The Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca surrounds himself with water for his album "Yesun"

November 6, 2019

The Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca poses, this Monday in Madrid, during an interview with the EFE Agency on the occasion of the publication of his ninth album Yesun.

Rap, funk, reggae and electronic music with titles such as "La llamada", "No soy de esos" or "Mambo pa la niña", make up the ninth album by Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca, "Yesun", a statement of intent "surrounded by water on all sides" because that is his element despite the fact that, he confesses, he doesn't know how to "float".

The Cuban (Havana, 1975) will present his new work in a concert on November 24 at the Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa theater and until then will continue with the European tour that has kept him away from home since early October.

"Cuba, Havana, is my home. I really like Paris and France in general—he holds the Official Order of Arts and Letters—because they gave me my first important opportunity there, but I am Cuban", he assures in an interview with EFE.

For the twelve songs on the album, all composed by him although he shares authorship on two, they are performed with his band, that is, drummer Raúl Herrera and bass player Yandy Martínez.

The artist, grandson of a santera and himself a santero, explains that "Yesun" is the result of combining the names of Yemanya—goddess of the sea—and Oshun—god of the river—, because he has been told that he is a "son of the two waters", his protectors, although he reveals that he doesn't master the medium much and doesn't know how to "float".

All the songs on the album, describes the musician, who has worked with Carlinhos Brown and Ibrahim Ferrer, among others, are "like little movies, complete stories, without virtuosity being the goal".

For example, he details, "La llamada" comes from a moment he had that was "very unpleasant" and how when he called his friends they "responded", while "No soy de esos" is composed based on a situation in which "someone" expected him to be one way and he broke from the cliché.

"I have great faith in this album, so much that no one can imagine. My goal is for the whole world to know the album. There is so much emotion, so much of me... and I would need them to know it. 'Yesun' is my passport, my letter of introduction, with so much, so much emotional weight", he describes.

The Spanish market, he acknowledges, still resists him, and his desire would be to participate in "all" the festivals and have more presence. Along those lines he has "great faith" in the concert on the 24th at the Fernán Gómez, a theater that he loves and in which he has already performed.

Although he published his first album at age 20, Fonseca, son of the drummer of the same name and singer Mercedes Castro, had "ups and downs" with the piano before getting there.

"I wanted to quit because it seemed complex to me, a lot of effort, but I applied myself and had a Russian teacher, Irina, at the intermediate level who taught me the true meaning of being a musician and being an artist", he recalls.

Fonseca received one of his main influences from his brother, on his mother's side, drummer Emilio Valdés.

"We lived in a small apartment, with only one room, so even though I liked the drums, my father thought it was better that I play piano... It was good for me to be so close together because I developed a lot of concentration capacity", Fonseca laughs when recalling it, brother of also pianist Jesús "Chuchito" Valdés Jr.

The album are his references, and the first one that comes to mind is the melody of "Romeo y Julieta", which his mother sang when he was little, in addition to boleros, jazz and Yoruba music, that of the religious rituals he learned with his grandmother, to which Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock would later be added.

And in his "aquatic" music there is also room for urban rhythms, from funk to hip hop through breakdance, and rock: "I am the fruit of all of it", assures this former member of Buena Vista Social Club, with whom he performed on more than 400 occasions alongside artists such as Omara Portuondo and Orlando "Cachaíto" López.