Following the tradition of the Afro-Caribbean ballad, the bolero, Chico and Rita is the story of the romantic and musical encounters and misencounters between a young piano player with big dreams and Rita, a singer with an extraordinary voice. Their journey as lovers and at times musical collaborators brings heartache and torment as they deal with life in pre-revolutionary, US-(economically) controlled Cuba, and later in the diaspora.
ASYNCHRONOUS ASSIGNMENT (Deadline 2/8 before the class)
Instructions:
1. Rent and Watch the film Chico and Rita here or via other screening platforms.
2. In the comment section down below answer ONE of the following prompts (2oo-words minimum) that integrate the reading by Jairo Moreno “Bauza-Gillespie-Latin Jazz: Difference, Modernity, and the Black Caribbean.”
OPTION ONE
Jairo Moreno describes Latin jazz origins as a “musicoaesthetic experimentation by Black Cubans and Black North Americans” (178). How Chico and Rita presents these collaborations? Refer to specific examples from the film.
OPTION TWO
Moreno proposes the notion of the “Black Caribbean” as a phenomenon inscribed “in the particular temporal [time] and spatial [space] dislocations of a North American modernity… a tense and dynamic syncopation [overlapping] of sonic and cultural histories and temporalities” (178). What examples from the film can you bring to illustrate the multiple spaces and dislocations of the Black Caribbean?
OPTION THREE
Describe the ways Chico and Rita showcases New York as an “obligatory destination of sorts for musical pilgrims and also for those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around United States mass culture” (Moreno 179)?
Option III
Chico and Rita showcase New York as an “obligatory destination of sorts for musical pilgrims and also for those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around United States mass culture” in many ways throughout the film. In the film, Chico, Ramon, and two other girls go to a high end club in Cuba to find Rita. In this high end club, we see Woody Herman and the Four Brothers Band perform all the way from New York. With the setting of the high end nightclub it represents how New York is regarded as THE place for jazz musicians. Before Chico and the group made their way to this nightclub, they were originally at a local bar listening and dancing to the local Cuban Jazz musicians. With this setting compared to high end nightclubs we see the difference of musical presence between musicians from Cuba and musicians from New York. After the nightclub scene, Chico and Rita go to a bar where Chico plays the piano with Rita sitting beside him. As Chico is playing the piano he says “Bepop” then later explaining that it’s the “sound” of New York. He further enthusiastically goes on to say all the best bands play there, and all the top Cubans are there as well. This scene reinforces New York as “the Mecca of the music” as mentioned in “Bauza-Gillespie-Latin Jazz: Difference, Modernity, and the Black Caribbean”.
Option One
In “Chico and Rita”, there are plenty of instances where the characters, in this case being Chico and Rita themselves, play Afro Cuban jazz music that combines both Afro cuban sounds with American Jazz. When Chico was playing his piano in his house with Rita, he was explaining that this music was called bebop, which was taking off in the United States during the late 1940s. There’s another scene in the film where Chico had to replace the role of an injured pianist at the last second for a jazz group.
Option 2
Black Caribbean people have followed their passion and work into many different spaces far from their home. Throughout the movie, they show these artists migrating to many different countries. A few examples are New York, Southern United States, Europe, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Middle East, Brazil, and eventually to being recognized and appreciated at the Grammys. It’s important to note, wherever they went they had to deal with various political climates and were forced into a box. Chano Pozo in the movie talks about how he was supposed to follow Dizzy Gillespie to the south. However, in the south artists are being discriminated against including segregation since this was the time of the Jim Crow era. Where there were different bathrooms, fountains, etc. Even being forced to enter through the back entrance instead of the front entrance. They were treated more as help than as performers in those places. When Rita was at the rooftop party, which was a higher class party with majority white partygoers. One of the ladies goes, “taking a risk with a latin” as a performer or to be on the front page. No matter how much talent, black Caribbean artists had, they were still being treated as second-class even though the United States isn’t their home. Then unfortunately, when they returned home like how chico did. They had to go through many different changes since the Cuban revolution had occurred with Fidel Castro as their leader.
Option 3:
In the text “Bauza-Gillespie-Latin Jazz: Difference, Modernity, and the Black Caribbean” by Jairo Moreno, he mentions that as musical cultures develop they create a space which is a “sacred site” for that genre. He describes New York as one of the sacred sites for jazz and as an “obligatory destination of sorts for musical pilgrims and also for those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around United States mass culture.” New York City, specifically Harlem, is one of the integral sites pertaining to the development of jazz music and other sub-genres. In the film Chico y Rita, there is a constant portrayal of New York as a sort of jazz haven, a place where all the best players and orchestras go. When Rita is initially scouted by the man that eventually becomes her manager, he tells her that she has the talent to be in New York, which she almost immediately accepts, exclaiming that it’s her dream. When Ramon talks to Chico, he tells him about how all the best Afro-Cuban musicians play in New York, and that those musicians could help them get established over there. Rita is an example of “those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around United States mass culture.” Jazz and its many variations were becoming immensely popular and the entertainment industry was quick to get it’s hands on Black, Latine, and Black-Latine artists, make money, and toss them to the side as they did with both Chico and Rita. Not only was Rita a very talented singer who dreamed of going to New York, she was also Afro-Cuban living in neocolonial Cuba’s deplorable conditions. The US created the push factors in Cuba though economic and political domination, and the pull factors existed in New York and Hollywood as the growing entertainment industry, and “the Mecca of the music.”
