One of my biggest fears as a pseudo-writer became a reality. A few months back I reviewed a CD and while singing its high praises, I purposely omitted the name of its producer. I did this because, I felt that this guy was just copying Sergio George and if anybody should've gotten the credit was Sergio. I did not realize that such action would've gotten the attention of the man that I purposely shafted. I received an email from his wife, asking me if I would be interested in meeting him. I said that wouldn't be a problem. Within a 48 hour span my pager went off. I replied, and at the other end of the line was none other than Osvaldo Pichaco. We had a brief conversation and quickly made an appointment to meet in the hotel's lobby.

Osvaldo Pichaco was younger and friendlier than what I expected. He had a certain charisma, that immediately made me feel guilty. His smile only enhanced his positive aura and sincere posture.

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NL - First and foremost allow me to thank you for calling me and giving me the opportunity to interview you. The fact is that when I got your email, I was kind of shocked! I never expected you to be in New York.

OP- I come to New York quite often. I come here to record at Skylight Studios in New Jersey. Ley Alejandro's record was done there, as well as Edwin Rivera's. There are other records I'm currently working on for Sonolux. As you know, I spent some years here with Miles Peña.

NL- Yeah. That's when I first heard of you. You played bass with Miles Peña.

OP - Yes! And while the"Toberllino De Amor" CD was the only one I was featured in, I was his musical director right from the beginning. As soon as he migrated into this country I was with him. We traveled everywhere. I even moved to New York for two years! You see I've been around for a while, but what happened is that no one in the industry wanted to give me the opportunity to arrange or produce. Many felt that I wasn't ready. I had the knowledge, but not the contacts. People did not believe that I could produce both a musically and economically "viable" project.

NL- And why do you think that was the case?

OP- Well. Basically lack of knowledge. You see I'm Cuban. I came here in 1988. And Cuban musicians come with big dreams, because in Cuba; well you do nothing else (chuckles). You pick up a guitar, you learn the guitar, you study the guitar, and you spend the entire day with a guitar in your hands. No cable, no car (chuckles again), so I studied guitar 15 hours a day. I studied a lot. I graduated from Cuba's Music Conservatory. But! There was nothing else. So, one in Cuba is lacking just a bit of the knowledge necessary for commercial music. I mean you listen to Irakere, NG La Banda, La Charanga Havanera, and all these groups come up with music that is very explosive. Musically speaking, we as musicians and fans of the music like it a lot. But to the rest of the consuming public, some things are liked and others are not. Many are aware of the fact that the basic content of a musical production relies on the songs, and that the majority of people...Not musicians, not production people, not press people, not those who know the medium, but the majority of people; fall in love with a record because of a song. The majority of people are moved to buy a record because of a song. And unfortunately Cuban music lacks that. Sometimes the lyrics in Cuban music are a bit too out of context. La Charanga Havanera not long ago had a little incident in Cuba during one of their shows because their stage act was deemed too explicit.

I needed to learn. I needed to learn a lot. I learned a lot from the arrangers & musicians in Puerto Rico. I learned how to "cook" all that stuff. Then it was on to acquire the contacts within the record labels. That wasn't easy! There are a lot of producers that are known in the industry to be very, very good! Nevertheless, word got around about my experience and my willingness to work. I get along with everybody, and that makes me easy to work with. I don't have a superstars' ego. I don't think I'm "The Man". Neither do I think I know everything. As a result, now I'm doing a lot of work and involving some of the folks in Miami, New York, and Puerto Rico that worked with some of the biggest names in the industry.

NL- What you said about Cuban music is interesting. It seems to me that the lyrics in Cuban music are very, very good.

OP- Sure. You are probably referring to the lyrics of Cesar Portillo de la Luz, Pablo Milanes, Gerardo Piloto. However if you hear the stuff of some Cuban groups, you'll probably hear them saying, "Tu eres una pelua! Tu eres una bruja! Una sucia" and things of that venue. It's not pretty, and lets face it! It is demeaning to women. On the other hand you have Issac Delgado. His music is not like that, and that's perhaps why it has been relatively easier for him to become such an international success. But what determines acceptability in a given region? In this case Cuba. It all starts with the language. It's incredible! The language in Cuba is constantly changing. The language evolves, like most things in the world; in accord with the economic, the political, and the sociological climate. I was there 2 months ago and I almost had a tough time understanding what people were speaking over there. The language spills over to the music. The music, like the language, become a regional type of thing. People on top of living their daily drama, find refuge writing songs that are relevant to them and their very close circuit.

NL- How about rhythmically speaking? Here we have hundreds of experts in the subject matter that love Cuban music. They love timba, songo, and whatever else is labeled "Cuban music".

