Remembering my father on this day, who would have turned 84. It’s the first October 23rd without him on this spinning rock.
Frankly speaking, we did not have the best relationship, but now that I am a father myself, I get it. While many memories from my teenage years are kind of dark, to be honest, I wish to imagine my father holding me as a young boy and caressing me, like any father can do—certainly as I do to my own son every single day.
His legacy is, among several things, a love for music which he instilled in his children, a link to a distant tropical island which contains important roots and identity for both of us and his grandchildren, as well as a certain character trait of sensitivity, which is a double-edged sword—but that’s the way it is; that’s the way he was; that’s the way I am.
So on this day I am mindful and grateful. Rest peacefully, then, papi; you’re sill here, in your own way. As Víctor Manuelle’s “Ángel en la Tierra” (a balad dedicated to his father) goes: “Aunque no lo puedan ver, puedo sentir su presencia.”
Here is a selection of Cuban songs in tribute to my father, who was a passionate fan of Cuban music, and who passed down this love and appreciation to me. The mix was recorded shortly after he passed away in January 2021.
[Track list at the end of the video]