Los Hermanos/The Brothers

(gentle piano music) (waves crashing) (birds chirping) (tape clacking) (machine whirring) (dramatic piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (intense violin music) I was 14 and my brother was only eight when I left Cuba. We didn't have the chance to play music together before I left. Worse than that, we didn't have a chance to be in each other's life. (gentle piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (soft piano music) (waves crashing) (soft violin music) (bright piano music) (bright classical music) (rain pattering) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic piano music) (speaking in Spanish) Okay.

All I need, one hour. Okay. Hey, Masok. Yeah, I'd like you to check because it was very cold yesterday again.

Maybe a little bit. All right. Let's change it then. You want the same string?

Yes, I liked it. Then we just do the whole set. ("The Star-Spangled Banner" by John Stafford Smith) (Ilmar chuckles) (indistinct chattering) -

Woman

I would like to welcome the Harlem Quartet. (audience cheering) We started in Harlem, that's why our name is the Harlem Quartet. Harlem is actually a couple of stops away from Carnegie Hall, from Lincoln Center. But most of these kids, they never seeing an instrument, like even string instrument.

I am a Cuban, very proud Cuban and I live in America and I love this country. So I wanna say that I'm a Cuban American without what everybody else will put on that. My father arranged this for our quartet, so we're super happy to bring it to you. When I came to America, I was put in a larger pond.

There's great players, my age, great teachers. I will say what to watch life, dream orchestras. All of these possibilities. (bright classical music) So in terms of what makes my heart tick, it was pretty much like arriving into a candy store.

(soft violin music) (dramatic classical music) This is the moment where you send your worries to the audience. (audience cheering) Yes. (bow scraping) When I was 14, my teacher in Cuba thought I progress as much as I could in my country. (wings flapping) She advised the minister of culture to send me away to Russia to study.

(audience applauding) I went to Moscow and my mom came with me for a whole year. That was a huge sacrifice. (gentle violin music) It was desperate times, the end of Soviet Union. There's a lot of scarcities.

(speaking in Spanish) (tape clacking) (gentle piano music) How Aldo in such early age, realize that worst only gets you so far. I don't know. Well, he just knew. So he recorded, made a cassette tape and send it to Moscow and I hear it, by myself in my room.

(bright piano music) (speaking in Spanish) That was like my connection. I felt like whatever he's feeling, I'm feeling too. (waves crashing) I always hear the background, the noise of the sea. I hear the piano slightly out of tune with the echo from the living room.

I hear people stepping behind him. Like I hear the, the sound of home. And the melodies usually were really innocent and sweet. (train rumbling) (bright classical music) I wish Aldo was here.

He, you know, he really dreams with being able to repair his piano which belonged to our mom. He called Steinway. They said, he needs to ship the whole inside. You know, the metal part?

- Right. Ship it here, they will work on it for an astronomical fee and then ship it back. And the first question is ship it? (laughing) They don't get it, you know?

You can't ship it from Cuba to here. (waves crashing) (gentle piano music) We are cutting off these significant items that the Cuban regime need in order to survive. We will not permit the Soviets and their henchmen in Havana (audience cheering) to deprive others of their approval. I will move promptly to reach agreement with the congress so that it will enhance the effectiveness of the embargo in a way that advances the cause of democracy in Cuba.

We will continue to enforce economic sanctions and ban the travel to Cuba until Cuba's government (audience cheering) shows real reform. (bright classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (speaking in Spanish) (bright piano music) (gentle violin music) This one is called "Eclipse." But has little to do with the cosmos, is really a musical love letter, is related to the fact that we were separated, when he was little. This piece is an eclipse of that, that sort of eclipse. (melancholy classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (flags flapping) Hey!

Leah! - Leah! Now to enter Cuba, I need to show the Cuban passport. To leave Cuba, I need to show the Cuban passport, and the American passport.

To leave United States and to enter United States, I don't show the Cuban. They need to see the American passport. Okay, one... Two.

- Two. Your other one is there. When I first came to America, it was difficult to go to Cuba. This one.

Let's see if it fits. Sometimes I went through Bahamas or Cancun. When I came back to the States, I was always nervous. This.

- So this is all presents? Yes. - If they say, "Where you've been? I was told I should say I was in Cancun.

I felt really weird about not saying, you know, "I went to Cuba, my home country." Oh, this... - That is so cute. Oh my goodness. - So, my mother got a job in Dominican Republic, just so that we can meet.

And then Aldo and I played music together for the first time ever. After Dominican Republic, we never played together. I would love to do it. Like just the two brothers.

