------------------------------------------------------- MAY 3, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: ASSIST News Service http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s05050008.htm Rick Wakeman Brings His "Healing Music" to Cuba as Fans Go Wild By Dan Wooding HAVANA, CUBA (ANS) -- Rock keyboard legend Rick Wakeman recently brought what he calls his “healing music” to Havana, Cuba, where he and his personal band, the English Rock Ensemble, played three concerts to fans who went wild with excitement. For each of the performances, Wakeman, a committed Christian and the keyboardist with YES, wore a sequined red, white and gold cape as he played center-stage, while the lead singer, Ashley Holt, sported a traditional tropical shirt known as a guayabera. Wakeman played two of the concerts on April 22 and 23 at the Karl Marx Theatre which was formally a cinema from the 1950`s and seats 4,900 people. The third concert was held outdoors on the following night to 10,000 people at Havana's open-air Anti-imperialist Plaza on the Malecon, the city's famed seawall. The 55-year-old rocker devoted most of the concert to classic tunes from the 1970s, including songs from his "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "The Six Wives of Henry VIII." A report by AP about the final concert said, “The crowd roared when he played ‘Arthur’ -- the theme song for a weekly cultural program on Cuban television titled, ‘History of Cinema.’" In an interview from Costa Rica following the concerts in Cuba and a later one on Monterrey, Mexico, Wakeman explained how and why he went to Cuba. HOW THE TRIP CAME ABOUT “The idea for the trip came after I met Mario, a Swiss gentleman, through a mutual friend in who also lives in Lugarno Switzerland when I was playing there with Yes,” he said. “Mario is married to a Cuban lady and spends equal time there as well as in Europe. He runs a charitable foundation that supports a children’s cancer hospital in Havana and he asked me if I would help support its work by performing down in Cuba. “Musically it is a fascinating country for any musician to visit and coupled with possibility of being able to help the children I jumped at the chance. I have toured Latin America a lot over the last 30 years but had never been to Cuba. “As any performances would be free to the public I arranged for a close friend, and film director, Robert Garofalo at Classic Pictures at Shepperton Studios in England, to film the performances with the aid of Cuban Television to then turn it into a DVD from which money could be used from the sales to help support the hospital, and at the end of the day, this is exactly what happened. “Whilst down there I visited the hospital as well and the children touched my heart there with their bravery masked by smiles of hope and the kindness the doctors and nursing staff were giving them and the treatment they were getting as well.” Wakeman admitted there were some difficulties in getting in the necessary equipment in from the UK for the concerts. “The main problems were that nobody had really done anything like this before and so there were no previous guidelines to work with,” he said. “At the end of the day the Cuban Institute of Music and other foundations helped tremendously in making it happen. Once it was all sorted everything arrived safely. “All of my keyboards had to go as it is a specialized set up. The lads in my band took their guitars, but everything else was rented or borrowed down there. The equipment supplied to us was first class.” When asked why he wanted to play in Cuba, Wakeman said, “I am a musician and musicians are disciples in their own way; wandering minstrels of the 21st century. We take our music to all corners of the world wherever we are invited and as well as leaving some of our culture behind, try to pick up local culture which can only increase knowledge of music that can be incorporated onto your own personal musical palette for future use. “Over the years I have visited eastern European countries prior to the Berlin wall coming down. I have also been to South Africa to work with black and Asian musicians during apartheid and I was literally the first into some South American countries in the early 70`s. Politics do not come into it except when there is a situation of a country murdering their own or others such as with ethnic cleansing. And, of course, I steer clear of such regimes as, indeed, anybody would. “As it happens, I am a fully paid up member of the UK Conservative Party and so am pretty far removed politically from the majority of the countries I visit with America being the main exception.” Wakeman said he and his band were met at Havana’s Jose Martí International Airport by the directors from the Institute of Music who looked after them for the entire trip. “They were very friendly and were keen to show me as much of the music of Cuba, especially in Havana, as possible,” he told