Music can be seen and “read” as a vehicle that shares the values, roots and history of a culture.
That’s the gist of this Saturday’s illustrated musical presentation presented by the McLean County Historical Museum at the Normal Public Library. Chicago-based journalist Catalina Maria Johnson will provide a wide-ranging overview of music moments over the past 75 years in the US Latino as a way to understand the history, roots and concerns of Latinos in this country.
The host and producer of Beat Latino at Chicago Public Media’s Vocalo credits the tenacious persistence of a Mexican mom and a German/Swedish dad for what she calls the extraordinary gift of a bilingual and bicultural heritage. She said that thanks to them, she grew up in two cities: St. Louis, Missouri and San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Johnson spoke with WGLT’s Jon Norton in this lightly edited interview.
WGLT: Your presentation focuses on how multiple genres of Latin music relate to Latin history within and outside the US
Yes, more or less. I’m not a historian, it’s about music. But the music at some point began to reveal historical aspects of the relationship. Between the United States and its neighbor to the south, Mexico … and I’m half Mexican … or other Latin countries or Puerto Rico. And some of the songs became beacons, in the sense that they pointed out to me, or prompted me to investigate, historical events that are not commented on much.
And what I realized is it’s a little bit like the villain’s history book, because when you’re in a certain position, sometimes you’re not writing the story and you’re not writing the news. But you will sing about it. So it’s more about looking at music as a way to discover a cultural history.
It’s almost like Chuck D of Public Enemy saying his band is kind of the CNN of black people in the early 90s.
Exactly. And part of that comes precisely from the traditions of troubadours and telling the news that way. There is a direct line between troubadours and what you are commenting on, and the kinds of things I would comment on. It’s not a history lesson. It is not a history book and it is not a chronology in the sense that this happened, and that happened. It’s more of a sprinkling of milestones, just to be able to comment on how different relationships are reflected. If he didn’t want to understand where this song came from, or what the song was about, or why this kind of music existed in this space in the United States, like, where did that population come from that cultural community that was creating the music .
Do you mind providing an example or two?
I don’t want to have too many spoilers, but for example, the one I just mentioned… being at the New Orleans Jazz Fest and hearing a band and, of course, it was Caribbean music. And the main vocalist was Honduran. From the comments. I learned that there was a Honduran community in New Orleans. At the same time, I was very interested in Garifuna music, which is the music of Black Honduras. It is a community that is black and indigenous, and either Honduran or Guatemalan depending on where the borders fell.
And some of that population… in addition to their own language, the Garifuna speak either Spanish or English. So there is a Garifuna community that is also in New Orleans. And then there’s this band at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. And I’m like, ‘Why is there a Honduran community in New Orleans?’ This led me to investigate and realize that because United Fruit, an American company that did some pretty terrible things along the way in Central America…had permission to operate in New Orleans because it was a port and from the Caribbean ports and from Honduras, bananas were being transported. This in the 70s. So out of this relationship comes a Honduran community and a black Honduran community in New Orleans. And I wouldn’t have found out if it wasn’t for the music.
I’d like to go back to something you said earlier, and I don’t remember exactly how you said it. But I think you characterized it as realizing that with this music there was a moment where these stories started to be told.
Some of these … troubadour traditions or in Mexico, for example Corridors that became very popular during the revolution … epic stories of heroes, so the evolution of that genre, which is almost directly historical, if you like, because it was created for telling tales of the exploits of heroes and horses. (laughs) Horses were often heroes too. This is a couple of hundred years old, at least.
Is music taken seriously in general, but perhaps more specifically for this conversation as a historical, cultural understanding of itself?
I always take it seriously. I would say there is, if you’re familiar with Afro-pop around the world, that’s very much their focus. I think it’s an element, but I would say maybe not from historians, maybe Howard Zinn, being a very different kind of historian, but generally, no, it’s not. That’s part of the issue. This is not the story that is in the textbooks. And this is precisely because … to be in the textbooks … the history books are written by the winners. You know, it’s not. These are not victories. These are often the stories that are not there and that are behind the victories.
And Latin music, especially here in Illinois, doesn’t have many outlets outside of Chicago. How might greater access to that music change the perceptions of people living in Illinois?
Oh, absolutely. I think sometimes. It is the most human form of expression. I mean, there might be some people who don’t like music, but I think everyone likes some kind of music. I think that music, cuisine and food are points where people find a common language. Once you eat something, it changes you. Once you hear a song, it changes you if you really accept it or want it or even care. It becomes part of you. So it’s a way of becoming more gently acquainted with sometimes difficult or complicated ideas or complicated relationships in this case, which we as a country have had with almost everyone.
Catalina Maria Johnson’s presentation is Saturday, August 5th. The program starts at 13:00
