'RITES OF RHYTHM' | A review Survey traces the music of Cuba and reveals latest developments

Musicians are the real heroes of this unique subculture.
By JUSTIN FEINSTEIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Rites of Rhythm: The Music of Cuba," by Jory Farr (ReganBooks, $25.95)
In 1996, American guitarist Ry Cooder went to Havana and gathered several prominent local musicians for a recording session that produced the highly successful album "Buena Vista Social Club."
Its popularity spawned bigger Cuban music sections in record stores and cultural expeditions to Cuba. This resurgence of interest was welcomed by a country that had once enjoyed a healthy musical relationship with the United States and is desperate for tourist dollars.
In the four decades since Castro came to power, little of mainstream America has bothered (or been able) to follow the musical developments of Cuba. Jory Farr fills in the gaps with "Rites of Rhythm: The Music of Cuba," a thorough account of the history and current state of Cuban music, and a meticulous documentation of the many ritual-based cultures and religions associated with many of Cuba's musicians.
As Farr traces the roots of Cuban music across the island and back to Africa, he does so without the familiar postcolonial gloss. He is quick to point out social and racial injustices, poverty, and the role slavery played in the development of African-derived music in the Western world. Though Farr gives firsthand accounts of many sacred rituals and ceremonies during which animal sacrifice and possession often occur, he is careful not to let his experiences become the book, instead using them to paint a larger picture.
The musicians
The heroes of "Rites of Rhythm," which is equal parts history, personal experience and interviews, are the musicians of Cuba. Their heartbreaking stories, usually told with a glass of rum in hand, will captivate readers interested in Cuban history and culture, as well as in music. It is when Farr allows the musicians to tell their stories that the book comes alive with their insights.
"Musicians are like doctors," says Oscar Valdes, percussionist and co-founder of the band Irakere. "We always have to be educating ourselves, keeping up with the latest developments."
Not content with limiting his research to the island, Farr tracks down many Cuban musicians who have defected to the States and allows them to voice their opinions -- which are never in short supply -- as well.
Roberto Borrell, who fled Cuba in the Mariel boatlift of 1980, is blunt: "Like all Cubans, I send my parents money. But I tell them the truth about America. ... this culture is all about materialism. My daughter wants to come here now, but I warn her that community does not exist here."
"Rites of Rhythm" is an honest and unforgiving documentation of Cuban music and its rich history, a thoroughly researched book that falls somewhere between travel memoir and ethnomusicological text.
Farr deserves credit for what must have been an exhausting but immensely enjoyable project.