And now for something completely different….We’re all about books here at AbeBooks but we also love music too. Today, we have an interview with Jorge Gomez, founder and musical arranger of Tiempo Libre (That’s Jorge, front and centre of the photo in the blue shirt).

Tiempo Libre is a twice Grammy-nominated Latin dance band out of Miami via Cuba. The band’s members were trained at La ENA, Cuba’s top conservatory. Now they are conquering the US and beyond with their catchy Latin music. Early in May, they are releasing a new album called Bach in Havana – a fusion of Johann Sebastian and Cuban rhythms. An interesting combination! Jorge was kind enough to talk to us about books, music and his beloved homeland.

Abe – What books did you read as a child in Cuba?
Jorge Gomez – “When I was a kid, my father was one of the favorite dads in the neighborhood because, when the electricity and lights would go (which happened often), my Dad would call us into our house. He would light candles, gather us around and tell us incredible, fabulous stories. I think for that reason, I have always preferred books that are about imaginary worlds or other realms. So, by far, my favorite books were those of Jules Verne – in particular, the big three: Journey to the Center of the Earth; Around the World in 80 Days; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. When I got older, the books of Alejo Carpentier – who wrote fiction – AND wrote brilliantly about music, were very important to me. He is an important figure who both studied and understood the Afro-Cuban traditions of music and santería in Cuba and was also very knowledgeable about classical music. I think I remember my father telling me that somehow Carpentier was involved in bringing premieres of works of Stravinksy and Poulenc to Cuba.”

Abe – What do you miss most about Cuba?
Jorge Gomez – “Surely you are not going to make me choose one thing. Here’s a short list: the pristine beaches and the clear blue tropical water; music – everywhere; walking along the Malecón at sunset; my friends.”

Abe – Like those old cars from the 1950s we see in the pictures from Havana, are there 60-year-old books still in circulation in Cuba?
Jorge Gomez – “Of course. In Cuba, everything gets recycled and used until it literally falls apart in your fingers. I went back to Cuba last November. It was the first time I had been there since I left 13 years ago. We went to the Plaza de la Catedral in Old Havana and, sure enough, there were kiosks full of old (really old!) books – musty smelling, falling apart – but incredible! I bought two Carpentier books – La Música en Cuba and El Siglo de las Luces.”

Abe – When you are on tour, what do you take to read and what have you been listening to?
Jorge Gomez – “You know, when I am tour, I am very distracted with everything I have to do, it’s hard for me to concentrate on books, so I tend to carry around magazines with me – mostly past issues of National Geographic because I love animals and nature and (please don’t tell anyone) – magazines about Spanish soap operas. Sometimes that’s better than a great novel! But when I travel with my wife (she is a fanatical reader, she is never without five or six books and/or her Kindle) we read books together.

“When we first met, she was reading (and translating into English) a book in Spanish called Dime Algo Sobre Cuba (Tell me Something About Cuba) by Jesus Díaz. She had so many questions about Cuban expressions and slang, she kept asking me questions about words and would then have to read me a whole paragraph to put it into context, so I told her – forget about this – let’s just read it and translate it together! We had such a great time. It was a pure and beautiful experience of bringing our two worlds together.

“Now, when we go on trips together, I drive and she reads out loud and we talk about books – mostly things that have to do with Cuba. We just ‘read’ Richard Fleming’s Walking to Guantanamo. What a great book! This is a person who put on a backpack and (for the most part) walked the whole length of Cuba from Pinar del Rio (where our sax and bass players are from) to Guantanamo (not far from Santiago, where our lead singer and drummer are from). That’s about 800 miles! Unlike most tourists, he lived exactly like the Cubans do. That takes fortitude (and yes, more than a little locura). I loved his descriptions of music, santería ceremonies, of the people, of bicycles. I was back in Cuba! Here is someone truly describing the Cuba of today, telling the story with affection and appreciation for the Cuban people, but without rose-colored glasses on. We have also read Carlos Eire’s Waiting for Snow in Havana. What a beautiful book! Carlos Eire is of an earlier generation, but he expresses so exquisitely the memories of and longing for Cuba that all of us who have left feel so intensely – every day.

“Oh yes, Finding Mañana by Mirta Ojito – another beautifully written book. She talks about the difficulty of life under the Castro regime and the tragic consequences of leaving your country behind, but she also talks about love and family and freedom in a way that speaks to all of us Cubans. What I am listening to: Earth, Wind & Fire – always!”

Abe – Can you describe Tiempo Libre’s music in 10 words?
Jorge Gomez – “Exuberantly joyful, rhythmically intense, Chick Corea meets Cuban son, dance.”

Abe – Is there much of a following for classical music in Cuba?
Jorge Gomez – “Well, I haven’t lived in Cuba for more than 13 years. But when I was there, classical music was very important. My father, Jorge Gomez Labraña, was one of Cuba’s most prominent classical pianists and my mother, Tamara Martin, was a prominent musicologist. She wrote some important books about the musical form called the habanera. And I went to La ENA – Havana’s Juilliard School – where I studied classical music. So, I suppose, yes! There was a following for classical music.”