By Nicole Weaving
Within the larger Syracuse community, a small portion are Latinos. An even smaller portion than that are those who uphold the culture through music. Meet 4 musicians who are taking the Latin American music scene in Syracuse and across Central New York by storm:
From Left to Right: Samuel Avila (Cuatro, Guitar, Vocals), Pablo Arnau (Bass, Bongos, Other Percussion Instruments), Ismaeo Avila (Vocals, Guitar, Bongos), Henry Gonzalez Rosado (Trombone, Percussion Instruments, Back Up Vocals)
All these musicians besides Pablo hail from Puerto Rico, coming to Syracuse at different points during their lives. No matter what, they share a common bond in their love for Latin American music. As Sammy would say, “Es lo más alegre del mundo” (it’s the happiest in the world). Pablo would tell you, “Latin music is my identity. The sound of the cowbells, like a call from the wild. It’s who I am.” And you can hear the passion in Henry’s voice:
Before this group could form in 2006, each member came to Syracuse with Puerto Rican music as a large part of their lives.
Sammy Avila- Sammy started to play the guitar when he was 13 years old in Puerto Rico. One day, a singer from the radio came to visit his house. This singer learned that he knew how to play the guitar and was coming to get permission from his dad to join them on the radio. “Mi madre dijo no. Mi padre, sí,” Sammy jokes about the situation (My mom said no. My dad, yes). This became his first experience playing music outside his house. By age 15, he had created his own group of musicians, displaying this desire to build his credentials a musician
Fast forward to 2006, Sammy was working in Puerto Rico when he has accident that completely messed up his knee. He had surgery in Puerto Rico, but it did not go as well as planned. “Dijo que no podía hacer más con mi rodilla,” Sammy explained. (They told me they couldn’t do anything else with my knee). Considering he already had family in Syracuse, this seemed like the obvious place to go to get more treatment on his knee. Even to today his knee still gives him pain while performing.
Ismaeo Avila- As Sammy’s younger brother, he watched his brother succeed at guitar from a young age. He followed in his footsteps by learning to play from admiring how Sammy used the instrument. He learned to play the güiro, which is a percussion instrument that mimics a scraper. He also had broken bongo drums that he fixed up by decorating them.
Ismaeo decided to come to the states earlier than Sammy. By 2000, he was living in Bethlehem, PA. Then, his dad became very sick. He would die shortly after that, forcing Ismaeo to go back and visit his family in Puerto Rico for the funeral. His mom would re-motivate him to return to the US, but to go to Syracuse instead where his sister was living. And, that’s exactly what he did.
Pablo Arnau- Being the only member not from Puerto Rico, Pablo was an only child, growing up in NYC. Although he does specifically remember when he started playing, he remembers having a 3-string guitar from the moment he started talking. The guitar would become a constant in his life. Even as he grew up with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, he was drawn to Latin American music, which most prominently features the guitar. “When a girlfriend would break up with me. I would not know how to communicate, so I would grab my guitar in my room and just cry and I ring out a melody.” He was able to use music as a means of expressing his emotions.
Pablo moved around a couple times in his life, ending up in Buffalo for a portion of his adult life. In 1991, Pablo moved from Buffalo to Syracuse. He would quickly go on to cross paths with Henry in the various bands they would both play in.
Henry González Rosado- Henry grew up with music in his life, thanks to his father. He learned traditional Puerto Rican music and when he moved to the states, a New York style of salsa. He wouldn’t officially start learning to play music until he turned 12 and started taking trombone lessons. Within a year, he was already playing a paid gig in a bar at 13. He played with a group of Latinos from SU after an old camp counselor had flagged him down. He would play at his brother’s prom and play at a funk band. Over time, he would also take a strong interest in learning percussion. Henry recounts how far he has come by one major fact: “Back then, if it wasn’t written down I couldn’t play, but I learned to play it by ear.”
Just before Henry turned 11, his family moved the US to give him a better life. He remembered the exact day, May 18th, 1974, because of how emotional he was to be leaving his village on the island: “I hated it. I wanted to go back. I used to cry about it.” Once he started going to school, he was able to make friends and enjoy his time in Syracuse more.
This group came together in 2006 because Henry and Ismaeo were next door neighbors. Ismaeo had seen Henry playing for various other bands, and they talked about getting a group together. Ismaeo mentioned that his brother, Sammy, was coming. Henry brought along Pablo since they go way back. They added a fifth musician and the rest was history.
The group plays a range of Latin American music. The group mostly plays salsa, merengue, bomba, and plena. Each of these styles vary slightly in rhythm and come from different places. Salsa is Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban. Merengue comes from the Dominican Republic, and the other two come from their native island. Despite their differences, each other these styles share a common purpose, “Es alegrar al bailador, a la gente,” Sammy remarked. (It’s to make the dancer or the people happy.)
Because of the tough musical culture associated with Syracuse, the group has not been very active in the Syracuse area. Ismaeo believes there is a lack of interest in this city compared to others, “No lo vi el amor por la musica.“ (I have not seen a love for music). For Henry, as the group’s manager, money is one of the main problems, “People want everything for free. It is hard to get paid gigs.” If not for their passion, about the music, the industry in Syracuse would have driven them to stop playing.
Currently, Sammy and Pablo are playing with a salsa band called “El Rumbón” based in Ithaca. For more information about them, refer to the link below:
Henry is playing with other groups from time-to-time, but as he always said, “If they give the right price, I can find the right musicians.” He has not given up hope on this group playing together in more than a casual setting in the future. Maybe soon, the group will reunite at the Latin American festival once again.