OP- We. Cuban musicians are rich in the know how of those rhythms. But when we are going to do music for the radio, it's a different ball game. As you know, live is different than in studio. The swing is also different. It's not easy to commercialize, hence popularize Cuban music. There are certain harmonious realities that...Let us say. When I came from Cuba, and I heard a Puerto Rican rhythm section, a brass section; the tuning of their instruments. The execution. The style in their playing it's incredible. On the other hand you see a Cuban band live and the dynamics will be different. The two styles are on different poles. You listen to Gilberto Santa Rosa, and hear that brass. You'll swear you are listening to Count Basie! The brass's voicing and harmonies are awesome. You hear a six piece Cuban brass, and the sound you'll get is pretty small in comparison. It's all technique, and I tell you this because I learned that here. When I got here I arranged the same way we do in Cuba. I arranged with in monophonic, unison, close positions on the brass. I would wonder, 'Gee I have six brasses and they sound small. Why?' Then one day, my friend of many years Sergio George told me that I had to change the inversions of the chords of the brass. He recommended a book. I bought the book and from then on my arranging has vastly improved. The moral of this story? You never stop learning. Cuban music is the reflection of a society and it's situation. You have a piece of lyric that is here, and while that is going on you have a guy taking a monster trumpet solo. Then you have a mambo that later becomes a samba. It just doesn't make sense. That's why the arrangements & songs do not become hits or sell records. They are incredible live! They entertain. They amuse. But commercially those things do not work. Radio and the rest of the media is saturated with more than 50,000 artists. Some good. Some bad. But if you notice commercial music, The Beatles, The Jackson Five, "Don't Worry. Be Happy!" had very simple music. Search the music almanacs, I didn't make this up! The biggest hits in the history of recorded music were very simple, and true beauty is in the simple things. I didn't say that, Juan Gabriel did.

In Cuba, the phenomena started to grow with el grupo Irakere as a form of protest because, they were not allowed to play jazz. Playing Jazz is prohibited because, it was deemed as having the American influence. And that is not allowed. So! They and many others decided to mix jazz with Cuban music. This became very popular. And why not?! As a musician, you are naturally drawn to these type of things. Your creative juices start flowing, unfortunately we sometimes forget that the public is not ready for these type of things. The public listens and follows an artist, and buys his or her song. If the reverse was true all the jazz players of the world would be millionaires. Besides, I consider the music of El Conjunto Casino, La Orquesta Aragon, La Riverside, Rumbavana, and others out there the real Cuban music. Everything else is a milk shake of anxieties to say stuff, to rebel against the situation that's there, to create competition between musicians, to see who blows the trumpet the highest, who throws the most notes in a solo, who creates the most breaks. They have to do these things to keep themselves amused, since they make no money on record sales. And after all is said and done, the main focus is forgotten. That being the song.

NL- Many people, including myself, have given you hell. We have accused you of being a carbon copy of Sergio George. How did that sit with you?

OP- It sat fine with me. Why? Because it's true. In music, everyone is influenced by something or someone. No one in music does anything by themselves. Before Sergio & Marc, there was another producer that was also hot. We all know that. There are many elements that we cannot take for granted. For example, you study what Sergio does. You study what he's been doing after the success of Marc Anthony. Sergio George has a lot things in his music that I also have in mines because, I do come from Cuba. If you listen closely to our stuff you'll hear many elements from songo. The way the brass is written, which by the way, has been written in Cuba since the early 1980's. I have all that stuff in me. I don't have to copy Sergio because writing like that comes naturally to me. I grew up in that environment. Outside of Cuba radio did not pick up on that style until after the success of Marc Anthony. Aside from Sergio George being a super talented person, a hard worker, and a perfectionist; Sergio had a little bit of luck. All the elements for success came together to create this new sound. Willie Chirino, Carlos Oliva, and many people in Miami have been trying to merge other influences with Cuban music to create a new sound. Yet the artist that was going to carry that new fusion never appeared until Marc Anthony. Sergio George was heavily involved in that movement, which revolutionized the salsa sound. Sergio received all the credit, and rightfully so. He did a great job in finding and placing all those elements together. To the world, it's a new thing. However, there were people doing it way before without even realizing it. It was never a success before because the right artist didn't come along and the support wasn't there. From that point on, everything Sergio did became the standard. I admire him a lot. Since the days of Chocolate Armenteros, Tito Nieves, and Jose Alberto. Sergio George is a great teacher, like Luis Garcia, like Humberto Ramirez, like Julito Alvarado, like Tommy Villarini, like Cuto Soto. Everything is timing. Everyone before me was influenced by somebody. There is not one arranger or producer that has done something relevant, with 100% level of originality. Somewhere down the line something sounds like something else, lets be clear on that. What happened in my case was Luis Damon. I produced him and it was also a success. What does that mean? It means that my the alleged "imitation" was done well. Aside from that....Let's be honest. I'm a businessman, and I am here to acquire, retain, and satisfy my clients. My clients are the public. I owe the success I'm having to them, not the critics. I believe that when the criticism given is just and fair, it's good. When the criticism given, is given without any depth, it then becomes malicious. You can call George Zamora at WEA, you can call Francisco Villanueva at BMG, you can call Al Zamora at Sonolux. Why do all these executives want my work? Do these guys see something that others don't? Talk to Jellybean Benitez from H.O.L.A records. My time has not come yet, it will though. Nestor, success in this business and any business is not easy. You have to find the right talent, the right sound, the right time, the right everything. All we can do as producers is to simply do our very best until all those factors come together.

