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The purpose of this website is to provide a historical public archive that pays homage to the bearers of the ritual oricha music tradition in South Florida. While there has been a lot of literature on this music in Cuba and its arrival in New York (see further reading list), scant attention has been paid to its established practice in Miami following the Mariel boat lift in 1980. Compiled by Ethnomusicologist and performer Vicky Jassey over a three-month period in 2017, the site focuses on oral histories from the ‘second wave’ of ritual musicians who have been working in Miami since the 1980s. The collection is not exhaustive as there are many important persons missing, some of whom were unavailable at the time research was conducted, others have sadly passed away.
The aim of this historical repository therefore is to provide a snapshot of the lives and histories of just some of the musicians who have played an integral part in maintaining what remains a thriving tradition in South Florida. It is our hope that this project will grow as peoples contribute to it over time making it a living resource and repository. (Please contact us if you would like to make a contribution via the contact page). Spanish Translations - we have been limited with our resources in this area and there are still some areas awaiting Spanish translation. This project has been supported by many individuals and institutes. Please visit the contributions page for more details. Informed consent was gained for all interviews, videos and photographs. |
El propósito de este sitio web es proporcionar un archivo público histórico que rinde homenajes a los portadores de la tradición de la música ritual oricha en el sur de la Florida. Mientras que ha habido una gran cantidad de literatura sobre esta música en Cuba y su llegada a Nueva York, se ha prestado poca atención a la práctica establecida en Miami tras el éxodo del Mariel en 1980. Compilado por Etnomusicólogo eintérprete Vicky Jassey durante un período de tres meses en el 2017, el sitio se enfoca en las historias orales de la 'segunda ola' de músicos rituales que han estado trabajando en Miami desde la década de 1980. La colección no es exhaustiva, ya que hay muchos personajes importantes que faltan, algunos porque no estaban disponibles cuando se llevó a cabo la investigación, otros que ya fallecieron.
El objetivo de este repositorio histórico es proporcionar una pieza de la vida y historias de algunos de los músicos que han jugado una parte fundamental en el mantenimiento de lo que sigue siendo una tradición floreciente en el sur de la Florida. Este proyecto ha recibido el apoyo de muchos individuos e instituciones. Por favor, visite la pagina de contribución para más detalles. El consentimiento informado se obtuvo para todas las entrevistas, vídeos y fotografías. Vertical Divider
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"History … is not just about events, or structures, or patterns of behaviour,
but also about how these are experienced and remembered in the imagination"
Paul Thompson 2000:192
"Subjectivity is as much the business of history as the more visible 'facts'. What informants believe is indeed a historical fact
(that is, the fact that they believe it), as much as what really happened"
Alessandro Portelli 1991:50
Marquito, Daniel and Jose Raymat play a section of the oru seco in front of the throne, Miami: 2nd April 2017 (Filmed by Vicky Jassey)
Reflections on Oral History Collection as a Methodology
by Vicky Jassey (2017)
The purpose of this project was to present, in an accessible forum, the life stories of key ritual musicians in Miami. It seemed fitting to present an oral history project about a tradition that is primarily based on oral transmission. Verbal histories provide ideological framework where hierarchy, place, identity, context and honour is established.
Paul Thompson explains, the benefit of oral history collection is that it can give a voice to substantial groups of people who have been largely ignored, a process which can be transformative. Oral histories can shift focus and open up new areas of enquiry, which can challenge assumptions made by establishments as well as breaking down some of the power imbalances inherent in the ethnographer/informant or chronicler/audience relationship. Oral histories Robert Perks and Alistair Thompson (2015:26) explain “can give back to the people who made and experienced history, through their own words, a central place.”
The Mediation of Content
The Bearers of the Sacred Sound project provided me with an opportunity to step outside of my PhD research into gender and batá in Cuba. The aim of this project was to present a repository of content which celebrated batá music and ritual musicians who have contributed to Miami culture. So, it was through this lens that material was mediated for this project. This meant sometimes editing out content that did not show musicians in the best light. On the one hand, erasing content that might be conceived as ‘harmful’ one could argue, portrays these musicians through a morally coded lens that flattens and makes smooth the holistic depth of their lives. On the other hand, presenting the interviews in their un-edited form could be perceived as unethical and divisive.
These are some of the paradoxes that exist in the ethnographic project. Ultimately, it is by connecting the intersecting dots running through these oral histories that we see larger narrative emerge and it is here we find new levels of knowledge and understanding. Among the clips on this website are the interconnected stories of lived experience which highlight the profound relationship these musicians have to their art, the orisha Añá, the Añá fraternity and religiosity.
by Vicky Jassey (2017)
The purpose of this project was to present, in an accessible forum, the life stories of key ritual musicians in Miami. It seemed fitting to present an oral history project about a tradition that is primarily based on oral transmission. Verbal histories provide ideological framework where hierarchy, place, identity, context and honour is established.
Paul Thompson explains, the benefit of oral history collection is that it can give a voice to substantial groups of people who have been largely ignored, a process which can be transformative. Oral histories can shift focus and open up new areas of enquiry, which can challenge assumptions made by establishments as well as breaking down some of the power imbalances inherent in the ethnographer/informant or chronicler/audience relationship. Oral histories Robert Perks and Alistair Thompson (2015:26) explain “can give back to the people who made and experienced history, through their own words, a central place.”
The Mediation of Content
The Bearers of the Sacred Sound project provided me with an opportunity to step outside of my PhD research into gender and batá in Cuba. The aim of this project was to present a repository of content which celebrated batá music and ritual musicians who have contributed to Miami culture. So, it was through this lens that material was mediated for this project. This meant sometimes editing out content that did not show musicians in the best light. On the one hand, erasing content that might be conceived as ‘harmful’ one could argue, portrays these musicians through a morally coded lens that flattens and makes smooth the holistic depth of their lives. On the other hand, presenting the interviews in their un-edited form could be perceived as unethical and divisive.
These are some of the paradoxes that exist in the ethnographic project. Ultimately, it is by connecting the intersecting dots running through these oral histories that we see larger narrative emerge and it is here we find new levels of knowledge and understanding. Among the clips on this website are the interconnected stories of lived experience which highlight the profound relationship these musicians have to their art, the orisha Añá, the Añá fraternity and religiosity.
