Ivon Ulibarri Interview

It's a major understatement to say that Salsa is a male-dominated industry. Musicians (who happen to be women) who choose this style of music as their art form often find that they are welcomed into certain areas of the realm designated for singers only, and even then they are obliged to vy to fill the shoes of the late, great Celia Cruz.

Women who rise to any level of stardom amongst the numerous "Mambo Kings" appear to us like random, distant comets in the night sky of well-known constellations, rather than constant elements in the celestial design that drive this music genre forward. We dare you to name a woman right off the top of your head who has ever led, successfully, a Latin jazz band, as a musician, singer, composer and band leader. Go ahead. Try. Say it. . . Shiela E. We love Shiela E. But, come Friday night at the Albuquerque Museum Amphitheatre, you may want to revise your answer. If you live in New Mexico, you know that Ivon Ulibarri is a name synonymous with salsa, and her group, Cafe Mocha rise to the occasion EVERY TIME, to bring you some of the most sophisticated, charismatic music around. Here's the New Mexico Jazz Workshop interview with Ivon Ulibarri!

You've been pleasing audiences with great Salsa music for over a decade. How did you get started?

I started playing guitar when I was about 12 years old...around the time Carlos Santana came on the scene. I remember being drawn to the congas and timbales in particular, along with Carlos' guitar, of course. I also remember in my Social Studies classes, really being interested and intrigued by the Latin countries. I spoke Spanish fluently and anything Latino captured my interest. My admiration of Carlos Santana continued into high school and I aspired to play like him. I learned to play Oye Como Va, Evil Ways, etc. Somewhere along the way I learned that Oye Como Va was a Tito Puente song. And, somewhere else along the way I discovered the Fania AllStars, Eddie Cano, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz. I liked "that style of Spanish music". It was different and very rhythmic. I was hooked. When I came to UNM I discovered KUNM and the Latin music programming on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays: Salsa Sabrosa, Espejos de Atzlan, Raices. I also discovered Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Johnny Pacheco, just to name a few. I was always drawn to what I later learned was Cuban and Puerto Rican "son". It was those polyrhythms! They mesmerized me and captiviated my soul.

After graduating from UNM, I started a band: Amigas. We played what I called the "juke box variety" because we played everything from Tex-Mex Rancheras to Country to Top 40 (including Michael Jackson songs!), to Carlos Santana, Boleros, Cumbias, Gloria Estefan, and eventually Salsa. We began to learn and play more and more Salsa. I turned everything we played into Latin-Mambo-Salsa. I just couldn't get away from that beat. Still to this day, I hear the world in terms of clave, mambo, son, salsa. I hear the clave in every style of music! It's in my DNA! My band "Amigas" was together for appx 10years. During that time, I earned a name for myself in the ABQ Music Scene for the variety we played but especially for bringing out the Latin style sound in our music.

We know you perform Salsa, Mariachi, and solo guitar. What's your favorite genre of music to perform?

I love them all but, probably Salsa is my favorite because I've been able to evolve musically more within the Salsa genre. I love playing with the band. Again, it's those rhythms that wrap themselves around my soul and fill my heart with music. I do enjoy performing with Mariachi as well. Mariachi music was my first exposure to music--altho' I loved Elvis Presley too. I grew up listening to many genres of music. It all depended what station my mom was listening to. While she cooked supper she'd tune into a station from Amarillo TX and we'd listen to Mariachi, Tex Mex, and Norteno. When she cleaned house she'd tune into our local radio station KTNM, and I'd get a dose of Country music. Other times, I'd tune into KOMA-an Oklahoma city station and listen to the latest Rock and Top 40. I loved it all and dreamed of having a band that played it all. Eventually, I did, including Salsa.

What is it like working in what appears to a male-dominated musical art form? Have things improved over the years, in terms of more women creating Salsa music?

It's been a challenge...regardless of what genre I pursued. I grew up playing music with guys. Females didn't play instruments, per se, when I was growing up. Perhaps instruments like flute, piano, clarinet, violin but not too many played guitar. I learned to play from my brother and other guys in the neighborhood. So, I learned to play an aggressive style right off the top. When it came to playing in bands, I was able to hold my own with the guys and that was my ticket into the scene. Yes, things have changed quite a bit. However, in Latin music, namely Salsa, things are still a bit behind.

