Imaginaries and hybridization in Paquito D’Rivera

The increasingly sizeable exodus of Cuban musicians to different countries around the world is one of the most controversial topics in the current panorama of Cuban music. Without losing the connection with inherited tradition, the musician who emigrates or goes into exile is exposed to new circumstances that condition the formation of new features of their identity as part of an unfinished process. Without giving importance to the process itself, hybridization acquires a relevant position in the works of these creators, due to the presence of dialogue, cultural counterpoint, and the insertion of multiple languages derived from the configuration of an imaginary impregnated with these new relationships with the “other”. This study considers the figure of renowned Cuban composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist Paquito D’ Rivera, who has lived for more than forty years in exile. Certain examples from two of his written works, Panamericana Suite and The Elephant and The Clown, have been selected to demonstrate the multiplicity of languages used, their origin, and the methods used by the composer to insert them into a musical discourse and give form to a diverse imaginary.