Santa Fe, New Mexico

  In 1995 I followed a girlfriend to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was like moving to a entirely different country, in fact the official city motto is 'the city different'. It was the land of cowboys, Indians, jet-setters, new age healers, cosmopolitan tourists, artists and Gypsies. At the time it was the world's third biggest art market and one of the world's top travel destinations. For me it was like going back to my homeland because my family came over from Northern Spain and settled in the San Luis valley thirteen generations ago. I had never really been around Spanish people growing up except my immediate family. Growing up in California there were plenty of Mexicanos around, but I never really identified with them. They didn't look like my family or seem to share the same culture.

   Once I got to Santa Fe I saw for the first time just how New Mexican my family actually was. It was really the first time that I felt like I was a part of the culture in the place I lived. Unfortunately the Jazz scene wasn't that happening but I soon discovered the thriving Flamenco community there. I was taken with Flamenco in a big way. I'd played in Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue bands for years but Flamenco was different. The groove was incredibly deep, the emotional energy made almost every Jazz group sound like Lawrence Welk in comparison and then the dance put it over the top. When I watched the young Sevillian gypsies dance it made me want to trade all my musical training to be able to do what they did. They were improvising at an amazingly high level and I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

Living in Santa Fe reorganized my self of identity significantly. For the first time in my life I felt part of the dominant cultural group rather than feeling stuck between worlds and finally felt like I had deep roots in a place.The people looked and spoke like my family, they ate the same food and celebrated holidays in the same way. For the first time in my entire life I felt like I belonged and was not seen as the 'other' by those around me. I finally blended in!! This is a concern for many mixed race children and I was no different. Instead of giving me my dry cleaning after giving them my last name they would then need my first name to find my order. Even little things like this made me feel a deep sense of belonging that I'd never felt before. Those people understood my ethnic background, they also felt a connection with Spain, but they also were influenced by Mexican and Native Pueblo culture. These were my people, or at least my father's people. The pendulum was swinging the other direction and found myself I distancing myself from the English/Irish southern culture the my my came out of and instead identifying with New Mexican culture wholeheartedly.

   The Santa Fe locals definitely had the same relaxed attitude that my father and uncle seemed to have, they were just naturally 'cool', until you got them really mad, then look out! I loved my time living in Santa Fe and still miss the place a lot. I still have dreams of retiring to a small rancho somewhere between Santa Fe and Taos. Who knows, it might even happen someday. Unfortunately my music career would suffer if I ever moved back, and I don't think I'm quite ready to retire from playing Jazz saxophone.

It still seems like I left my heart in Santa Fe.

   

If you're interested in ordering a DVD of the entire program contact me at: d.valdez@comcast.net

Gerado Moreno can be reached at:
gerard@gerardmoreno.com