SGN Page 24

Friday
May 4, 2007
SGN.org

Volume 35
Issue 18

search only SGN online

Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

SGN ADVERTISING INFORMATION

site map

Aurelio Martinez brings Garifuna Caribbean coastal music of Central America to Meany Hall

Aurelio Martinez brings Garifuna Caribbean coastal music of Central America to Meany Hall
by E. Joyce Glasgow - SGN A&E Writer The Garifuna people are descendants of African slaves who were shipwrecked off the coast of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent in the 17th century. They intermixed with the native Arawak and Carib Indians on St. Vincent, developing their own unique culture, language and traditions. Forced into exile when the British took control of St. Vincent in 1779, the Garifuna found their way to the Honduran island of Roatan and subsequently migrated to the coast of Central America, to the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They have maintained their livelihood primarily as fishermen. Pressures of globalization threaten the unique heritage of this small diasporic community (there are between 200,000-400,000 Garifuna people worldwide) and in 2001 the Director General of UNESCO proclaimed the Garifuna language, music and dance to be one of the "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." Thirty-six year old musician, Aurelio Martinez, is a member of the Garifuna ethnic group. He was born into a distinguished musical family, in the small Garifuna community of Plaplaya, Honduras. As a child, he built his first guitar with wood taken from a fishing rod. At eight, the elders included him as a percussionist, playing in their group in the village. He has played with a number of ensembles ever since and brought his own band to Meany Hall on April 28th as part of Meany's "World Series". Singing, playing guitar, percussion and dancing, Martinez led his group in a lively, rhythmical and joyful performance. I was surprised to see that there were so many Garifuna people living in Seattle. There were many in the audience, cheering and calling out to Martinez and thoroughly enjoying hearing music from their homeland being performed live in Seattle. There were lots of children at the concert. Later in the performance, Martinez invited Garifuna dancers, living in Seattle, to join the band, on stage, in two dances, one in colorful costumes with masks. The music sounds most like traditional West African music, with elements of Afro Pop, Rock, Latin/Spanish and jazz weaving through it. Electric guitarist, "Wayo" Ramon Eduardo Cedeno, had a lot of influence over the changing feelings of the music. At times, he interjected stylistic references reminiscent of jazz guitarist, George Benson. The other members of the band were: Rolando Sosa Martinez (bass), "Chi-Chi-man" Onan Castillo Fernandez (percussion) and "Junior" Angel Aparicio Bernardez Martinez (percussion). Garifuna music is made up of a number of different rhythms, including gunchei, punta, paranda, oujamani and abaimajani. We learn in the program notes that: "Martinez has developed a distinct style that draws on these traditional rhythms, holding mostly to the languid parandero style that melds West African rhythms with Spanish guitar, and infusing his songs with both social messages about his people and universal themes that cross cultures." Garifuna music is infectious dance music, usually performed at festivals and gatherings and while I was happy to see Martinez's group being showcased in a beautiful, professional and prominent venue like Meany Hall, which I think is one of the best and most comfortable theaters in Seattle, I think the music could have worked its rhythmical magic more by presenting it in a more informal space with a large dance floor, allowing the audience to dance freely and have more of a personal interaction and communication with the musicians. At Meany, everyone, including the many enthusiastic Garifuna audience members, pretty much stayed in their seats all evening, in the more formal theater atmosphere. An idea would have been to also present a second performance at a venue conducive to dancing. In describing the depth and importance of his people's music, Martinez has said: "They are songs of the old men of the village, songs of the elders that get together. They can't dance anymore and can't do all sorts of things but can still sing in the afternoon. They get together so that they can share and talk about anecdotes, speak of situations that happen, talk about women. It's a form of sharing. & There are songs about racial equality[;]&common questions and situations of daily life, especially the social problems that face my community. & Instead of fighting, we work our problems in music". Aurelio Martinez and his band presented us with an evening of vibrant, robust and up-lifting music and dance, joyfully illuminating the rich and distinctive culture of the Garifuna people. For more information about Aurelio Martinez and events at Meany Hall, visit www.uwworldseries.org.