The daughter of drummer Bernardo García –one of the founders of the popular band Irakere– Yissy Garcia was destined to be a drummer. She grew up in Cayo Hueso, a neighbourhood in Havana considered the cradle of the feeling genre, a place of bohemian jams, a place to play and dance rumba.
“I used to live across from the Trillo Park, which is a very musical place. Near our house was the Hamel’s Alley, and my neighbors were always playing music on wooden boxes with spoons as sticks, and I used to join them with my sticks and some of my grandma’s pans,” said the young drummer, who is now the leader of BandAncha (Broad Brand), an alternative music project.
How much of an influence was that environment of your childhood?
I think that was the biggest influence I had. When I was a kid, I would see my dad rehearsing and studying at home. That was very important for me. My dad and his friends used to get together at the house, watch videos, and listen to music. All of that caught my attention, but that was information I had in my genes anyways. I was destined to be a drummer since before I was born.
In the second or third grade, I played a little drum in a band we created in my elementary school. My parents thought it was a hobby, a whim that would eventually go away when I grew up.
My mom wanted me to be a dancer, and she made me take ballet and gymnastic classes, but I what I really liked was the drums. She would tell me to look myself in the mirror of my dad, how he had to be carrying those heavy instruments around… then she tried to get me interested in piano.
I stood my ground until they agreed to send me to a music school. I did grade school and middle school at the Manuel Saumell Art School, and then high school at the Amadeo Roldan Conservatoire.
Did you ever have to deal with people’s prejudices when you said you liked drums?
Not in my family, but in school, yes. When I started, there were no girls studying drums. It was all boys. There was always somebody there to say that it was a boy’s instrument.
In fact, I was never called to play in the school’s bands. They always preferred boys. I was constantly excluded. I have to thank some of my friends who liked jazz a lot, and put together a small band. When they were not able to find a drummer, they called me. I started to rehearse with them. It was very hard for me to fit in the group.
What were the origins of Yissy and BandAncha?
When I graduated, I did my internship with Anacaona, and I remained playing with other bands, such as Interactivo, with Alexis Bosch and Bobby Carcasses. I always wanted to found my own band and play my own compositions, but it took me a while to take that step.
Then I went to live in Angola for a while, and when I came back to Cuba I had no band to play with, so my agent, Yoana Grass, told me: “Well, it’s time for you to create your own band and play the music you want.”
I decided to create BandAncha on August 21st, 2012. That wasn’t the original name, we simply called it Yissy’s band. Then, at a meeting with a group of friends we chose this name.
Right now there are many young jazz players who have created their own bands. If you had to define what makes BandAncha different, what would that be?
I think it’s the presence of El Jigue, a DJ that comes from the hip hop world, and does a lot of scratching. The music we make is not electronic jazz. There are other bands in Cuba doing fusion, like Yasek Manzano or Wichi D’Vedado, who also work with jazz players.
BandAncha’s DJ plays live, just like the rest of the musicians, and he brings a very interesting sound to the band. I try to find a space for him to do his solos on stage, and play with Jorge Aragon, our pianist, who is also the music producer of the band. Also, trumpet player Julio Rigal uses a pedal to switch between different sounds… I think this is what differentiates our band from other bands in the market.
Although you are very young, you have already won awards in events such as the Drum Festival (2005) and at the JOJAZZ International Jazz Festival (2006 and 2010). In your opinion, what’s the importance of the latter when it comes to promoting the work of young musicians in Cuba?
I think it’s very important for all young jazz musicians. It was that contest that opened important doors to me. Before taking part in the JOJAZZ, nobody knew who I was. I was there with some friends, and some renowned musicians such as Joaquín Betancourt, Jorge Reyes and maestro Bobby Carcassés saw me playing and invited me to work with them. It was then that other musicians started to recognize me as a drummer.
I think the JOJAZZ should keep the contest. I have been invited to be a juror and I love it. I like to see what the new generations are doing, new blood and ideas. And it’s an opportunity for me to discover young people who could play in my band.
How has been your experience with international performances?
Last year I had the opportunity to go on tour through the United States. We performed in five cities and it was amazing. I was very nervous because it was our first tour. I didn’t know if it was going to work. Thank God everything went well. People loved our work.
We went back to the U.S. recently. We visited one of the most important festivals in the world, the South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin. I played with my band and I also joined some of the Cuban musicians there, such as Dayme Arocena, X Alfonso with his musical project “La Flota,” Kelvis Ochoa and Telmary.
Last year was an important year for the band too because we released our first album, Ultima Noticia (Breaking news), that we financed using crowdfunding and a scholarship granted by the Hermanos Saiz Cultural Association.
Now we are working to launch our first independent album and the first official DVD of the band. Maybe in the future we can sign a contract with a Cuban music label.
We called that album Ultima Noticia because that was the title of one of the songs, and because we are announcing that the album is ready – that is our breaking news. It will soon be available online.
I’m very happy with the result. It’s a fun album, for all kinds of audiences, not only for the reduced group of jazz lovers. It includes rumba, funk, abakua rhythms, bata drums, mixes by the DJ using voices and filters. It’s something different from the common Latin jazz genre that is very popular now. People listen to it and feel like dancing, and it features guest musicians like Danay Suárez and Kelvis Ochoa, as well as sax player Emir Santa Cruz.
Another event that has opened doors for you is Havana World Music (HWM). What has this festival meant for the promotion of young musicians who are less known in Cuba?
HWM is a fantastic festival where young musicians can perform and show their work. It is also an opportunity to interact with musicians from other countries, and learn about other cultures. That is very important because it is a chance to learn from other genres, get new influences, and get a different perspective when playing a musical instrument or composing a song.
