Why doesn't Miami have a good/great latin music scene?

[taikonoatama]

Dario and JohnnyC have both mentioned that Miami, in spite of its large Cuban/Hispanic population, does not have the sort of live latin music scene one might expect in such a place. Why is that? Are people more interested in non-latin music in terms of live shows? Is there any kind of folkloric scene there at all? Regular rumbas in a park or wherever? Classes? Hard to understand what's up with this.

[JConga]

I can speak from my 17 years of living there and tell u all kinds of reasons...One that "Cuban radio" in Miami does not play ANY Cuban music after 1959....and has always been that way except for Radio station WDNA where i worked for 11 years and Dario even longer and WE played recent Cuban music all the time and would gets 'calls" for playing communist music...but we spun anyway...second THERE IS NO RUMBA IN MIAMI!...the rumba was ME Dario, Freddy Lugo, Louie Quinto, Tati, Louie Gonzalez, and some others..and it only happened when WE called a Rumba...the Cubans in Miami are "Capitalists" and could care less about Cuban culture in Cuba yesterday today or tomorrow(Dario is an exception and very few others)...there has been concerts by Los Van Van where riots broke out outside the now gone Miami arena and other situations around Cuban bands in Miami...the bands that have existed in Miami over all these years are Willie Chirino, Los Sobrinos del Juez, Hansel and Raul, Tipica Tropical, Orch. Imensidad, Lefty Perez, Nestor Torres, Luis Enrique, and some others....from what my boys tell me Reaggeton is now happening there.... and since i left there 7 years ago there have been no rumbas to speak of.....the Cubans in Miami are a whole nother breed from those in Cuba today......the language and the food is the only thing Cuban in Miami to me...Cuban American-Johnny Conga

[TONE74]

I agree with what JC says. The only ones I see interested in the modern music and culture are the new arrivals and they are sometimes discriminated against by the older Cubans. As far as rumba there is also a racial thing against Afro Cuban culture by older whites and even some blacks. I've even been told by an older black Cuban that rumba is for low lives, I just looked at him and laughed because I'm a white Cuban and see how beautiful our culture is but he doesn't and it was his people mainly responsible for it. I guess its a mind set from older days.

[OLSONGO]

I am fully aware of Cuban Miami, all I can do is laugh . And I laugh because if you go to other cities in the USA , the likes of N.Y., San Francisco, L.A., Chicago and even Kansas City. the Afro - Cuban culture is very much embraced. Sort of telling Miami to get their heads out of the sand .
You just can't erase that big chunk of Cuban culture because of some political and racial contradictions. All i know that of all the names that J.C. mentioned, none compare musically to Paquito De Rivera, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Omar Sosa, Irakere, Los Van van, the late Anga and so on. And if what they produce is communist music , so then let it be it.

Paz
Olsongo

[Omelenko1]

Everything JC said is gospel. I go to New York and Jersey and there are rumbas, there is jazz, latin jazz, but it just doesn't happen here. You have great talent here, but the culture for Afro Cuban music is non existant. The master Cachao lived and recently died here, there could have been weekly descargas here through the years, like what Cachao started in La Habana in the late 50's, but it never happened. Daniel Ponce, one of the best congueros in the world lives here, but he only plays religious affairs (Santeria related). There are many quality musicians here, that in order to economically survive have had to turn their backs on music and drive trucks or cabs, work in restaurants or hospitals, etc. I always had dreams of great rumbas and descargas here, but those dreams stopped 30 yrs. ago and I've been here for 47 yrs. Mongo came to Miami and died here, he was a sad soul while down here, always wanting to go back to NYC, but most of his family was down here. At the end Mongo wanted to go to Jesus Maria, his neighborhood in La Habana, to die there. He didn't do it because of his family. He used to tell me " Dario, me quiero morir en mi barrio, con negros Cubanos, me quiero morir en mi tierra". I loved Mongo, may he rest in peace, he is burried in the Musical cemetery, Miami.