Gloria Estefan did a lot for opening doors for women in Latin music. Still, most female Salsa performers are primarily vocalists. Granted there are some exceptions, (Sheila E., for example), but not many. A contemporary Salsera with major acclaim is ALBITA but aside from her and Gloria Estefan and of course Celia Cruz, there really aren't any females who have reached the levels of acclaim that artists such as Ruben Blades, Willie Chirino, Gilberto SantaRosa, Johnny Pacheco, for example. Even though Celia Cruz earned acclaim early on in her career, she didn't attain the crossover that Gloria did until later in her career. In my opinion, Gloria Estefan open the door wider for Celia. Salsa didn't crossover until Gloria Estefan. Gloria Estefan opened the door for all Latinos, including me.

What types of obstacles have you faced as an artist in Salsa and how have you overcome them?

The greatest challenge has been finding musicians who can play it correctly, and radio stations in New Mexico who will play it...aside from KUNM. Unfortunately, New Mexico Music hesitates to acknowledge anything other than the regional New Mexico style. It's very unfortunate not only for myself but for New Mexico music in general. The pool of Salsa musicians in Albuquerque has grown over the years but, it's still a very limited number of players who play Salsa. In terms of being an "Salsa artist"--- the music business is a tough business regardless of what you play. There's lots of competition and egos, in general. One has to really love music, have a passion for it, to withstand all the challenges, criticism, etc. I guess the biggest challenge with playing Salsa--in New Mexico- is getting the typical New Mexican music lover to open up and appreciate another style of Spanish language music. The key to their ears is through music by Carlos Santana. We Chicanos, identified strongly with Santana. Because of him, we have a Salsa audience in New Mexico. Because of Carlos Santana I've been able to penetrate the New Mexico scene. Today, we have many young Latinos who have discovered Salsa separately from Santana, but I'll bet you Santana plays in their discovery somewhere.

You're a composer as well. What's your creative process? What inspires you to create new work?

Social issues, life's idiosyncrasies, life's contradictions, life's struggles, life's accomplishments, everyday life...all of it, none of it, always and never. Ideas just come to me...I hear the poetry in my head. I hear the music. It just happens. When I sit down to write, I open pages to the dictionary, randomly, and start making word lists...like I used to in grade school. The nuns would assign us an essay and have us start by making a word list. So, I still do that. I flip through the pages of dictionaries Spanish & English, and write down words that catch my attention. Later I sort through them to see what story line is in the list. Then I apply the words, or the idea the words gave me, to a melody. Sometimes the song is already written in my head. I just have to dig it out.

What's the first song you remember learning to play?

Yellow Mocking Bird and La Bamba.

What's your guilty (music) pleasure? What kind of tunes do you listen to that would surprise people to know?

Well, the truth is that I indulge in Salsa, & Son. I'm a Salsa & Son junkie! There's no hope for me-nor do I want anything else, honestly. But-- I really like listening to recordings from the 1920's - 1940's, especially the old style Mambo, Cha-Cha---before it was known as Salsa. I like listening to the style of Machito and the Cuban craze of the 40's & 50's. I like those old recordings before high-fidelity recordings! I like Billie Holiday music too.

In your opinion, what's the future of Salsa music?

Salsa music has only just begun! It never really went away. The mambo craze of the 1940's & 1950's faded away in popularity but it never died. It got quiet for a while but it remained alive in the barrios of New York, Los Angeles and certainly the Cuban neighborhoods in Miami.

Salsa & Son have a way of reaching deep into a person's DNA. It gets in there, it stays. There's something about the poly rhythms that move a person even if they don't understand the language. It's in the drums and the percussion that speaks loudly inside an otherwise quiet soul. It inspires an awakening that compels people to participate either as a musician, or a dancer. You can't help but be moved by it. If you feel it, you're hooked. If you don't feel it, then you're not alive somewhere. The poetry in the music is simple yet profound. People are affected by rhythm and Salsa & Son are the godparents of rhythm. It has the capability of crossing all nationalities, genres, genders, age groups, it's beyond International. It's an essential piece of the human element. Salsa & Son are repesentative of generations of histories that tell the story of today's civilizations. Its roots go way back. It's God's musical manifestation in rhythmic form.

Anything else you'd like to share with your fans?

I just want to express my gratitude to all the Salsa music fans in Albuquerque and New Mexico, for their support. We now have a thriving Salsa scene in our state because of their love for the music. Thank you all for making my dream come true.

Que viva la musica Latina y toda su gente. See you on the dance floor!

[Marya Errin Jones]