SALİM KADIBEŞEGİL

There are “some” people in our lives that guide us through our good days and bad days. They take root in life with their energy. Roberto Fonseca is one of these rare people I discovered of who transfers energy into life. Luckily, I experienced something that I never thought it would happen. He was in Istanbul for a special appereance for a very limited invitees at a place where I counted as one of the best Jazz clubs in Europe, here in Istanbul.
A music store named Opus in Cihangir-Istanbul introduced me to Roberto’s music a few years ago. The guy in the store wanted me to listen to a DVD of his Marcia concert. And it hit the spot. Since then, Roberto became part of my life. I cannot count how many CD’s I have bought and how many friends I have leant them to. I found myself organising Roberto Fonseca nights at my place in Istanbul. We would listen to the music and watch the concerts as if we were in a trance. It was fabulous… Fabulous.

If “life is art,” as my mother said, then Roberto is that art in our lives!
Born in Havana in 1975, Roberto’s father was a drummer and his mother a professional singer. She even sings the first song on his latest album “Zamazu.” His brothers are also internationally famous musicians. Roberto first took up percussion before moving to the piano when he was 8. He passed his first serious test in front of an audience at the Havana Jazz Festival when he was 15. He graduated from a music conservatory in Cuba and got a Master’s degree before launching himself on the international stage. Roberto has played more than 400 concerts with legendary names such as Cachaíto López, Manuel Guajiro Mirabal, Manuel Galbán and especially Ibrahim Ferrer, one of the key musicians in the Buena Vista Social Club.
In order to really understand Roberto – whose unique style has been shaped by these rich experiences – and to fully comprehend why I have featured him in my blog, listen to “Llego Cachaito”.
What passed through my mind while I was listening to it this evening:
Roberto feeling great passion for the music. Him touching the piano with the care shown to a confidant, a friend or even brother with whom he continues his life journey. Him hugging, embracing every tune with an expression on his face that reflects the sound of the note every time he touches the colors of life.

Him transforming the simplicity and plainness of his compositions into a richness that no one can reach with the contributions of his friends on stage.
Him acting as a true leader in life -beyond all those suggested by the so called “gurus” in leadership conferences- with great effectiveness, sincerity and drive for results in front of all those audiences…
The true meaning of the word “modesty.”

Moreover, people who fully embrace each other on stage and who have fun becom
happy doing what they do; in other words, people who manage to share the “art of life.”

I don’t know where and when I will get another chance to see Roberto, but I experienced a thing that I really wanted in life without planning and was only a result of a coincidence. And I was happy. Is there anything more important?
I hope you have the same experience. During the day, we experience so many things that make us unhappy, so everyone should have a Roberto in their life so that they can take a “break.”