When Jesus Diaz was growing up in Cuba it was still a country driven largely by ideology. The degree of social control was often oppressive. Most aspects of people's lives were monitored and accounted for by one authority or another. Some adapted to the system. Some didn't.

"I never liked that kind of control, being told what to wear, what to eat, what time to get up, what time to go to sleep. Being asked what kind of package did you walk into your house with, who are you talking to, why are you standing in the corner. I always protested, I never liked living that way. The used to come pick us up from school in trucks and take us to the Plaza de Revolution to hear Fidel speak for hours and hours with the temperature 120 and nothing to eat or drink. And I always hated that. I hung out with other people who complained and protested against the revolution and I ended up in prison because of these things."

Cuba was a hard place to get into back then, but even harder to get out of. Jesus was lucky enough to make it to the U.S. arriving in Miami just as the 80's began. From there he migrated to San Francisco where his first challenge, like so many other immigrants, was to learn the language. He started Mission Community College in 1981, then on to City College where, in addition to further language classes and graphic arts, he signed up for some music courses.

"I always stayed in touch with the music. When I first came here no one even knew I could play. In Cuba I played a drumset in the school band, that was my first instrument. But I also learned to play a lot of folkloric music. When I got here I already knew how to play many folkloric rhythms, not just in an educational setting but on the street. It was on the street that I learned how to play.School taught me a lot, but I learned more hanging out and studying with the old guys on the street."

He was just 18 when he started taking classes in San Francisco and he soaked up the learning like a sponge. He quickly got a certificate in Graphic Arts and mastered English well enough to get a good job.

"I went to work for City Hall and ran the printshop there-I was the printshop supervisor. I used to design all the printing for the city, especially the city libraries. But all of these things were part-time for me. I was getting to know the system, having a job, having a little security, waiting for my time to play music. It was in about `88 that I got a gig with this band and they wanted me to go on tour with them to Europe for 6 months. When the city wouldn't give me a leave of absence, I quit my job and went and never looked back."

The gigs came steady after that. Within a short time he was a fixture on the West Coast music scene. And where many musicians did just one thing, played just one instrument, Jesus was multi-faceted. He played conga, bongo, timbale, and regular drum kit. He also wrote, arranged, and sang. When Martin Cohen interviewed Jesus in September, he asked him whether he thought someone could make a good living these days just playing congas.

"To be honest with you, I don't think you can. This is the land of opportunity but it's also capitalism. People want versatility, someone who can do more than one thing. And you have to be able to cater to different kinds of music. If I sit in my house and I say I'm only going to play Cuban music-even though Cuban music is really on top right now-I'd probably starve. And not only do you need to be versatile, but you need to know within yourself what it is you want to do, because that's the most important thing."

The conversation turned to larger issues and Martin asked Jesus for his thoughts on the future of Latin music.

"Well, I see a very big future for Latin music. I hear it all the time now in almost every kind of contemporary hit-everyone wants a little of that Latin vibe. But it's always hard to predict because of the way the market is in America. Eventually I think Latin music will get much bigger than it is now. And, with all due respect, I'm not talking about Ricky Martin or Jennifer Lopez. I'm talking about real roots Afro-Caribbean music. You have all this incredible music coming out of Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, all these African tribes that got mixed differently. And more and more everyday, people are becoming hip to that."

Given the proliferation of Latin sounds and rhythms in contemporary music, the challenge becomes finding a way to say something with an original voice. The San Francisco area that Jesus calls home is known for its embrace of the artistic and musical traditions of many countries. And indeed, there is probably more diversity in the music that is on display there than anywhere else in the United States. This makes possible the airing of new and hybridized forms of rhythmic music that is key to allowing new voices to emerge. It's a form of education which is necessary as a way to increase the audience and appreciation for new forms.

"There's a lot of things that people still don't know about this music, a lot of understanding is still on the surface. When people get more involved with the music and are exposed to it more they accept it and the awareness grows. And your company (LP) actually grows because when people get to hear what the instruments sound like and look like, and they get to hear all these different types of rhythms, many of them will go out and get not just the music, but the instruments too."

>But, Martin wanted to know, how do you introduce the eighteen year-old, hip-hop crowd to root's rhythms and music?

"You listen to what they listen to and you throw some of that into the mix with your own music. Musically hip-hop is the most boring thing on the planet. But you know what, it's all in the marketing. If you have a radio station in your city that only plays one kind of music, then that's the kind of music youğre going to like because you never hear anything else. They drill it into people's heads daily. You turn the radio on and that's all you hear, there's nothing else. And as you can see, the hip-hop stars don't hang around very long, they come and go like newspapers. But if you show people there's more, introduce something that's hip but diverse, then you are doing a good thing educationally."

A couple of years ago he put together his own band, Jesus Diaz De QBA, which is about to release its second CD. The group is a ten piece including, horns, piano, bass, and lots of vocals and percussion. They have become one of the hot tickets on the dance and concert scene performing at most of the major West Coast festivals and dance clubs. In addition to his own group he has recently worked on a variety of other projects. He wrote 6 tunes and co-produced a CD with Greg Landau, sang with Mickey Hart and Planet Drum, and worked on several recent hip-hop releases. He also formed his owned record label which is about to release its first CD-a sampling of contemporary Afro-Cuban music with some of the best young players around. Despite his success Jesus feels strongly about keeping things in perspective.

"I never think about money because money is not really an issue for me. I think it's important to have money to pay your bills, to dress yourself, and to take care of your family. But I truly believe that when you do what you love you will always make money."

Jesus Diaz is not only an incredibly talented musician and artist but someone who knows the value of being allowed to be your own person. And that makes him both exceptional and successful.

All quotes taken from an interview conducted by Martin Cohen in September, 2000.

Written by Jim McSweeney.

To learn more about Jesus Diaz, CLICK HERE.