Omaha Reader article on Ren and Son del Llano


Fortunate Son
Cuban musical nomad lands in Lincoln


by Joshua Hoyer


Home means different things to different people. For Ren?aula, music is home.


Paula, born in Cuba in 1944, has been playing music since he was a young boy. In Cuba, he played the same clubs as many of his mentors, such as Compay Segundo of Buena Vista Social Club fame, who inspired him to master his craft as a tres (pronounced "trace") player. The tres, a guitar of Cuban origin, has three sets of strings, each set with two octaves of the same root note, which creates the full, rich sound indicative of the style.


Paula relocated to the U.S in 1980. Telling the story of being shorted a large amount of money by the Cuban government for a week-long gig in Guantanamo, Paula said pay for musicians was better in the U.S. He has since traveled the states as a musical nomad, living and playing in Miami, Seattle, New Orleans and Chicago.


"I wanted to come here [to the U.S.] for a better life," he said.


For the last three and a half years Paula has lived in Lincoln, his wife's hometown. He and his band, Son del Llano, translated as "music of the plains," have facilitated a true community for Latin music lovers. Nebraska residents from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela and Europe, as well as many native Nebraskans, make the drive from surrounding towns to embrace their music.


A true entertainer, the vibrant Paula said he is intent on people having a good time at shows.


"If they don't dance I will make them," he said, playing his guitar behind his head like a hotshot bluesman, then laughing loud and hearty.?


"I got to make you happy if you pay for the ticket," he added, smiling enormously.


It was this respect and dedication to music that inspired Paula's efforts at becoming one of the best tres players around. Reminiscent of Robert Johnson and the fateful crossroads, Paula said that when he was 18 he went into the jungle to practice his guitar and didn't return for a week. He re-emerged as one of the best on the Cuban scene, with a fierceness that separates great players from novelty acts.


The music Son del Llano plays is known as Son. An amalgamation of Spanish melodies and African rhythms, it is purely Cuban and a strong influence across the Latino world. The root of modern salsa, the style was originally created in the early 1900s in rural Cuba. As in Lincoln, Paula said 30 years ago in Cuba people would travel from miles around to hear the old songs.


His six-piece band plays Cuban Son from the 1920s to the 1960s, as well as original compositions by Ren?nd conguero Marcelo Arevalo. Band members Justin Jones, Brian Morrow, Tom Harvill and Mike Brownson have worked for months to play the music taught by Paula and Arevalo.


Paula said he's confident Cuba's music and cultural identity will remain, regardless of the potential lifting of the decades-old U.S. embargo.


"The music is strong," he said. "Nobody can take the Cuban Son. I like music from different countries, but when you talk about Spanish music, Cuba has a strong influence."


Paula will visit Cuba soon for the first time since 1980. Over the years he stayed connected to family by phone and by playing his people's music.


"When I play music and people dance, I feel like I am at home," he said.