2000
Ruben Blades: Good Times for a Master Songwriter 
By Eliseo Cardona
CDNOW Senior Editor, Latin

Few salsa artists have so thoroughly dominated their field as 
Panamanian singer-songwriter Ruben Blades has for the past two 
decades. Since the release of such groundbreaking albums as Metiendo 
Mano, Siembra, Maestra Vida, and Buscando América, among others, 
Blades has been hailed as both a ceaseless preacher and a cultural 
role model -- his songs embody the gospel of Latin American unity and 
brotherhood, and his political and social activism has become a point 
of reference for Latino artists in search of a niche in the American 
pop culture. Now 52, Blades is also considered a maestro, a poet, and 
a living legend, and although he still speaks with the passion and 
cadences of an idealist in full flight, he wants to apply this energy 
in a practical manner. 

"I'm concentrating on staying artistically and socially relevant," he 
says from his apartment in New York City. "I'd never made a secret of 
it. I don't follow any trends, and I don't seek any commercial roads, 
but I do believe on working hard, staying ahead, but staying in 
touch, either through my music and social causes." 

 Blades is doing so by devoting his time, even more than before, to 
different projects -- he's not only recording a sort of sequel to his 
Grammy-winning album, Tiempos, but also preparing the pre-production 
of the first feature film that will launch his own movie production 
company and has accepted a real-life role as an International 
Ambassador Against Racism for the United Nations; all this while 
taping the first episodes of Giddeons' Crossing, a new ABC-TV series 
starring Andre Braugher. The series is scheduled to debut this year, 
and Blades will play the role of a hospital manager. 

In this interview with CDNOW, Blades discusses his future as a 
performer, an impresario, and a Latin American looking forward to 
returning to his native country. 

CDNOW: You're doing so many things nowadays, but wouldn't it be much 
easier to just write music and perform with your band? 

Ruben Blades: Yes, I can go ahead and do that, but I wouldn't have 
peace of mind. It's true that music is perhaps the best vehicle to 
get your message across, but Latinos in this country are still 
without strong political clout, which means we don't get the 
opportunities we deserve, and by doing all these other projects, I 
hope I can open the minds of some people here and pave the roads for 
other artists. I'm a firm believer that art can make a difference and 
open doors, not only for artists, but other leaders of the Latino 
community. 

What are your duties as "Ambassador Against Racism"? 

Basically, it allows me the opportunity to talk at colleges and 
organize meetings with different leaders around the world. It's 
wonderful because after the band and I perform in a city -- let's say 
in New Mexico or Chicago -- we get together with students to talk 
about diversity and how we can all contribute to fight discrimination 
and prejudice. So far, it has been a tremendous experience. I have 
learned more by personal contact than by reading the newspaper or a 
book. 

"I like to think I'm the company of people like Tito Puente or Celia 
Cruz; those are two of my heroes, and I've followed into their 
footsteps." 

You've also started a film production company. Talk a little bit 
about it. 

As you know, I started acting by choice, however, when I get involved 
in something, I try to learn everything there is, and what I learned 
in Hollywood and television in this country is that you can't sit 
around and wait for the opportunities to come by. This is especially 
true when it come to Hollywood, where Latinos are always 
misrepresented or out of the picture as an artistic force. Well, I 
said to myself one day, "I've got take some time off from my music 
and create some kind of opportunity in the film production field." 
That's how this project started. We're still working on it, but what 
we want to do is to scout talented Latino filmmakers and let them 
create a body of independent films that can be distributed through 
the Internet. 

Talk about your new recording. Some say it's a sequel to Tiempos. 

Well, it is a sequel, and, at the same time, it's not. It's a sequel 
in the sense that with Tiempos I broke with my past as a writer of 
"salsa songs," and this new album will follow more or less on the 
path the band and I opened with on that recording. 

Tiempos was a special album; I had to do it in order to point in a 
different direction -- I was getting bored with the limitations of 
the Afro-Caribbean dance formats. I wanted to have more space to tell 
more detailed stories, to create an atmosphere for drama and 
conflict. Plus, I wanted to explore new sounds, not only as a 
composer but also as a singer. I've always been a passionate follower 
of Latin American folk music, and, with Tiempos, I created a bridge 
between the Afro-Caribbean rhythms and those sounds. 

What sets this new recording apart from Tiempos? 

This new album is going to be a mixture of many things -- I'm working 
with bagpipes and an accordion, while again using guitar, violin, 
sax, and acoustic guitar. I want to trace the musical bloodlines 
between Scotland, India, Ireland, and Latin America. We've already 
invited Elvis Costello and Phil Collins. 

As with most of your albums, Tiempos and the new recording are not 
commercial projects. 

Indeed, and I'm glad we came across this subject. Listen, I've said 
it before: I believe an artist should be original and not follow what 
"the market" or some people think is trendy. I'm not the best judge 
of what of I've done, but I try to create music for the long run. Two 
or three generations down the road, people will still listen to an 
album like Tiempos. It may not sell well now, but I'm sure in the 
future it will be heard. I like to think I'm the company of people 
like Tito Puente or Celia Cruz; those are two of my heroes, and I 
have to follow into their footsteps. They are still around because 
they are authentic and original. Take a guy like Tito -- he kept 
doing the music he loved and kept walking the avenues he wanted to 
explore. For him, it didn't matter one bit that he was not selling, 
he was what he was -- a cat playing the music he felt had a strong 
message and a meaning. 

How important is Editus in this new phase of your career? 

Very important. As you know, Editus is a trio of very talented 
musicians from Costa Rica; they are trained in classical music, but 
these guys have also a deep knowledge of the folkloric rhythms of 
Central and South America, as well as the music of the Caribbean. I 
can never thank God enough for allowing me to meet them and work with 
them. They are responsible for expanding my horizons as composer and 
songwriter. 

When did you meet Editus? 

I met them in 1996. They were playing at a bar in Costa Rica, and 
that first impression was a knockout. Here were these incredible 
musicians mixing classical with Caribbean dance rhythms, Andean 
music, vallenato, tamborito, you name it. I later found out that they 
have played in the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, but 
were not afraid to play in small bars, weddings, and private parties; 
they just wanted to play, and that was it. People really need to 
check their albums -- they are simply fantastic. 

"Two or three generations down the road, people will still listen to 
an album like Tiempos." 

Talk about the Latino Grammys. 

I think the Latino Grammys are a step in the right direction. I pray 
that this award will expose Latin music as it should be exposed -- 
we're playing and creating many fascinating sounds, and we need to 
pay tribute to the many Latino figures that haven't yet had the 
opportunity to show their work and talent. I hope this award will 
cast the light of justice. 

What about the American Grammys? 

I always felt I was competing with artists that are excellent in 
their fields. This year, for example, I was competing in the pop 
category with Luis Miguel, Juan Luis Guerra, and others, and I asked 
myself, "They lost because I won?" I like to compete, and I like to 
win, but not this way, you know. Since I was not really competing 
with people doing the same music I do, it didn't feel fair. 

In other interviews, you've said you were planning to return to 
Panama, but before you wanted to stage "Maestra Vida" on Broadway, or 
maybe off-Broadway. 

I'll do both. Actually, my plans for the near future are to return to 
Panama and work from there, but I haven't put off any plans to stage 
"Maestra Vida." It's just that now I'm working on other projects. It 
will take some time. 

Any plans on going back to politics in your country? 

The only thing I can say is that I can never say no.