Luis Valle

When Luis Valle first came to Tokyo four years ago, he had a hard time. At his first trumpet sessions, he could hit those way-high notes and solo hard and fast, but reading the jazz charts was something else. In Cuba, where Valle group up, everyone learns by listening and practicing together more than by sight reading.

But in Tokyo, because of the expense and difficulty of scheduling rehearsals, Japanese jazz musicians have to be able to sight read quickly. Right before a gig, they get that night’s written charts, divide up the solos, smoke a cigarette, and play. In Cuba, musicians might practice and rehearse all afternoon.     

That concept should still be fresh in anyone’s mind who saw the scenes of recording in the hit film “The Buena Vista Social Club,” where older Cuban musicians, reclaimed from retirement, gathered together to re-make the phenomenal Latin music of their youth. But, even before the popularity of the film and recording, Tokyo was already engaged in a Latin boom. The Japan Salsa homepage lists nearly 100 working Latin style bands in the Tokyo area alone.

So, Valle learned to read faster. “In Cuba, musicians are like public servants, they expect high standards of conduct, so when I had to read in Tokyo, I felt bad it was so difficult,” said Valle with a laugh. “And I didn’t speak much Japanese, either. Now my reading is good, my Japanese, well, better.”

When he finally put together his own salsa and Latin jazz groups, he made sure everyone in the band listened first. Live, his groups waste no time getting straight into nimble clave rhythms and layers of sharp, brassy solos. Latin music tends to emphasize rhythmic drive over melodic and harmonic direction, but the Latin jazz of Valle’s groups fuses into a whallop for both head and feet. The result is a highly combustible musical energy. “That’s my shigoto. The other players watch me, get energy and ideas, then we play,” said Valle.

The creation of this complex, polyrhythmic music is made easier because of the broad experience of all the other musicians in the bands. In the two groups he leads, Tropicante and AfroQbamigos, he is joined by his older brother, Pedro on flute and sax, and members who have played with quite a few of the other popular Latin groups in Tokyo, Orquesta de la Luz, Orquesta del Sol, and Lisa Ono. “Lately, the level of Cuban and Latin is up,” said Valle. “Recently there are excellent jazz schools, though nothing really for Latin.” Especially since rhythms are notoriously difficult to write out, Latin music relies more on musicians’ experiential and instinctual sense to create the surging repetitive patterns under the melody.

    As a result, many Japanese musicians interested in Latin music travel to Cuba and South America, learning, as Valle did, by listening, imitating, playing back, picking up advice (and a little Spanish), and of course, by practicing.

“Latin videos are easily available, so musicians interested in Latin music listen and watch a lot,” said Valle at an interview at Roppongi’s Bodeguita, interrupting himself to point out interesting tunes blasting from the video stereo system.

Many of the bands in Tokyo play more salsa-based dance music, but Valle’s Tropicante and AfroQbamigos puts together a jazzier mix. “With Tropicante, I wanted to make Cuban Latin jazz that you can listen to carefully or you can dance to, either way, or both,” said Valle. “But the fans who like to dance are rather strict. They complain if the rhythm is off, so we have to be careful!” laughed Valle. Tropicante’s rhythms are mostly based in “son”, one of the most traditional Hispanic-African rhythmic styles of Cuba, but are also very jazz influenced. With each of the ten players given room to feature their own style, Tropicante’s live shows move easily from the slower beat and lush vocals of cha-cha-cha to a big-band sound mambo, to scorching merengue. Valle contributes many of his own originals.

AfroQbamigos has only seven people and focuses more on rumba, conga, Afro and bolero styles. “AfroQbamigos is more like American swing as the percussion is more jazz-like. We can maybe relax more and be more flexible, and make a more original mix, an original Tokyo mix,” said Valle, demonstrating the different rhythmic patterns on the tabletop. “But still, people like to dance.”

And dance they do. Nightly dance lessons and Latin DJ clubs are sprinkled throughout the city. The results at the live shows are breathtaking and sweaty. The floor is invariably packed with well-practiced fans, squeezing out as many steps as space allows. Valle still plays straight jazz by the charts with several jazz bands in town, but he seems to feel an almost civic duty to keep the rhythms tuned to the feet in the freshest way possible.

Valle didn’t talk about his future plans, but he did offer a brief anecdote. “I go back to Cuba once a year at least. The music there changes a lot in a short time. The last time I came back, the immigration officer had me open my suitcase, I had all CDs and videos.” Fortunately, Latin music is a welcome import.

(Originally published in The Japan Times, May 2001)