#3
In the animation Chico and Rica, New York is showcased as an “obligatory destination of sorts for musical pilgrims and also for those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around United States mass culture”. In “Bauza-Gillespie-Latin Jazz: Difference, Modernity, and the Black Caribbean” author Jairo Moreno claims New York to be a sacred site for Jazz. This is also seen in the film through the environment Chico and Rita take place in, the nightclubs and bars they performed in represent what Jazz was in New York at the time. If a Jazz musician wanted to advance their career, New York was where they were supposed to be at the time. This was seen in the film through Rita, when given the opportunity to go to New York, without hesitation she did. Rita is an example of “for those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around United States mass culture”. Chico’s manager knew he would have a future in New York as-well which is why he went too. In this time period Jazz was one of the reasons why New York was the destination to be at. However, New York has almost always been the spot for people to participate in international markets centered in and around United States mass culture. New York has been a big city, getting more diverse over time, which is why it attracts people from all over the world to seek opportunities there.
Option 3:
Throughout the film, Chico and Rita, the idea of New York City becoming the hot and new merging city to incorporate oneself into the United States mass culture is evident. In the film, New York is regarded as a place where all the great jazz musicians go and pursue their dreams. This is seen in the film at 35:05 when Rita is talking to the American promoter and she is being offered a chance to move to New York City and be managed as a singer in the states. Rita bursts into excitement when she hears him mention New York and is interested but then is disappointed when her contract does not include Chico’s name. In addition, the film also showcases the idea of people rapidly emerging into an international market at 48:18. In this part of the film, Ramon and Chico have arrived in New York City and made their way to a jazz club and are in awe by the known jazz musicians in their presence. This is another example of how New York was considered the “mecca” of jazz music at that time because people from Cuba like Chano Pozo would move to the states to further their careers.
Option 3
In the film Chico and Rita, New York serves as a hub for musical pilgrims as is described throughout. The city is the mecca for all things culture, and is the perfect place for musicians and artists to break into the international market, as New York City has always been a melting pot. This is particularly represented through the relationship between African American and Latin culture, in this case it is displayed through Jazz music. Harlem in particular is where both cultures most blend, and where Latin Jazz blooms. In Bauza-Gillespie-Latin Jazz: Difference, Modernity, and the Black Caribbean, Jairo Moreno emphasizes how important of city New York is to the expansion of Jazz. In the film, when Rita’s manager tells her she has what it takes to make it in New York city, she is ecstatic because she understands not only the cultural significance of being able to perform in New York City. New York City is where talent comes to bloom and in a sense it always has been, it is where cultures collide and where talent is able to expand from the jazz clubs of Harlem, to the international scene.
option 3
There was no questioning the joy Rita demonstrated when approached with the opportunity to come to New York, a testament to how important this place was perceived to be for up-and-coming artists to prove themselves. Towards the beginning of the film, Ramon and Chico are chatting and at some point in the conversation proudly mention how Chano Pozo was playing in Dizzy Gillespie’s band, which gave them some hope as they can relate to Pozos’s upbringing as a working-class Cuban, and in their admiration for his partnership with Dizzy nudged them to try and make it happen as well given Chico’s extraordinary musical talent. The artistic choices contributed to this image of grandeur as well I feel, with the landscape art of Manhattan being centered around glitz and glamour with all the stereotypical bright lights people tend to think of as New York, I believe included to show the city as an economic center where artists can come to give it their best shot given the disproportionately wealthy people in the city have money to spend, attractive to artists like Chico, Rita, and Pozo, born in the working class struggle trying to make a living expressing themselves through their art.
During the entire movie we observed how in multiple occasions the idea of New York is showing as a dream place to achieved your goal which in this case is the idea of music and becoming someone famous. We see how at the beginning there is a group and they present them as “they came from New York” then we see this white man offering Rita a contract about going to New York. She immediately respond saying is my dream. Then we see Chico coming to New York as well in the search for Rita and their dream. They show sexy dancing moves with the hip and the dancing music which is a combination of Afroamerican and Latin. Rita becomes very famous all around for her music. Being unique is essential to make it in New York that’s why the white man even said “there are a lot of Pianists in New York.” However, we see Chico still feeling lost in a way which I think all immigrants at some point can relate to that. Rita herself said she still like to eat beans became it remind her of home.
