girls performed there and that success led to other concerts in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagasaki.

In whatever form, there is always the question of how this kind of artistic exchange functions with such diverse audiences and different musical cultures.

"It was our international work that led to us needing a stronger sound, and even forced us to include a brass section and timbales, but when the time comes to choose a lineup and set, we have two: once for abroad and one for in Cuba."

The young director explained: "For performances here, we have more complicated compositions, with strong harmonies, choruses and lyrics that Cuban dance-music lovers accept and understand a little better; whilst on our tours we play a softer style of music, for people that like to dance in couples."

Caribe Girls is a group that has caught on tremendously amongst the European public, however they still have to prove themselves in their own, and understandably difficult, backyard where they are not so well known.

"I acknowledge that," Thiving told Granma International, "and for that reason, we spent almost the whole of 2003 rethinking our project, studying styles, musical forms, searching even further for the characteristics that they identify with us."

As a result of their sabbatical, Caribe Girls have released what their director considers to be their first true CD, Contra viento y marea (Against Wind and Tide, MM-Avanti Record), with eight songs containing many different Caribbean genres, from suk to meringue, salsa and traditional son.

The number that has been most widely promoted to date – including a video clip on Cuban television – is "La Habana", by young singer-songwriter Cristian Alonso (grandson of the legendary Pacho Alonso).

The "break" has proved to be worthwhile as the Caribe Girls director revealed that a second CD is due for release in the near future, as they are currently discussing terms with the lively Cuban record company BIS Music.

"The main problem with performing live," commented Thiving, "is where to play, as Havana has a shortage of dance music venues. There are really only the two Casas de la Música, the Macumba, Café Cantante, the Copa Room and the Tropical.

Perhaps this could be the reason why the deluge of women’s groups is diminishing these days? "It could be, but there are other problems as well, not least of which is resistance from male musicians, and that’s a great shame because Cuba is the only country that can boast this tradition."