I would love to do it. This is my first and only album with my mom, before she passed away. So I'm hoping to do another album with Aldo now after all of these years. Yeah.

(water sloshing) (motor buzzing) (speaking in Spanish) (utensils and feet tapping) We never had the opportunity to think about it. Not even think about it. (speaking in Spanish) Honey, I'm gonna practice. Yes!

The first time Ilmar took me to Cuba in nighttime, on purpose. I'm from Korea, very developed country. And I had no idea like Cuba, how it looks like. Everything was so dark.

So I didn't see anything. And the next day, when I woke up, of course, his house is beautiful, you know, looking at the sea, but besides sea, everything was so destroyed. Like, oh my goodness. (chuckles) Like, you know, where I am?

(bright classical music) Later on, I started looking at the older buildings. You know, they have character. Each building has a different character, so it's beautiful. I start falling in love with Cuba.

(bright orchestral music) (speaking in Spanish) (indistinct chattering) (upbeat piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (group laughing) (speaking in Spanish) (upbeat jazz music) (traffic whirring) (horn beeping) (dramatic classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (gentle classical music) (children playing) (water splashing) (speaking in Spanish) (shutter clicking) (indistinct chattering) (speaking in Spanish) The guy in the bodega, he gives you whatever you are allowed that day. For instance, the bodega, if you have kids in the family, you're allowed more milk than if your your kids already grow up. So you won't see somebody really hungry here. Although they're really low income, but there's like very few choices there.

I asked Aldo, "Can I buy that rum.? It's so cheap." He said, "No, no, no, no. Don't buy that rum. That room is to cure cuts." (speaking in Spanish) Mm-hmm.

- Mm. (speaking in Spanish) Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry (children laughing) Bravo. - Hey! (speaking in Spanish) (utensils and hands tapping rhythmically) (bright piano music) (utensils tapping) (engine buzzing) (utensils tapping rhythmically) (all laughing) (speaking in Spanish) (audience applauding) (bright classical music) (audience applauding) (speaking in Spanish) (waves crashing) (chuckles) (speaking in Spanish) (bright classical music) I was tricked into playing violin.

My father came from a trip, I think Czech Republic or something. and he brought a little violin. (speaking in Spanish) I see the little cute thing. I'm like, "Oh, that's great!" And before I knew it, there's a Russian teacher screaming in my house.

(bright piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic piano music) (singing in Spanish) (chattering in Spanish) (audience applauding) There's a lot of people in my dad's generation that like the main interest in their life is to be of service to others. It's a noble idea. (speaking in Spanish) (audience applauding) For the ones that believe in these ideals, it must be hard. There's certainly many things that didn't go the way my dad's generation intended it.

(dramatic classical music) We used to have these discussions. He used to call it, "Change the world." But there's certain areas of disagreements. So about 10 years ago, I thought, "I'm not trying to change my family." So I don't need to go there. (dramatic classical music) (audience applauds and cheers) (speaking in Spanish) (broom scratching) (gentle classical music) (traffic whirring) My purist experiences were born here.

Before I had a consciousness of what's better. This is my paradise. Going away is part of the dream I had here. A dream of knowing the world of playing music at the maximum potential I could.

To collaborate with musicians better than myself so that I can grow. All of that came from a dream from here. Not from a complaint, but from a dream. (gentle classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (all laughing) (melancholy piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (beeping) -

Attendant

Ladies and gentlemen, in preparation for landing, please raise your seat back to their original, upright... (waves crashing) Havana is only 90 miles from Florida, but to get here, we had to travel a great distance. (gentle piano music) I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas. (audience cheering) (bright violin music) (upbeat classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic violin music) (gentle classical music) (speaking in Spanish) Through music, sometimes you can achieve more powerful things than with politics.

(bright piano music) (dramatic violin music) You did it! This is great! I almost wanna... (alarm beeping) Perfection.

Perfection. Okay, time to get my brother Aldo. (dramatic piano music) -

President Obama

What the United States was doing was not working. Yeah. - This is not just about politics. This is about family because in many ways the United States and Cuba are like two brothers who've been estranged for many years.

(tape machine clicks) (dramatic piano music) To me, this moment feels like a Renaissance, literally. Like the rebirth of possibilities. I only dream of being able to work with Aldo here in the states. Literally dream like some sort of like utopia.

The fact that we leave in a couple of days to perform together with my quartet, it's just beyond my wildest imagination a few years back. (bright piano music) (chattering on intercom) Well, he landed an hour ago. (upbeat jazz music) This is very weird. Wait.

Anybody... Sir, is this international JetBlue? Yes. - There's only one, right?

Yeah, only one. (upbeat jazz music) He's not here. I would have seen his hair. Yeah, it's surprising.

