More Thoughts on Tiempo Libre

Posted by mwblogger

May 19, 2009

When I first wrote about Tiempo Libre here, I thought it was a novel project for them, and thought their paean to J.S. Back came out of the fact that they were acting as a “backup band” for James Galway. It made sense: here was one of the great classical music performers of our time who wanted to “cross over” (I know, I know, it never fails to make us all think of some truly bad ideas) and so he could play the Bach and the band could do the multi-culti handiwork behind him. Well, as usual I was not exactly right, and now that the group has their own record sans Galway, it is clear that this is no dread “crossover,” any more than Villa-Lobos is dread “crossover” and I say thank God for that. No, this is just plain cool, and my own narrow idea about it—the Westerners bring the Western music, and the locals from South of the Border bring the local flavor and somehow it all meets in the middle—is spot-off and for this I am glad.

Clearly this is a group who loves Bach, so much that they have to have him, but have him their way. I always remember a quote from American Composer Charles Ives, who said that the only reasonable reaction to a piece of music was another piece of music; I’ve put this often into practice in my own work, taking things I loved deeply and making my own piece from them (or sometimes things I loathed deeply but wanted to understand the appeal), getting inside music the way I knew how, by making music.

So fear not, crossover haters, this is not John Denver duetting with Placido Domingo or the latest opera star trying desperately to sing Pop music from a bygone era (and Ms. Fleming, I am by no means referring to you, in case you read me avidly). This is not even genre-leaping or border-crossing or boundary-decimating music. It’s just one awesome set of musicians responding to some music they find to be awesome, and when you listen to it that way, its not only soulful and fun, but also a weird and wonderful kind of spiritual communion. Not between cultures but rather between people and their different ideas of music. Keeps the flow going, this kind of thinking, and mystic-project-ness aside, I just think the record is tremendously appealing.

For more information on Tiempo Libre visit: For more information on Tiempo Libre visit: www.TiempoLibreMusic.com

Click here to purchase Bach In Havana

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