Traveling Beans

Longing for home...

I hear you Bennett. There are some days that I realized how much there is to explore back home. For me it's not the nails that hold up my roof, or the concrete that makes up the block out side my apartment (although I understand the metaphor), but more so the people who make up my community and the relatively recent, but none-the-less rich, history of Spanish Harlem. Example?

Just recently a Spanish Harlem grown "congero" (Spanish word for one who plays the congas in a super badass way) passed away. His name? Ray Barretto. Ray was one of the nastiest (and by this I mean super bad, wicked cool, and very skilled) conga players to live on this earth. He played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Tito Puento, and all of the Fania greats. Now why do I bring him up? I spent the last two year idolizing him and never made any moves toward getting in touch with him. The sad thing about it is it would have been really easy to get a hold of the man. Now that he's passed on (to bigger and better concerts in heaven) I've missed out not only on an opporuintity to pick the brain of a great musician, but also missed out on all the stories, anecdotes, and pices of history that are invaluable...not only to me personally, but also to all the other Puerto Ricans --and for that matter music junkies all over the world. phew...that was long-winded.

It is funny. How you travel thousands of miles. See places that at one time you only dreamed about. Speak languages so unnatural and some that are so natural to your tounge. Eat foods that are divinely inspired and some that taste just like...well...you know. After all that, all you want is to explore your own backyard...in what ever shape, form, or material it may come in. But I imagine...that on September 7th, 2006 when we're back home...sitting in our rooms reading, or jamming out on our fiddles, or spinning tasty music, or dancing like fools, or knitting or whatever it is that we travelers do to fill our souls with joy that could only come from a place where the grass is always green and the water is always clear. On that day...for a split second...in that moment when we're rocking out or just being still...we'll get a glimps of the days when we were globe trotting. And in the moment...we'll long to be yet again on the uncertain path to amazing (and frankly...fucking cool) locations. We'll long to back our one bag --full of gagets and gizmos, full of unneccesary clothing, full of toothpaste and floss, and all that other stuff you pack for a wicked cool trip. And in that moment....we may just do it.

posted by Radio Ríos @ 11:30 PM