“There Will Be Music for Everyone”
Master guitarist Pedro Luis Ferrer has always lived among sounds. From childhood, his passion was music—a family tradition learned from his father Rodolfo and his uncle Raúl Ferrer.
By Rossana Azuero
“Yes, I never really considered doing anything other than music because I was born into a home of musicians, poets, and composers. That was the spirit that captivated me and was passed down to me by my family. My father was a practitioner of the *décima*, a stanza cultivated by poetic farmers that came from Spain. My uncle Raúl was a recognized poet in Cuba, and I had another troubadour uncle who was a composer but never wanted to publish his work. There were also two aunts who were piano teachers, and my home was a nest of troubadours and poets. That was the environment in which I grew up—full of gatherings, healthy, and where a lot of coffee was drunk. Let me tell you something: it wasn’t that these were special days; the gatherings were almost daily, on weekends, and I enjoyed them immensely.”
Pedro Luis continues with his heartfelt memories.
“I remember that in my house there was a radio—we didn’t have a television or a record player, but my neighbors did. Many artists I first heard on the radio, and later I was able to see many of them in person in the town where I was born, Yaguajay in the province of Sancti Spíritus, when dances were held. Many of them appeared on television and radio. All of them passed through to present their shows, from the Orquesta Aragón to Benny Moré. They were all truly wonderful, and remembering those times fills you with nostalgia because what we had was talent.”
Music ran through Ferrer’s veins; he started as an amateur in his neighborhood.
“After I moved to Havana, in Santos Suárez, I was with a group of amateurs—quartets—and almost by accident, I stumbled upon a professional group that was looking for a musician. That was my beginning because I started getting paid to sing, whereas before, I sang wherever I was invited. I became a professional in a rock group called Los Dada. It was music I didn’t know, but they liked my voice and the songs I wrote, so they performed them. I was very creative.”
The Cuban musician adds over time.
“I’m a guitarist and also play the *tres*, a Cuban instrument. The piano is just for composing my songs. After I went solo, I began writing music for a TV series—adventures that were published in Cuba—and from that moment, I started looking for my own musicians to continue with my own project. I’m practically self-taught, as I’ve composed preludes and fugues for piano, cultivated the *décima*, the sonnet, the *redondilla*, and free forms of poetry.”
Pedro Luis’s first major strokes of luck, which helped his talent soar, came when he traveled to Europe for the first time and developed as an arranger, performing in Poland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
“I’ve also traveled many times to the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Spain. I’ve been to Peru, which is wonderful—I love it—and Mexico.”
Pedro Luis Ferrer, who has performed on other stages, talks about his upcoming concert with his daughter Lena Ferrer, a composer who has closely followed in her father’s footsteps. Along with his musicians, they’ve formed a family. They will perform on Saturday, June 28, at the now-renamed De Las Estrellas Restaurant, Don Ramón de la Dixie, starting at 8 p.m.
“We’ll be at Don Ramón Restaurant with my daughter Lena, who has been part of my group for many years. She sings her songs and mine as well. We’ll have a small band of musicians who also worked with me in Cuba. It will be a concert where you’ll enjoy music that will make you dance—*guarachas*, *sones*, *changüí*, *montunos*—and we’ll have very diverse music. Since I have a passion for cooking, I have many songs that talk about food because in Cuba, many songs that seem to be about food, like *Cuna y Pan* (one of my first compositions), have a double meaning, as they speak of sensual things, of our culture, which is permeated with that. So, we’re waiting for you because there will be music for everyone. Don’t miss the chance to intensely enjoy the repertoire we’ve prepared for the wonderful audience of West Palm Beach County.”
RossanaAzu@aol.com
