Transcript
Juan Luis Guerra
Hello! I'm Leila Cobo. Welcome to Estudio Billboard. I want to thank you once again for joining me on this musical journey which is different and unique every time. During this hour, we will have the chance to get an insightful look at an artist who will share part of his work with us, and we will discover the creative process behind it. You will also have the chance to participate with your questions on the website or here in the studio. Estudio Billboard starts now!
I want to introduce to you today a composer, singer-songwriter, and producer who spread Dominican bachata internationally, selling 15 million records around the world. He majored in Philosophy and Literature in Santo Domingo, but later, he decided that music was his true calling. He studied music at Berklee College of Music, in Boston. He started this journey filled with expectations. He was carrying a letter. A friend of his had asked him to deliver it to a design student named Nora Vega. She would become his wife and the inspiration for his songs. Today, he is regarded as one of the most famous and important composers of Latin American pop music. Let's learn part of his story!
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo, que caiga un aguacero de yuca y...
My life really revolved around a guitar. When I was 15 or 16 years old, my life was that instrument. That is why... They said, "Let's send him to Berklee. Let's see what happens." And they did.
Oye, me sube la bilirrubina...
Boston... Boston gave me a lot of things. It gave me my wife. That's where I met Nora.
...no lo quita la aspirina, no, con suero o con penicilina. Es un amor que contamina. Me sube la bilirrubina. Me sube la bilirrubina, ay, me sube la bilirrubina.
The band is really special. When we get together, we are like a family. It is like a family. Remember...there are people from my church in the band. I mean...we get together three times a week, and we have rehearsal. We meet every four or five days.
*Jesús me dijo que me riera, si el enemigo...
Personally, God made me change very quickly. I started to realize that many things in my life weren't right. Listen... Our sound was something new. Of course, it comes from the fusion of many other sounds. When you do that... you create a new sound. Music is an expression for me. I need to eat, and I need to create as well.
La conocí una tarde...
Don't move. After the break, we will have a deep discussion with the unique artist Juan Luis Guerra. We'll be right back.
Simple...like...?
At that time, I wanted to make their music. Then I realized that success was going to come only after making my own music. Dominican music.
[clapping]
He was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on the 7th of June, and was named Juan Luis Guerra Cejas. He is the youngest of three brothers. They are children of the basketball player Gilberto Guerra, who passed away, and Olga Cejas. He recorded his first album, Soplando, with his band, "Los 4.40". His international career began at that moment. "Ojalá que Llueva Café," "Bachata Rosa," "Areíto," "Ni es lo Mismo ni es Igual," and "La Llave de mi Corazón" are some of his most important works. He has been awarded several Billboard, Grammy, and Latin Grammy awards. He has shared the stage with many brilliant artists. Many others have recorded his songs. Let's give a warm welcome to Juan Luis Guerra!
[clapping]
Juan Luis, Welcome!
Good afternoon.
Ok! Juan Luis... Thanks for joining us.
Any time.
I know you have a very busy schedule because you are in the hot seat right now. You are the man of the year.
Well, yes...
I mean...literally.
...I had that honor. I was appointed the 2007 Man of the Year during the Grammys. I had that privilege, and I am very thankful for that.
Do you remember where you were when they called you? "Juan Luis, you are the entertainer of the year!"
I don't recall where I was. Amarily, my manager, called me and told me that Rodolfo, from EMI, wanted to give me some news. He called me and gave me the good news.
Listen, Juan Luis... One of the nicest things about this award is that the night before the Grammys... I am going to mention this because many people might not know this... There is a dinner organized in your honor and many artists come and perform your music. Did you ask for someone in particular? Was there anyone important that you wanted to play your songs that night?
Sure. The first thing I did was invite my friends. The artists I have worked with. Some of them can make it, some others can't.
Can you mention some of the artists who are going to be there?
Well... Ricky Martin is going to be there... Daddy Yankee and Aleks Syntek... I would like to mention all of them. Daniela Mercury is also going to be there.
During your childhood... Did you grow up surrounded by music? Was there always music at home? Where did you get that love of music from?
My father was a basketball player. He would travel to many different countries and would bring music home with him. If he traveled to Puerto Rico, he would bring back music from Cortijo y su Combo. If he traveled to Mexico, he would bring music from there. My brothers would play music by The Beatles. Next to my house, was the Independence Theater where big stars of the moment performed back then. That is why I used to say that even the avocados sang in my backyard. Everyone used to sing there, and I started to appreciate all of that music.
