From time to time it has been fortunate to discover proposals that manage to shake up the daily life of the passing days with a special unusualness. For the Havana audience, one of these emotional catalysts was walking around the city last week, and his name is Jonathan Hoard, a real musical revelation for the Greater Antilles metropolitan scene.
With an explosive mixture of R&B, hip-hop, funk, jazz and even Cuban music, Hoard has amassed a style of his own that those who attended his two concerts in Cuba could enjoy.
Coinciding with International LGBT Pride Day, J. Hoard gave his first solo concert on June 28 at the Marti Theater which marked his debut on the Cuban stage with an accompanying band and young students from the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory. “You are real stars,” he told the young students in front of an audience that cheered for each of the interpretations of original compositions such as not so fast And sex friendeven his own version Forbidden loveby Selena, How it was, Benny Mora or Kimbara, by Celia Cruz.
Together with Dom Gervais, on drums, pianist and singer. Alexis Ombre, along with Katie Jones and Jacqueline Sanchez on choir and Liani Mateo on bass – the young bassist was already on the same stage with Arturo O’Farrill during the last edition of Jazz Plaza –, Hoard offered a unique show with his usual freedom. He then left the hot track for what would happen the next day at his second presentation at the National Museum of Fine Arts Theatre, a space he also shared with some Cuban rappers.
During rehearsals there, in the temple of Cuban fine arts, rebellious youth attended a meeting with J. Hoard, a two-time Grammy Award winner as a songwriter and singer for No problem (2017) for the best rap performance and the best
rap album. Despite his extravagance the night before, he looks alive, full of energy, ready for dialogue. “The gospel taught me how to express myself,” he says, showing passion in his gestures.
What he says is quite reliable. On stage, his soul travels a thousand an hour, and this is transmitted to every movement, every phrase, every step, among musicians and among the public: he gives orders to his group, like a good expert on the routes of his music. , while he improvises and his range moves at lightning speed, barely savoring the song, waiting for the next surprise. Hoard exudes uncontrollable virtuosity, but be careful not to lose focus on what he’s looking for on stage.
His studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, his musical education first in an Ohio family that cultivates and feels music between home and church, between funk and gospel, shaped this artist’s interests. New York music scene, whose personality and identity are inseparable from her talent.
Jonathan Hoard is non-binary – he does not feel identified with male or female, and the construction of his identity is not based on logic.
binary, according to which biological sex and gender identity are the same. His song, like his personality, defies classification: yes, it’s completely free. This is his projection onto the stage, this is his voice.
– Your interpretation is very emotional and stimulating, it is clear that you like it. What do you feel the moment you float on stage?
— I hate to say it (smiles), but it’s thanks to the Gospel. My family goes to church and I grew up as a Seventh Day Christian. Being in church for so long where I discovered rock, jazz, reggae; work in the choir with my brothers; The feeling of all this allowed me to flow on stage in this way.
“Then I joined the rap group The Lesson. Every Thursday we had jam sessions there, which allowed me to create new lyrics, melodies, and now that I have a looper – an instrument that allows you to play a certain record in a loop – I can create new harmonies, and I have a lot of fun. The lesson taught me how to flow outside of a church setting. It changed my life.
– You have collaborated with dozens of artists as a performer and composer, as happened with Black.
The coffee you were nominated for a Grammy Award for. When did you decide to write and tell your own stories and experiences?
— Mostly during 2016. There were a lot of things that happened in the world that year, especially where I live – Donald Trump wins the US Presidential election – and I wanted to write songs about what I lived, especially love songs, about things that I wanted to show in own life. So I composed sex friendfor example, and from there I started to write others with the piano, and now I compose with a looper, even live in concert: this is a new way of creating songs.
“I think I still have a lot to learn. I love to dance. I would like to act. As far as music is concerned, of course there is a lot to learn, but I think I’m in a place where I never thought I’d be, and so to be able to sing songs about queer love in Havana is wonderful. Of course I want to do more, go beyond “No problem” or make a record like Follow me (The truth about the past) (2019).
“I see you are wearing a T-shirt that says “No to racists, homophobes and idiots”.
While
the current in which performances
Hate is rising all over the world, what meaning do you give to this song for changing consciousness?
“It’s true, it’s my truth, and I believe that if more people told the truth, the world would be a better place. There are many people who use other truths through hatred because they want to make money and they only destroy lives. I came to Havana with my truth, which consists of my songs, my friends, my history.
“Composition like not so fast He tells us about the organization of chaos in the mind, that it takes time to find what we want: this is what we need. When it comes to love, you don’t need to rush, you don’t need to feel bad, just be patient and hug her when you’re ready. I also say this to River Song: you need to feel love and not run away from it.
We saw you dancing salsa on stage and singing Cuban songs in Spanish. What kind of Cuba appears in your musical imagination?
– Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian culture is very present in our lives. Particularly in Cuba, I am fascinated by the preservation of African roots and Yoruba music, which has always inspired me. First of all, this contact began in college, where I had friends from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and almost all over the Caribbean.
“They taught me these Latin roots, melodies; rites mixed with the Taíno and the way music was composed in these lands. It taught me to respect the culture of the indigenous peoples, and I realized that despite all the sadness and pain associated with colonization, something good came out of it all: music and art. Cuban culture is one of my favorites and I would love to continue to open paths, come back and continue collaborating with artists from this country. Meeting Amadeo Roldan young people and rappers was very inspiring so look forward to me in the future, this is my way of thanking you for this great opportunity.
Source: Juventud Rebelde