Cuban musicians give workshops at Opelika High

The name of the band is Tiempo Libre, which when translated, means “free time.”

However, the timing of the the two-time Grammy nominated Cuban music ensemble’s visit to Opelika High School couldn’t have been better.

The group, known for its unique style of music called “timba,” participated in a pair of workshops that OHS’s Symphonic and Concert Band members attended Thursday.

“Basically, timba is a fusion between traditional Cuban music, jazz and soul,” said Tiempo Libre keyboardist and musical director Jorge Gomez. “The harmony is a bit more complicated and the sound is jazzier with a deeper bass.”

That trademark timba sound could be heard in versions of popular songs the band played such as “El Cuarto de Tula” and “Guantanamera” to a full OHS band room.

The members of Tiempo Libre – Gomez, Cristobal Ferrer Garcia, Leandro Gonzalez, Tebelio “Tony” Fonte, Hilario Bell, Joaquin “El Kid” Diaz and Luis Beltran Castillo – are all of Cuban heritage and formed the band about eight years ago in Miami, where they currently reside.

“As children in Cuba, at the parties we’d go to, you’d hear music from groups like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind and Fire,” said Gonzalez. “This is the music we grew up with.”

Today, it’s their own brand of music that engages the audiences Tiempo Libre performs in front of.

“When we start to play on stage, the energy we feel from the audience is the most important thing to us,” Gonzalez said.

Just as important was the advice Gonzalez offered to the OHS band students about aspiring to a career as musicians.

“Trust in your dreams and never stop pursuing them,” Gonzalez said. “If you want to be a musician, you must work hard at it every day.”