When was the moment that you picked up a guitar and started playing it? Or was it the piano? I don't know what the first instrument was.
The first instrument I asked for was a piano, but I never got it.
Did you ever take formal guitar lessons when you were little?
If I was ever little... I did.
[laughing]
Yes. When I was little I took classes from a teacher in Santo Domingo, Miguel Méndez. I used to go to the Conservatory. When I was around 17 or 18 I decided I wanted to study abroad.
You also studied philosophy, didn't you?
Well...at that time... parents would tell their children that if they wanted to pursue music, they would also have to study an alternative career. I chose philosophy, and that helped me a lot when composing later.
How did it help you? In the way you write? In the way you...?
Well, you start to experiment with poetry... Neruda, Borges, Federico García Lorca, Vallejo and so on. You start to understand poetry, and that helps a lot.
What happened to your music? Were you playing at night in clubs?
Of course. I was playing at the Santo Domingo Hotel. I played what we used to call picoteo, which is from 9 pm to 1 am. We used to sing some of our songs... vocal quartets in the style of the Castro brothers and that kind of stuff. When there were special artists playing, they would sing those types of songs.
So, Juan Luis... You finished your philosophy studies? Didn't you finish?
No. No way! One year later, I desperately wanted to quit.
When did you say, "Mom, that's it! I can take it anymore!"?
I told her, "Mom, I can't take it anymore. What I want to do is study music abroad. I want to go to Berklee College." That is one of the most famous jazz schools in The United States. My mother was a very sweet nice woman, and she wanted to please me. She said, "Ok. We are going to send you there." And they did it... with a lot of effort.
Was she thinking that you would abandon that idea? Or was she thinking that you would never give up?
She already knew that I would never give up. I always had my guitar with me. I even slept with my guitar, and I woke up with it. That was the love of my life at the time.
So... Your idea was to be a jazz guitar player?
At that time, it was. But when you start school... There are different subjects... arrangements... harmony... So, you get all excited about other subjects. I had an idea in my head because composition and arrangements are linked to each other.
Yes.
When I compose, I listen to... and can almost feel... the instruments. I can compose a merengue... and as soon as I finish, I start to hear the saxophones and trumpets playing it. It is wonderful to be able to compose and arrange for yourself.
At Berklee... When did you decide to switch from jazz to traditional music?
I went through a lot of different phases. Then I decided to take my composition and arrangement classes very seriously. I realized that when I did an arrangement in the Latin style, the piece would catch everyone's attention. At that time, I wanted to make their music. Later, I realized that my success was going to be in making my own music. Dominican music.
Your own music but incorporating some elements of their music.
Jazz elements... Yes.
Juan Luis... What was the first song that you composed where you mixed both worlds?
For example... I would play some salsa, and I would arrange it with some riffs from jazz... The American piano players were really attracted to the síncopa... to how I could... what we call tumbar. It caught their attention. At that time, it was different than it is now because every American can play some salsa now. But in '79 or '78, it wasn't like that.
And now, this is your instrumet...
...A wonderful, complicated instrument.
This instrument is very common among the people of the Caribbean. Please explain to our watchers in Argentina, or anywhere else, what it is.
...It's a güira.
It's very elegant. Isn't it?
It's very elegant. It is a complicated instrument.
Why is it difficult?
Well... After you have spent half an hour in this position... For example... I play a merengue and my hands hurt. And... It is very rhythmical. It's a very rhythmical instrument.
There is obviously a key, right? Many people know this rhythm. Is there a specific rhythm that you play with the güiro?
Well... You can play merengue.
Can you show us a little?
The right one... That's a trick you are doing to me. That is merengue. There is another way to play it.
When you were at Berklee, did you take the güiro and all of those instruments with you?
No, no. That is one of those stories of mine. You know... Guitar players get together, and everyone starts playing... trying to get everyone's attention. It was my turn, and I started to play one of the riffs that West Montgomery usually plays. He is one of the greatest guitar players.
I'm not going to ask you to stand up and play the same riff.
I don't remember what it was... really. I recall it was blues... some of those West Montgomery's blues. That kind of stuff.
Alright.
That kind of stuff is very attractive for jazz players, ok?
Yes.
