WILLIAMSVILLE — Cuban percussionist William Armando Rodriguez, whom guitarist Jason Sperling has called “the greatest musician now living and performing in Southern Vermont,” is performing with his group De Lomas y Sones on Saturday, April 27, as part of a Latin Dance Party for Timson Hill Preschool's 25th anniversary celebration.
The fundraiser runs from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Williamsville Grange. A silent auction runs 6 to 7:45, and the Latin dance party kicks off at 8.
If Sperling's praise sounds like a bit of hyperbole, Dan DeWalt, member of worldbeat dance band Simba, adds, “William is indeed a remarkable musician. He is thoroughly steeped in the Cuban musical tradition which means an incredible depth of skills and knowledge of the Cuban styles and skills. He is a master on timbales, congas, bongos, and is an excellent lead singer and showman.”
Rodriguez, who now lives in Brattleboro, has made quite an impression on every musician who has come in contact with him. He says that his objective is to spread Cuban culture by teaching the beauty and diversity of its percussion rhythms and musical instruments.
A native of Santiago de Cuba, Rodriguez began his study of music at nine years old at the Escuela Vocacional de Arte Jose Maria Heredia and continued in the Conservatorio de Musica Esteban Salas, where he graduated at the top of his class. After receiving his degree, he went on to teach percussion in Escuela Vocacional de Arte Jose Maria Heredia and later become head of the department of percussion.
Rodriguez joined the popular group Septeto Tipico Tivoli in 2003 as percussionist and music arranger. He infused the rhythms of son, salsa, bachata, merengue, bolero and other popular and traditional rhythms into the group's repertoire.
In 2007, he traveled with the group to London, England to participate in the Carnival de Cuba.
In 2010 Rodriguez and Septeto Tipico Tivoli came to the United States as part of a Cuban-American cultural exchange. The group travelled throughout New England giving concerts at community events and teaching in elementary and secondary schools.
But on this tour, Rodriguez chose not to return to Cuba.
Rodriguez says he does not want to “talk too much about politics,” but he explains that he decided to move permanently to the United States to make a better life for himself.
“Cuba is a country with beautiful music and beautiful people but there is no future there,” he says. “Life in Cuba is all working. It is impossible to find security. In Cuba, you may not have to pay taxes and all places are open to everyone. But there is too much government control.”
What he does miss in Cuba is how the Ministry of Arts made life as an artist easier for him, by arranging all his concerts. Here in the United States he has to find the work and do the booking himself.
“But, in Cuba, the government takes the money from your performances,” he adds, “and gives you only a small percentage, around 7 percent. Here, I can keep what I earn.”
Rodriguez works as a guest percussionist with local bands such as Simba and Fenibo, as well as Dartmouth College's Dartmouth Idol orchestra.
“As well as being a welcome guest with many local bands, he has started his own group in the United States, De Lomas y Sones, of which I am lucky enough to be a member,” says DeWalt, a Newfane resident.
“Playing in his band is a lot of fun and an ongoing tutorial in music at the same time. He is giving us a chance to bring an authenticity to the music we love to play that we would not otherwise have in our performances.”
With his group De Lomas y Sones, Rodriguez is committed to playing and promoting Son cubano, a style of music that originated in Cuba and gained worldwide popularity in the 1930s. Combining the structure and elements of Spanish canción and the Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion instruments of Bantu origin, son is one of the most influential and widespread forms of Latin American music.
Rodriguez is eager to emphasize that son originated in Santiago de Cuba, the region of Cuba from where he was born. Proud of his heritage, Rodriguez believes that his mission is to preserve son in its purity.
“That is not to say I do not perform other kinds of music, even salsa with its bigger sound. Since moving to the United States, I have found other musical avenues to explore. I am a new aficionado of Latin Jazz and have forayed into the blues.”
Besides his celebrated career as a performer, Rodriguez is a notable teacher.
That part of his transition to the United States has proved be difficult, because he was an established and respected teacher in Santiago.
In Cuba, he taught students from 8-18 years old percussion and band arrangement for Cuban music, popular music, and classical percussion, as well as other subjects. He currently teaches Afro-percussion at the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro, but is eager to do much more.
“Teaching is an important part of my life,” Rodriguez says. “I hope to inspire kids to understand more about other cultures, their languages, habits and music.”
Rodriguez loves living in Vermont, but he does have one major objection about the area.
“Where is the music?' he asks. “In Cuba, music was everywhere. Here, I go to picnics or restaurants and there is nothing. Why is this? Let us all have more music and enjoy the fun.”