UNDER THE RADAR
A Survey of Afro-Cuban Music
Produced & Directed by J. Plunky Branch
For more than 40 years the United States has maintained an economic
blockade against the Island of Cuba, restricting travel, investment and
the exchange of information between Americans and their Caribbean
neighbors just 90 miles south of Florida. At the same time, however,
Afro-Cuban music has inarguably been recognized as some of the most
vibrant and influential rhythmic music in the world.
Under the Radar - A Survey of Afro-Cuban Music
is a documentary film that introduces viewers to the distinct music of
Cuba and surveys the enigmatic island's current music scene. The film
documents the travels and recordings of its producer / director, jazz
saxophonist, J. Plunky Branch, and highlights the musical interactions
and collaborations of Afro-Cuban musicians and rappers with noted
Afro-American jazz musicians Craig Harris, Hamiet Bluiett and hip-hop
producer Sir Fire.
J. Plunky Branch and
executive producer, Alvin Bailey, both African-Americans, traveled
under the auspices of a number of US universities, and in collaboration
with the humanitarian organization, Pastors For Peace, to carry out
this project. They traveled with digital recording equipment to Havana,
Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba, to study and record a wide range of
music and musicians. The results of their work is being disseminated
through this 85-minute educational film and a series of three
compilation music CDs.
The Making Of The Film
Originally, Alvin "Skipper" Bailey set out to make a documentary movie
about the negative effects the US economic blockade is having on
various sectors of the Cuban populace. He asked J. Plunky Branch to go
to Havana to research and record music that could be used in the
soundtrack for Bailey's earlier political film. For much of his 30-year
music career Plunky had been performing jazz and African music and had
always loved Afro-Cuban music so he eagerly accepted the opportunity to
go work producing music in Cuba.
Because
Skipper wanted to include some hip-hop and rap music in the soundtrack,
Plunky decided to take his son, hip-hop producer Jamiah ìSir
Fireî Branch, to Cuba also. Sir Fire would not only be able to
produce rhythm tracks for the Cuban rappers, he also would use his
skills as a video cameraman to document his and his father's work and
the sights and sounds of their travels.
In
April 2001 Plunky, Sir Fire and Skipper went to Havana to find and
produce music for Skipper's earlier, un-released film. Cuban officials
were supposed to have provided logistical support, musicians and a
studio to facilitate the productions. In fact when the producers
arrived in Cuba little had been done, so the Americans set out to find
music groups, rappers and community musicians in Havana to record.
Several fortuitous contacts were made, groups were recruited and the
government did provide a theater workspace. In addition, recordings
were made in a backyard, in private residences and in nightclubs.
After the two weeks in Cuba Plunky took the audio recordings back to
his home studio in Virginia for mixing and mastering; and the resulting
finished productions were outstanding. Realizing that there was
tremendous academic and cultural potential in recording more of the
Afro-Cuban music experience, the three producers decided to go back to
Cuba three weeks later.
On their second journey, in addition to Havana they visited the eastern
cities of Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba. The Cubans were so impressed
with the quality of the recordings from the first trip; they were very
helpful in providing music groups and facilities on the return trip. In
the eastern region of the island where historically much of the
Afro-Cuba music originated, several cultural groups were recorded and
filmed.
Back in the US, when people would hear the music that had been produced
or see clips of the video or hear about the experiences of traveling to
study in Cuba, they would often comment about how little is shown or
known about Cuba's people and culture. Because of the US government
travel restrictions, there are few opportunities for US tourists to
visit the island and few chances to see, hear and feel the culture.
The production of Skipper's original movie ran into several political,
artistic and financial difficulties and eventually the decision was
made to abandon that project. The video footage that Sir Fire and
Plunky shot to document their own experiences working on producing
music in Cuba would become Under the Radar , a documentary about
Afro-Cuban music.
One lesson that the American producers learned is that Africans in the
Americas share some common historical experiences as slaves and
musicians. Under the Radar is a brief survey of current Afro-Cuban
musical genres, several of which having evolved from denigrated folk
musics to become highly regarded cultural identifiers and the bases for
lucrative music business enterprises.
Under the Radar offers a glimpse of the dynamic music of Afro-Cubans
and the shared culture of Africans in the Americas. Under the Radar
shows the music that can be a bridge and a medium of cultural exchange.
2005 INDEPENDENT BLACK FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE AWARD