I played that and absolutely nothing happened. I said, "Well... It's true. You come here from far away and that's not enough to capture people's attention." There was a güira on one of the shelves. I took it, and all of a sudden... That caught everyone's attention. I remember when an American friend of mine told me, "Can you write down that musical pattern for me?" I replied, "It's something very basic." He said, "It might be simple, but I have never heard anything like it." That was when I realized that my success would be based on discovering and making my own music... Dominican Republic music.
Tell us a little about the creative process of "La Llave de mi Corazón."
"La Llave de mi Corazón" was originally a blues song. Later, I started to add some mambo, merengue, and trumpet riffs to it. I started to do it as if we were in the '50s or '60s. I already knew the song was going to work. There are songs that were created very quickly. Others require you to work more. The good thing about merengue is that it incorporates other musical genre... and it has hip-hop and funk. Many things can be done with funk.
Well... When we return... I want you to continue to tell us what can be done with merengue. Stay tuned. We'll be back with more about Juan Luis Guerra.
[clapping]
Ayayayay amor, eres la rosa que me da calor...
[clapping]
We continue learning about and enjoying the company of Juan Luis Guerra. Juan Luis...you have talked a lot about your trip to Berklee. Something that you haven't mentioned is that you arrived in Berklee with your guitar and a letter.
Yes.
For whom?
Well...it was a letter for a friend's friend. She gave me the letter, but I imagine she intended for something else to happen. I took the letter to her friend, and today she is my wife. I gave her the letter, and ever since that moment, she has held my attention.
How many years ago was that?
I Imagine more than 23. We have been married for more than 23 years... and there will be many more.
There will be many more. It's interesting because La Llave de mi Corazón is a romantic album, and most of it has been dedicated to your wife. Isn't that true?
Yes. I would say it is a reflection of our love over 23 years... and all of the wonderful things we have been able to learn from it. There are specific songs for her, such as "Si Tú no Bailas Conmigo" or "Sólo Tengo Ojos para Ti." I composed those songs while thinking about her.
Do you remember the first song you wrote for her when you were together at Berklee?
No, no. I would say the first song I really wrote for her was a merengue called "Ay Mujer." I would say that one was the main one.
Were you already married?
Yes, yes. We were already married.
Is she still influential in your music?
Yes.
How does it work? You compose something...
I compose a song, and I sing it for her. When I see that she is silent, or if I look in her eyes...
[laughing]
If I see a tear, I know she loved it.
If she does like this... It means she didn't like it?
It's very strange. Sometimes, when she doesn't like something, she lets me know. There are songs that are on the record just to fill it up. They are "stuffing." I'm not going to say now because they are already on the CD.
[laughing]
There was one we used to call "the stuffing." We agreed on including "the stuffing," and now it is a hit.
Really?
And now... every time Yanina, my piano player, plays it, she says, "Listen to the stuffing." You never really know what song will be memorable.
Juan Luis, can you play something from one of those romantic songs that you used to play for her as a serenade?
As a serenade? Oh, my God.
Yes...only one verse... not all of the song... Only a phrase. I think it is very inspiring for people to know that you have been a couple for 27 years, and that you still get inspired by her.
Of course.
It's beautiful.
Ayayayay amor, eres la rosa que me da calor, eres el sueño de mi soledad, un letargo de azul, un eclipse de mar.
Oh...
[clapping]
Everyone here...learn that song if you want to serenade somebody. Listen...what do you do when you write? Do you write the lyrics first or the music? Does it vary or do you have a system?
The melody comes first, and then I start to work on the lyrics.
How does the melody come to you? Are you one of those who sits down to write? Or can you be on a plane and feel inspired?
I believe in inspiration a lot. I think there are specific moments when you are able to create. Picasso used to say that he believed in inspiration, but it had to find you while you were working. That is true as well. I mean...you sit down, commit to your work, and inspiration comes. There are certain moments when I feel tingles and I have to go running...
Wherever you are.
...to a guitar.
When you returned to the Dominican Republic, you wrote many jingles for commercials.
Yes.
Do you think that helped you develop those tingles you feel into...?
Well...that is a way to compose. For example, I don't know if you remember "La Abeja al Panal"... That song came from a TV jingle.
No way!
That is how it was born. We only did the first part initially.
Did you know that?
Audience: No.
And then, we took the... The song was such a hit that we turned into a bachata son.
