Orquesta Aragón at Brava Theater

Orquesta Aragón
Brava Theater
San Francisco, CA
April 30, 2023

These days not many bands stick together for five years, let alone decades. The wonderful Orquesta Aragon has proven to be an exception to the rule since its founding in 1939 by bassist Orestes Aragón. Over the years, although personnel has shifted, the ensemble's original vibrant spirit has never dimmed, and its sound remains fresh, exciting and revitalizing.

After Aragón suffered a serious illness in 1948, lead violinist Rafael Lay Apesteguía (1927—1982), stepped to the fore. Following the band's relocation from its hometown of Cienfuegos to Havana in the early 1950s, the orchestra rapidly garnered acclaim, especially for its "cha cha cha" numbers. Through the decades it has expanded, and the group has generated scores of albums and CDs. The current musical director, lead violinist and vocalist Rafael Felipe Lay Bravo, has held the post since 1980.

The group's fortunes have paralleled Cuban history. In the 12th decade of its existence, the Cuban dictator Batista seized power. In 1953, the year of the band's 14th birthday, Fidel Castro launched his attack on the Moncada Barracks, seizing power in 1959. The US government (and American business interests) became disgruntled with his policies, and animosity grew between the two governments. In 1961, the year of the band's 22nd anniversary, the CIA spearheaded the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs Invasion. Decades of conflict between US and Cuban governments has meant that Aragon could not tour the US. Even today, visa snarls ensue: The original show dates had to be pushed forward three weeks. (See "Postscript" below).

For the San Francisco date, Orquesta Aragón packed the Brava Center for the Arts theater in the city's Mission District for two memorable shows. Wearing guayaberas in lieu of suits, its 13 musicians took the stage, with lead vocalist Alexander Martinez Silva (who joined the band in 2022), occupying stage center. To his right were keyboardist Orlando Jesús Pérez Montero, who has been with the band since 1985, and flautist Eduardo Ramón Rubio Pérez, a true master of his instrument, who has been with the band for over three decades.

Known as "La Madre de las Charangas Cubanas" ("The Mother of The Cuban Charangas") and "La Charanga Eterna" ("The Eternal Charanga"), Orquesta Aragón is a charanga-style Cuban dance music ensemble. This means it employs flutes and violins in addition to a vocalist and customary instruments such as timbales and güiro, This lovely, heartstring-touching flute-violin combination is what gives Orquesta Aragón 's music its magnetic appeal.

Because these musicians have played together for so long, they have established an almost telepathic rapport that few other ensembles can rival. What most immediately impresses one about charanga (and especially Orquesta Aragón's version of it), is the vibrancy of the flute players. Although both violin and flute are sometimes employed in jazz, no other musical form matches the wondrous way they meld together within a charanga. Call and response and hand-clapping are also fundamental elements of its sonic mix.

The band kicked off with "Mira a ver quién es" which tells the tale of a dancing winemaker. The second number, "El Paso de Encarnacíon" ("Carnation's Step"), concerns a woman wearing a tight dress whose partner warns her she will slip. The dance number "Chaucha" was followed by the Afro-Cuban infused "Ya Boi," with its call and response. Many audience members were dancing in front of the stage; other couples were out in the central aisle.

The music continued in this vein with violinists swaying back and forth, with the lush, romantic, sensual music captivating and enthusing the audience. Orlando Montero soloed ethereally on his Roland Pro, while recent (2020) member Danrys Navas García showed off his dance moves before ripping off his shirt to much applause and appreciation. "Pare Cochero," a tune about a boy asking a driver to stop the car, was the show's finale. A short encore—following enthused calls for "otra" ("another")—brought each of the two shows to their conclusions.

Postscript: On the situation regarding visas for Cuban musicians touring the United States, Lawyer Bill Martinez of Martinez Arts Consulting relates that "visas are impacted by the US position that Cuba is a "state sponsor of terror" as declared again by Trump one week before his departure from the White House. Cuban applicants often are required to be subjected to post-consular interview delays for 'administrative processing' (security clearances). Such processing with all its unpredictability, is not something we can control. It has often been part of the visa application process for Cubans and non-Cubans. It has been particularly difficult for our Cuban artists.

"In the end, the State Department and consulate officials were very helpful in saving the day and we're grateful for their pushing for us," Martinez said. "But even those offices are hard-pressed to expedite processing because of policy requirements. It's an unwieldy process that in our opinion need not be as complicated as it is."

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