NL- Osvaldo, if everyone borrows and listens to everyone else then, what's your trademark?

OP- My primary objective is to sell records. I believe that as such, you have to constantly monitor what's going on. That's why I can't tell you that my trademark is this! I don't know if that trademark is going to work! I don't know if I have a trademark (laughs). I am a producer of music, commercial music, music to be sold. If not that, I would've continued my career as a jazz guitarist. I would've also continued to starve (laughing)! I had to change, otherwise I would've stayed stagnant in Miami. I used to do all those things La Charanga Habanera does, because is in my blood. I am Cuban and I love my country for everything it gave me. But you have guys like Israel Cantor ex-singer for Los Van Van, Willie Chirino, Carlos Oliva, that are not doing anything relevant to acquire the masses. The people: a mechanic, a housewife, a blue collar worker, etc, etc, are not ready for these type of things. They do not like those things. These things do not work for the masses.

NL- I am not a musicologist, I am not an expert, I am not a musician, I am not a promoter, I can't even draw a clef note. I'm no big deal. I'm just a guy that listens to music and says "like it" or "don't like it". However, right now it's no mystery that the industry is saturated with the sound that Sergio & you have made popular. There are very few things out there that have moved me so much to go out and buy. What do you foresee as the next big thing in this industry?

OP- First let me tell you that, YOU represent the audience that every label wants to reach. YOU are the most important person for us. YOU are the people I'm interested in. What's happening in the industry? It's indeed saturated, so you are right. Today it's so easy to cut a record. Everybody has a mini-recording studio in their home. However, changes are going to continue to take place, change is a constant factor in this industry. More so in the music industry than in any other industry. It's an industry of cycles. About 10 years ago you had guys like Frankie Ruiz, Eddie Santiago, and Luis Enrique recording with the same people. It was a cast, a frame, until some created something a little bit different. And later that became the new mold, where people started following that. These are movements! The industry will forever be saturated. Not only in the Latin arena, but in the American arena too. You come up with one successful R&B record and later 10 other people, from different record companies are doing something closely similar. It will always be like this, otherwise there wouldn't be a market. And if there was, the market and its profit margin would be so small that it wouldn't be worth pursuing.

NL- Well if this is so then, how do you justify the movement of Fania Records?

OP- You are speaking of an era that did not have any saturation. Why? There was only one label.

You didn't have big multinational companies bidding for Latin dollars. Now you have many companies competing for radio time. Imagine you own a label competing with 9 others for revenues. Are you going to create something new in hopes that it works, or are you going to take what is proven to work and twig it here and there and reap the benefits? Fania had the luxury of owning the market, therefore they could've put out everything and anything. They still made money. Their sounds were more diversified because, whatever records did not sell, were covered by the ones that did. And there were many that did sell under one company. Now look, just before Jerry passed away, he was making a big come back. And even he was having a difficult time placing is new music on radio. He went to many radio stations in Miami and Puerto Rico, and Jerry - I mean Jerry was having a tough time placing his music! Why? Competition. The arena had changed it wasn't the same as when he left it. Again, change is inevitable. Like it or not. Traditionalist will forever be traditionalist. Life is a constant evolution. There will always be people that are not going to like what you are doing. Everyone that has success will always have critics. Men are appraised on their deeds not on what they wish. Men are judged on what they are doing and not on what they are speaking.

NL- If we were to hold you accountable for what you just stated. We can hold you accountable for being a Sergio George imitator. Don't you think?

OP- Put it anyway you desire. Who knows maybe within a year you'll have a different opinion. Maybe not. Maybe you couldn't discover another Osvaldo Pichaco. Maybe you couldn't go beyond the surface. Maybe you couldn't take the time to meet with me and interview me. Ask me about my point of view, "Why did that happen? Why did this happen?" Give me a call at home! I can be found. I am not saying this about you, I am saying this to my "critics".

NL- What can we expect in the future from you Osvaldo?

OP- I have about 5 to 6 other productions that will be out before the year ends. Right now I have a young female talent for the Sonolux label. Sheena is her name. She is coming out with 4 trombones. Her production as well as the rest coming out in the future will contain that balance to will satisfy everybody. Tremendous swing, great guajeos, very traditional and very modern. Just sit back and listen you will like them. I also have a young guy by the name of Jorge Luis coming out under the H.O.L.A. label.

NL- Jorge Luis? Isn't he Oscar D' Leon's corista?

OP- No, this is a young guy from New York. His original name was George Anthony, but the label decided to change the name to avoid any....issues. And that is his real name!

NL- Osvaldo, as a see it your success is eminent, and your name will undoubtedly be recognized as one the premier producers of this genre and of this industry. Thanks for spending your time with me.

OP- Nestor, It is I who should be thanking you for at least giving me a chance and the forum to defend myself. If there is anything you need, do not hesitate in calling me.

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