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1995 Gran Canaria: Los Guanches Norteños
2 Nov 1995
Some nights ago I was walking through the Yumbo Centrum after a long, hot day of writing. The sun had set, I was pleased with the days accomplishments, and the air was cool and fragrant with the scent of camillias and something like star jasmine. Many people graced the walkways, some obviously tourists, others seemingly locals. It was a heady and relaxing mix of upbeat people, comfortable weather, and the sizzle of grills and frying pans at the small eateries.
This is a nice change of mood. The last few days have been hard to take. My trip is two-thirds over, which brings a mix of good and bad feelings. I've found a great radio station - lots of Motown, Rythym and Blues, and Folk - which is better than any we have at home. And missing the annual Castro Street Halloween celebration in San Francisco for the first time in nine years has been depressing. I miss the costumes, the excitement of the celebrants, the displays, and the music. (What I don't miss is the "bridge and tunnel" crowd, the somewhat-homophobic out-of-towners who come to gawk - and in the last years - to drink to intoxication and obnoxiousness, toss eggs, and start fights. It's largely because of this steadily growing minority that the festivities are being moved to Fisherman's Wharf. The passing of another era, and not for the better. Sigh.)
My spirits began to turn for the better early this morning. In the middle of my doldrums, in spite of which I was trying to work, a song jolted me into happier times. (Imagine a boisterous get-together in Central America (or "Tucson" :-) with lots of musical instruments and a drag-out full-strength silly song:
Los Guanches Norteños have a loyal following. I met one couple that's been coming by for over a decade, and have been on a first-name basis with the band for a decade. Neither does rain deter the faithful; during a recent rainshower umbrellas were raised but few tables were cleared. The first evening I happened onto the outdoor café I had my loaner PowerBook and Apple QuickTake 100 camera in my backpack; flipping open the PowerBook and downloading images of the band quickly broke the ice. Within minutes the band was clustered around me, seeing themselves in a variety of poses and from several angles. (What I had to keep reminding myself again and again was that portable computers and digital cameras are almost unknown everywhere I went this trip. Spain is still mired in the desk-bound computer phase, and network connectivity and cool digital hardware is very rare. My transparent Newton caused a stir everytime I pulled it out to take notes.)
  
I mentioned that I saw the band at several different locations. While they sang some of the same selections on the evenings I saw them (and much more than is contained on the two cassettes) they came across completely differently in the different surroundings. Above you see the view from the tables at the Café de Paris - the band is in a line facing the audience and the visiblity (and audibility?) is good. There's a great rapport between those listening and the band in these surroundings, partially because the audience is there to listen to music. The ambiance is completely different at Pipo's (at left), a hang-out for Scandinavians. Here the audience has come to drink alcohol at prices much cheaper than home, speak with friends, drink some more, and then to have another drink. The band is sort of an afterthought, just a few more hired guns winding their way through the tables, mostly unheard and often ignored. It's a much tougher evening of work for the band. (But not all is for naught at Pipo's. A few years ago the owner gave the band an all-expenses-paid trip through Scandinavia in exchange for a few nights playing at the hotels and clubs of friends. The band still talks about the trip.)
Let's meet the members of the band.
The boys in the bandHere's are some short bios of the band members. Paco Rodriguez GarciaPaco plays the first of the two guitars in the group. He's got the hat with the widest brim. He takes the starboard position, standing guard over the open guitar case in which passers-by toss coins. Felix Gomez SanchezFelix plays the ukulele and sings with a great voice; he does quite a few solo vocals. His hat also has a wide brim. Even though his wife and child are there many evenings, Felix strikes me as the shy one in the group. Pablo Trujillo SantanaThe band-leader, Pablo, has a small-brimmed hat usually rakishly pulled down over his left eye. Standing in the center of the quintet (sextet?), he plays the second guitar in the group; his has white panels on the front. His infectious smile coaxes reluctant tourists into clapping in time with their songs. Pablo has a weakness for Fanta Limon and gin. Manuel "Manolo" Sanchez QuintanaAnother wide-brimmer, Manolo plays the mandolin. A father of five, his is the only family to have two members in the group. Heraclio Sanchez RamosHeraclio is the middle child of Manolo's, the link to the younger generation. With his head tilted in a manner vaguely reminescent of a young Frank Sinatra, Heraclio delights the small children that always seem to collect at his feet with his facial expressions and spinning bass. He provides a wide variety of hoots and whistles that punctuate the dialog lyrics of their songs. La musica del Los Guanches Norteños
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There stood five (or was it six?) men dressed in traditional musicians regalia: long black pants with button-down long-sleeve white shirt and a black vest, red cummerbund, and black felt hats, no two of which were exactly alike. Heck, none of their instruments were alike, I noticed. Stringed instruments all: a ukulele, mandolin, guitars, and a bass. They were all singing. I was looking at
