I wrote this song inspired by 20 years ago meeting a street musician in Cancun Village, Mexico. He, an old man, had walked by and asked me, ¿Señor, un peso pro un cancione? (Excuse my Español) A song for a peso? I offered $20 American if he sat and taught me one. He tried so hard to recall lyrics to a Mayan folk song called, Reina de La Reina, Queen of the Queens. He could only remember one verse. I bought him breakfast, paid him and we departed friends. For 2 years I tried to find mariachis that knew that song, on many trips. Finally, in Parque Central, Cozumel Island Village, a 5 piece knew the song. I was beside myself, How much for you all to play it?! $20? I said, OK, but do you think you can teach that other 5 piece over there to join you? They said yes... My 3 friends with me were confused, Dave, WTF?! I was in tears as red, green alternating mariachis encircled our table, trumpets, big bass guitarons, guitars and little mandolins played out! They put a big sombrero on my head and gave me one of the big basses, to their surprise, I played along. When finished, in tears I asked the band leader, How much to write me down the lyrics? He looked at me angrily and replied, You can buy my music, but I cannot sell you my culture! I still have that check deposit slip with those lyrics on it... I told my friends the story and we drank in that old mans memory. He was probably gone, he was coughing into a handkerchief sounding deathly ill. In this video, this last spring, I went back and shot all of this footage. It wasnt until I got home that I realized, the table we sat shooting me singing with mariachis, was the table the four of us sat surrounded by ten elegantly dressed multi-instrumental cultural ambassadors, sharing music that touched us all. Gracias, Musicos! I wrote this song, imagining what if the original old man and I had met as younger men, would we have sung music together and partied the night away? You can search The David K album, Big News Cafe on iTunes. Click the link if the video doesnt open right away. https://youtube/watch?v=yV4HjqH2aWA&feature=youtu.be
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 23:56:06 +0000
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