ANS. “This is indeed what happened and I heard many bands and musicians play plus I visited music museums and saw all the main tourist attractions as well.” GOD'S GIFT OF MUSIC When asked how he was received by the Cuban fans, he replied, “Music is for healing not dividing. God has given music this rare gift and it is for musicians to use it accordingly. The people were very appreciative. To me they were fans the same as anywhere loving God’s gift of music.” He said that the band members that accompanied him were Ashley Holt – vocals; Lee Pomeroy – bass; Dave Colquhoun – guitar and Ashley Soan – on drums, who filled in for regular drummer, Tony Fernandez, who couldn’t make the trip because of a broken shoulder. “They were all deeply moved when I first told them about the children’s hospital and what I was trying to do to help,” he said. “Their views were the same as mine throughout. Wakeman said that he saw a few of his albums and CDs in the crowds during his visit. “I signed them and people were reasonably familiar with the music as the radio stations had been playing it for a few weeks before we arrived,” he said. “I wish some other radio stations around the world would do the same!” WAKEMAN DENIES ANY POLITICAL MOTIVE FOR HIS TRIP “I have to say that I was terribly upset by some of the reporting which was simply disgraceful,” he said. “To infer political reasoning behind this trip shows supreme ignorance as regards those particular reporters. “Any modicum of research would have shown where my political alliance lies anyway. I was also accused of signing all sorts of things which is not true. My web site was hit with a few ignorant vitriolic e-mails as well which was very hurtful. It has really made me think very hard as to whether or not I even want to play again as I am a Christian, a humanitarian and a musician and that’s all I ever wanted to be.” To correct these inaccuracies, Wakeman took the unusual step of issuing a statement on his website which is www.rwcc.com. NO MORE LIVE PERFORMANCES? “I did this because was deeply hurt by what was said by some ignorant people who never bothered to get any facts right. Because of this, I am seriously thinking about ceasing to perform live now anywhere in the world and may take this opportunity to bow out with a few final shows over the next year.” Wakeman, who is a committed Christian and was once a Baptist Sunday School teacher, then said that he was able to meet other believers while he was in Cuba. “I met many Christians and also two Baptist pastors as well,” he said. “They seemed very open about their faith and I also had quite a few people come up to me and shared their faith with me. It didn't seem to be a problem for them. I mean they didn’t whisper in my ear or anything like that!” When asked if he had been able to access the state of religious freedom in Cuba, he said, “To be honest I didn’t, but as I mentioned, I did see and meet Christians down there who didn’t seem to be hiding their faith under a bushel. Also I am sure I was thoroughly checked out before I arrived there and they would have known about my strong Christian faith and it was no problem for me.” FIDEL CASTRO Wakeman was then asked if he had any contact with Cuban leader Fidel Castro while he was in Havana. “He was actually due to give a speech in the theatre we played in but he moved to another venue so we could perform the concerts,” he said. “He did greet us and thanked us for our humanitarian support and bringing our music and hoped we would see and enjoy as much of the Cuban music and art as possible whilst we were visiting. Absolutely nothing political in anyway was even hinted at.” He said that he met with more than a dozen Cuban bands while he was in the country. “They covered a wide range of music,” said Wakeman. “They were like musicians anywhere; passionate about their music and some were extremely good players. Their knowledge of world music was pretty good too. It was interesting to note that all the musicians I spoke to had a very special knowledge of all American music and whilst I expected some animosity toward America I actually found none at all. It just accentuates that healing gift of music even more.” Wakeman said he would love to return to Cuba in the future. “There were three or four very unique musicians that I have to say I would love to collaborate with in a recording,” he said. “Very unique styles and forms of writing that I think would fuse well with my orchestral rock way of working, but only time will tell if this is likely to happen.” He concluded by saying, “All I wanted to do was to go without a fuss to help a hospital for kids and to learn more about music in the world. That’s all. In reality the outcome could well be my retiring from the concert platform within a year. If I can’t heal, I certainly don’t want to divide. God never intended for me to do that with my music.” Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com