Dario

[OLSONGO]

Ahora Dario, when I was in Miami the last time (6 mths ) I heard of Arturo Sadoval's place on the radio, recently the University of Miami installed what is called the institute of Latin Jazz... due to have an event in November, and I also know that Nestor Torres plays quite often in South Florida. But for what Miami is, there could be more. Politics likes to get into everyones business , but art is for arts sake. I do think that one of the biggest culprits is the prejudice that exist amongst Cubans themselves, making it very difficult to organize quality events. As far as the rumba is concerned that is some of you guys fault, i just cant believe that 3 or 4 rumberos can't get together at a cultural center, one of many parks or on the beach. If they don't let you do that, entonces es como una dictadura.

Paz
Olsongo

[SongoSon]

I read all of your comments and was saddened . How's the Cuban music scene in Tampa and Orlando or California ?
If not for the internet I would have missed out on contemporary Cuban music.
Seems like one has to go to Canada or Europe for some live down home Cuban music.

[bongosnotbombs]

Plenty of Cuban music here in California.
We got Armando Peraza, Francisco Aguabella, all kinds....
Rumba, Salsa...

[SongoSon]

Via....great to hear that. Cali is on my places to visit list.
Do the radio stations play any contemporary Cuban music ?
How's the San Diego Latin music scene? People tell me the weather is great.

[JConga]

jUST SO U KNOW OLSONGO....WHEN I LIVED IN MIAMI I THREW RUMBAS ON 10TH AND OCEAN ALL THE TIME..U CAN SEE 2 VIDEOS OF US JAMMIN ON YOUTUBE.COM TYPE IN SEARCH "SOUTH BEACH RUMBA"...IM ON QUINTO IN ONE OF THEM U JUST CANT SEE ME PLAYING, BUT MY BOY "NENE" MENTIONS ME...UNFORTUNATELY WHEN I LEFT THE RUMBA LEFT WITH ME...EVEN ALL THE MEMBERS OF MY BAND IN MIAMI HAVENT SEEN EACH OTHER SINCE I LEFT...i WAS VERY INVOLVED IN THE CITY OF MIAMI ON MANY LEVELS AND EVEN RECEIVED A 'CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION" FROM MAYOR PINELLAS FOR MY COMMUNITY SERVICE TO THE ARTS. Miami is sad, and a musicians cemetary for sure....people don't understand FLORIDA IS "THE" RETIREMENT STATE!"...so if ur not ready to retire don't move to Miami, or Florida, and "retirement" is not a word in MY vocabulary.....but to party for 3 days on South Beach? OH YEAAAAAAA!.....Also i take the credit for bringing Latin Jazz to Miami. When i moved there in 86, the term Latin Jazz was non existent, and "Dance" music was going on. Now at the U of M (where i also taught at) they have started a Latin Jazz class...very interesting....I wonder who is running the class?...oh yea there is NO PLACE to play Latin Jazz in Miami....they have one festival a year for that....ohh yea Miami Beach is a "seasonal" city, it shuts down from May to October, so there is NO work for waiters, bus boys, valet parkers and so on and so on which also includes live music of any kind....any more qauestions?...Mi socio Omelenko can verify all that Im talking about.....Johnny Conga

[vinnieL]

Guys what JC and Dario say is the absolute truth Miami is not as cultural as one would think. This place is musically dead period. I recently met another cat that plays and we plan on getting together and playing but your talking about 2 students of the game not seasoned rumberos but hey we will do our thing. Now we have to find at least a third guy lol

[vinnieL]

Electronic dance music clubs and bars is all we have here guys

[JConga]

Here I am in one of the many bar/clubs I worked in as a "side show", along with almost naked girl dancers, DJ behind me, and strolling sax and trumpet...not in photo. Miami -90's...Johnny Conga

[umannyt]

JC.

Some guys have all the luck!

Thanks for sharing,

[congamyk]

them ladies is stacked-DeD....

I almost didn't notice those hip shoes JC
You be Vice-in