Aldi! (speaking Spanish) (both laughing) -

GPS

Continue on Van Wyck Expressway. (speaking in Spanish) Anytime? - Anytime. Ah, later on, Aldo.

I was going to tune it before you arrived. Why didn't you? (both laughing) (bright piano music) Well, collaborating with my brother, is a "Dream come true." This is only possible since literally few months ago. (bright piano music) (waves lapping) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic classical music) This is something very fresh and the mixture of our influences, classical jazz and Latin converge in the music.

(bright classical music) I have an idea. Just to try. I have an idea, when we arrived there, how about if we tried to do like "Piano Subito"? To me is not very clear.

But in what sense? Articulation, entrances. I hear it clearly. I hear her, but I don't hear the three of us as much.

How about we do... (vocalizes melody) Now we just do less. (vocalizes melody) And that's our low point. Okay.

(dramatic piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (audience applauding) (dramatic classical music) (dramatic piano music) (intense classical music) (audience cheers and applauds) (Melissa laughing) (speaking in Spanish) I have precious cargo in each hand, but bravo. (glasses clinking) (all laughing and chattering) (bright classical music) Today, we have something really special for you. Aldo and Ilmar Lpez-Gaviln are brothers from Havana, Cuba. Talk about the inability to perform together.

-

Ilmar

So it was amazing for me to see how he develop in Cuba - Yeah. And became a world-class musician. But I couldn't share that career with him because I was living in this side of the ocean. Right.

- It's just beautiful that because of the talks and the visit of President Obama to Havana, the very palpable result of it is being able to share the stage in United States with my brother. What will be the sort of musical impact of that? Definitely the performing is - Just playing together, right? - very exciting and it's warming up.

(bright classical music) What is it like to grow up as a gifted musician in Cuba? You start at seven, either violin, cello or piano. It's a full-time music school. So the music education you were receiving at seven is designed very much like the music education we got in college.

(bright jazz music) What did this education cost you? Zero. - Whoo. (bright jazz music) (speaking in Spanish) (upbeat jazz music) I actually get more nervous when I have to do these kind of things then if I have to jump on stage.

You know, I teach, I'm used to teach, but what I'm used to teaching is piano. It's classical. (bright jazz music) I'm not trained in Jazz. My studies were all based on classical music.

Can you show us some of your stuff? Like for a few minutes? - Sure, I mean, I haven't played in three days. Let me warm up first.

(laughing) (gentle piano music) Very basic. (vocalizes melody) And on top of that, they put the rhythm with the shakers. That's the funny thing. It goes like...

(mimicking shakers) And obviously there's always a solo. (bright piano music) (vocalizing melody) (mimicking shakers) Based on the (students applauding) Shona music from Zimbabwe. (speaking in Spanish) When I went to Russia, they opened the first McDonald's, which I think still is the biggest in the world. It's really big and luxurious.

Two floor. Their fries! (gasps) I think in Cuba that it's not gonna be like in Russia. (speaking in Spanish) (both laughing) (bright classical music) I have a little concern that everything that started happening because of the two countries talking could rollback.

(bright classical music) (speaking in Spanish) "Dear Miss Garcia, I hope you are well. Joshua came back completely inspired by you and your colleagues, and wanted to find a way to continue the artistic dialogue and share their talents with music lovers in the US. (upbeat jazz music) (traffic whirring) Joshua. - Hi!

Hey. Is this your first time in New York. Yes. - Everybody?

Unbelievable. That's so great. We were wondering if you'd like to do it just as a duo at the beginning. So what are you asking?

What is the choice? What is the choice? - In the middle parts. Mm-hmm.

- I would like to try, that you do the melody by yourself. Oh, really? - And then the second. You like?

- There is some very tricky rhythms. (bright violin music) (taps foot) You know. - The time, yeah. It's always just off.

- A beat. Yeah. - Off the beat. (dramatic classical music) I love playing my Tchaikovsky and my Mozart and that's 90% of what I do, but you play, Cuban music, and you find this kind of rhythm and then it does effect how play everything else.

There's always room for figuring out new ways to enhance the piece and figuring out my role. He's done it countless times. Maybe even finding something, a way to make it fresh for him. (dramatic classical music) Thank you so much.

- Thank you. It's such a great song. I love that song. It makes me happy.

(Aldo chuckles) (speaking in Spanish) Thank you, Joshua. - Okay, thank you, Aldo. (bag unzipping) (dramatic violin music) -

Ilmar

I really don't wanna be possessive with the music that Aldo compose with us in mind. The opposite, I'm a big advocate of him writing it so we can spread it. But it's almost funny to have a superstar playing something so close to me. Yeah, 'cause we have all that stop-time stuff, so...