What was it the jingle for?
A soda.
Listen...I'm being told that the audience has questions.
Woman: I would like to know if maybe later, you would like someone to make a movie about your life.
Oh, my God...
Ha, ha, ha.
Well... My son is studying cinematography... so let's see if he's interested in that. I have seen documentaries about Bob Dylan, and that is something that gets my son's attention. Maybe we could figure something out.
Woman: I would like to know if you have a goal or dream that you want to achieve.
That is very important. I believe that not only about music... but in everything that you are going to do. You have to have a vision... Set a goal... it always has to be much bigger that you can imagine. So, with this album, I set the goal of reaching every country... even countries where my music had not yet arrived... like Japan, France, England or Australia.
Juan Luis... when you started making music professionally... Did you set a goal when you were 18 years old?
I have always acted based on goals, but I didn't realized it at that time. When I was in Santo Domingo... I wanted to study at Berklee. While I was at Berklee I wanted to compose in Santo Domingo. When I was in Santo Domingo... I wanted to create 4.40. But now I do it all consciously. Right now...I just made a CD, and I started thinking about the things that I am going to get thanks to that CD. It is true for everything... If you are an engineer, an architect, or a poet... It is important to dream.
Good.
Woman: You have made many songs, but I imagine there is a particular song that...
There are many significant songs in my career. For example, "Ojalá que Llueva Café" is a significant song because it started to open doors for me. Later, there was "La Bilirrubina" which is one of the most popular merengue songs. Also "Burbujas de Amor" or "Cuando te Beso" which are love songs... Or even "Si Tú No Bailas Conmigo"... from the current songs. I mean...I believe every song tells a specific story.
What is the story behind "Burbujas de Amor"? I am asking because it is one of my favorite songs. I think it is one of the greatest love songs.
"Burbujas de Amor"... The thing is... when you compose... You can't always remember the story behind the song very clearly. How did I compose it? I was reading a novel by Julio Cortázar called "Rayuela". On one of the pages... I don't remember which one, the character literally touched a fish tank. He was looking at a fish tank. He came close to it, and he touched it with his nose. I was so impressed by that image that I took my guitar and composed "Burbujas."
What is the story behind "El Niágara en Bicicleta"?
Oh, ok. "El Niágara en Bicicleta"... I wanted to make a song that would talk about the healthcare problem in my country and in many others. I went on a trip with my wife and Roger, from my band. We were looking at a huge exhibition window. Suddenly, I felt dizzy, and I fell down. Roger and my wife got me in... you know...a Volkswagen. [laughing] I was taken to the hospital in the Volkswagen... with my two legs sticking out the window.
They wanted to torture you.
They took me to the hospital, and there they gave me an electro... There were a lot of things. I had an electrocardiogram. Everything was good. A few years later... when I started to compose "El Niágara en Bicicleta"... I imagined the same scenario in a place where nothing is available... no electricity, no medicine, and so on. I started to investigate with some doctors about practical things that seemed fictional... but they are also true.
Sure.
It happens to many people. I started to write some specific phrases that are used in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic and in many other countries. For example... When you say that you are crossing Niagara Falls on a bike... as the title of the song says... It means that you are going through hard times. "Tranquilo, Bobby!" is an expression usually said to a dog when he is going to bite you. "Tranquilo, Bobby." [laughing]
Juan Luis... Do you remember how you met your band 4.40? When you came back to the Dominican Republic? Were they people you already knew? How did it happen?
Those were people who used to work... For example, Roger was a sound engineer. Maridalia, who was part of the first 4.40, was also one of the main singers in Santo Domingo, as well as Mariela. One day we decided to get together and add the vocals to some of the arrangements that I had made in Boston. We got together, and it came out great. We liked the sound. That was how we got together until our first album, Soplando, was released. It was a sort of pambiche, which is a kind of... slow merengue with many jazz influences.
Why was it called 4.40? I am sure some people know this.
It was called 4.40 due to the universal tuning pattern in music. It was called that by my brother, José Gilberto, who used to come to our rehearsals to listen to us. When we were singing out of key, he would hear us say that we were not in 4.40. We would say, "That is not in 4.40. Let's do it again." He said, "If you use that word so much... Why don't you call the group that?" And it stuck.
It stuck, up to now. Well, stay tuned. We'll be back with more about Juan Luis Guerra.
[clapping]
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