By Mark Hallum
Cuban jazz pianist Dayramir Gonzales brought a little bit of Havana to the Queens Library in Jamaica Monday night.
Inside the building’s small auditorium, the audience was enamored by the skill and knowledge Gonzales brings to his art. He gave an intimate glimpse into his life in Cuba and the passion that carried him to the United States, brings to his art.
As a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston and apprentice to the legendary Chucho Valdez, Gonzales and his band delivered an impressive show filled with animation, improv and interaction.
Gonzales chose to play music that detailed his journey as an artist, from his upbringing in Cuba through the history of the genre he has devoted his life to, up to his current success.
Gonzales opened the show with the song titled “Situaciones en 12/8.” He then moved on to “Mabel’s Cha” from his first album and the song that earned him an audition with Berklee. The piano virtuoso also featured songs from his latest album, “Grand Concourse,” and brought singer Jadele McPherson to the stage to accompany the band.
The audience was able to get a taste of the style that led to the birth of Cuban jazz with a piece by Gonzales called “Sencillo.”
This composition was written in the style of musicians who learned classical music abroad and returned to Cuba to apply those lessons to the music they were raised with. The result was a carefree melody and cadence that would seem uncharacteristic of the formal nature of music prior to the turn of the century.
Valdez was an influence on Gonzales’ style long before he had the opportunity to be taught by the award-winning musician.
The percussion, bass and drums accompanying the piano were something that Gonzales modeled his own style after.
“He told me, if you try to feel comfortable and if your mind is free, the music will follow the way you want. So never pretend,” Gonzales said. “One of the things I loved the most in him is that every time he’s on the stage, he is very relaxed. He is a great entertainer. The most important things I learned from him was entertainment and his way of storytelling.”
There is also a strong statement of Cuban pride in the music of Gonzales.
“For me, my music has always been a great way of expression. Through my music and through my concerts, you can see that I am always talking to the audience and encouraging people to go to Cuba and experience Cuba firsthand,” he said. “For me, the media in the United States is very biased and what they want is to kind of destroy the face of what is Cuba. So in my concerts I always tell people, ‘you need to go to Cuba, don’t let anyone tell you how it is.’”
Gonzales is the founder of the Art School of Contemporary Performance and Creativity, and in 2012 was invited to play at Carnegie Hall with Chucho Valdez and other Latin musicians.
Among his band members are Marcos Lopez, Keisel Jiminez and Alex Ayala, who are all from Cuba.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