(indistinct chattering) (instruments tuning) (dramatic classical music) What am I waiting on? - Yeah, that should be faster. And lights. Go!

Here we go. So just short intro into Josh. Five... We have another guest to bring out.

This is a friend I made down in Cuba, but he's an incredible composer and pianist. His name is Aldo Lpez-Gaviln. (audience applauding) (bright jazz music) (speaking in Spanish) (bluesy piano music) (lever clicking) All of the sudden we have the luxury to literally spend time all over the United States. You listen to music.

You discuss tempo. You share experiences that will end up feeding into the music. (bright piano music) You won't believe what Aldo told us backstage. He's like, "Why you guys sit down so quick?" They wanna keep clapping and you just sit down or leave the stage then they think they have to stop.

(audience laughs and applauds) This one is titled "Talking to the Universe." I don't know if he was trying to tell the universe something about the country he wanted to go and play, but it worked. (audience laughs) (melancholy classical music) I didn't know that most of the Cuban cars from the 50's and 60's are from Detroit. Yeah. (speaking in Spanish) (both laughing) (dramatic classical music) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic piano music) (dramatic classical music) Okay.

- Done. Doneskies. - Finito. I'm excited.

I love this whole real life. On the piano, it's great. (chuckles) (upbeat bagpipe music) That is so cool. (speaking in Spanish) (upbeat orchestral music) (audience clapping) -

Woman

Ladies and gentlemen, we are privileged to be here in this space in our great country. Chautauqua is now part of the tour that brings Aldo Lpez-Gaviln and Ilmar Gaviln together onstage. Thank you and Happy 4th. (audience applauding) Here we go.

Here we go. (dramatic western music) (speaking in Spanish) (Ilmar humming) (audience applauding) Exciting. Butterflies? - Please welcome.

A little butterflies? - A little. Me too. - Two really incredible brothers.

The wonderful Ilmar and Aldo Lpez-Gaviln. (audience applauding) I just wanna thank everybody for this opportunity. Obviously this is more than a regular concert. It is quite a privilege and a very emotional moment to be able to share the stage with my brother.

Before these days, we were not able to play in the US so this is really huge for us personally. (audience applauding) (bright piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (dramatic classical music) (audience cheering) -

Man

You seem to be having more fun than anybody I've ever seen playing. Oh, that's awesome. Will you be back in the US again or are you staying? Hopefully.

- I think so. Once they open the door here for Cuba. (dramatic orchestral music) (bags popping) Noooooo! Yes!

(bags popping) Yes. (both laughing) (speaking in Spanish) (bags popping) (audience cheering) Thank you so much. - So happy to see you here. That was great.

- Thanks. It's good to have you here. Excellent. - Great music.

Thanks, that was fun. - Thanks a lot. Appreciate that. - You're welcome.

(fireworks exploding) (melancholy classical music) -

President Trump

As the next president, can reverse the concessions that Barack Obama has granted, and that I will do unless the Castro regime meets our demands. That was one of the worst things that's ever been signed by our country. She totally lied. She did call a double standard.

(Ilmar laughing) And they actually fact-checked and they said I was right. He's like a teenager. "She totally lied." (speaking in Spanish) He's not gonna win. No way.

She's winning. Yeah. Good evening. Welcome to SF Jazz.

Please, a warm welcome for Aldo Lpez-Gaviln. (audience applauding) This song is dedicated to my grandfather who loved American music. (audience members laugh) (gentle piano music) (audience applauding) Effective immediately. I am canceling the last administration's deal with Cuba.

(melancholy piano music) (speaking in Spanish) (gentle piano music) (traffic whirring) (phone ringing) (speaking in Spanish) (train rumbling) (dramatic classical music) (speaking in Spanish) Hi. - So nice to meet you. Welcome. Great to have you here.

-Thanks. Yeah, let's look at the room. - All right. Oh my gosh.

It's beautiful. Oh! - It's a dream, great! It's kind of cozy.

- It's so nice. We do whatever stuff we can. - This is great. This is "bien".

Oh, so nice. (tuning instruments) (speaking in Spanish) He's dreaming. He's dreaming about the sound on my piano at home. It's unbelievable we went with the old.

Like the old Cuban cars, you know? Yeah. - Both pianos are fantastic instruments. Both of them.

It's just a different, you know. You know, only having the choice to choose. (laughs) (bright classical music) (speaking in Spanish) Okay. (dramatic piano music) (dramatic violin music) (dramatic classical music) (gentle classical music) (audience applauding)