Option# 3:
The film Chico y Rita showed us how how New York was known to be centered around Jazz, all famous musicians from Cuba ended up being very successful in New York. In the beginning of the film we see a famous Cuban Jazz group who came from the New York to play in the night club. Opening up Chico and Ramons eyes when they see how big this group made it when they went to New York. We can also see this when Rita and Chico finally start working together as a Jazz couple, when they were in the club after performing Rita is speaking to someone who was looking to bring her to New York and start pushing her career forward. She hears this news and immediately gets excited her dream was to always go to New York and follow her dreams as a Jazz musician. Furthermore this proves how New York was the place for Jazz to Cubans, how anyone with a good career going for them in Cuba meant that they were going to make it big in the U.S. We see this also when Rico and Ramon mention all the famous musicians that have made it to the U.S and have gotten very successful.
They portray New York as a remarkably diverse place for music by starting of the movie with dancing. Music everywhere and the busyness of the city had Chico saying that “bepop” means the sound of New York and you can interpret it more in the music way. For example, when they went to New York, they walked a little and saw it was their favorite Charlie Parker. Cuban music should be well known and be able to be extend to help people have culture. Latin jazz is what is being emerged in the international market around the U.S because Jairo Moreno states that New York city is what expands the culture of Jazz. With more culture being recognized it gives many opportunities for musicians to share and express their talents. Like Rita, who was given the chance to go to New York and sing because she has an extraordinary voice that needs to be heard. Not only is she singing, but she is representing her culture, expanding people’s knowledge. Rita became a successful self-made artist, and when people came to her with her race, she made sure to not let the fame get to her and keep her roots in touch.
OPTION TWO: Moreno brings about this idea and concept of a “Black Carribean” in North America which involved the intertwining and “marriage” of different cultures and histories coming together to create a new representation for them. This caused multiple spaces and dislocations which was also evident in the film, Chico and Rita. When watching the film there is an instant when Ramon and Chico meet with Cuban musician, Chano Pozo, and he makes a joke asking where they escaped from and then continues to mention how the Latin(specifically Cuban) population in the United States probably is more than back in the homeland. He then shows the reality of the world to the boys informing them about the segregated bathrooms. We also see the influence of Jazz Afro-Latin music has become a worldwide phenomenon taking us from the United States to Paris. They mention popular Latin artists like Miguelito Valdes, Arsenio, and Mario Bauza who have made their way to North America to join in on the musical family that has been created abroad. However despite this enjoyment of the music there have been points of multiple spaces and dislocations that exist when we see a party set to celebrate Rita where many whites were included but despite being a function for her, she was getting backhanded commentary on her for making it big as a Latina. Rita then went on to the Grammys to tell the world that her Latina background is so much more important to her than the fame the whites in the US can provide. We see that despite the fame and love the “Black Carribean” Afro-Latin music was getting, society contributed to undermine them as Moreno mentioned in the text.
In the film, Chico and Rita shows New York as an “obligatory destination of sorts for musical pilgrims and also for those interested in incorporating themselves into a rapidly emerging international market centered in and around the United States mass culture” throughout the film. Rita was given the opportunity to go to New York. She becomes a star and well known although she goes through problems because of her skin color. Later Chico and Ramon head to New York so that Chico has more of an opportunity of getting known and become a great musician he wants to be. New York is the place to be when it comes to Jazz music. Musicians come out from New York and become successful. It wasn’t all perfect for Chico. He started of working as a party musician and at a point he started to get desperate as to why he hasn’t had a new gig. He finally gets the opportunity to go to Paris with Dizzy Gillespie. Coming back to New York from Paris things go downhill for Chico when he gets deported back to Cuba. When he thinks he has nothing to live for an opportunity opens for him and his music becomes very successful again.
III
In the film, New York serves as the only way to commercial success. Even though Chico and Rita were successful in Cuba, moving to the US under contracted showmanship was seen as the next step up. Rita became famous in New York because of her exoticism, set apart more than she would have been in Cuba. One example is her role in the movie, which people thought would initially flop because of the fact that she was white. Another example is when she was discovered, the only resolve was to end up in New York jazz clubs. Chico also got significantly more famous when he followed suit after the remastered collaboration with Estrella. New York had a lot more economic propriety than Cuba as well as a lot more cultural freedom despite the Castro regime. This helped particularly in developing the experimentalism of Afro-Cuban jazz as it began to mesh with other communities–both diasporic and native to the city. The significance of New York also shows up at the beginning of the movie, where the clubgoers revel in the city’s mysticism. It is seen as the ultimate manifestation of the outcomes of the American dream, which was every musician’s most ideal goal.
In the film, Chico y Rita Latin Jazz is the main focal point of the movie. There are other forms of music developing and evolving in New York City during the same time period as our movie, though. The mass pilgrimage of musicians to New York was a huge step with the United States and the mass culture it has around the world. In the film, Chico’s manager sees that Chico has a huge chance of success if they move to the United States, specifically New York. At the time, and even now, New York is a cultural hub. Many of the trends around the world are inspired by or directly related to something from the culture in New York. Not only this, but so many of the world’s biggest players in the entertainment business reside in NYC because there is a lot of big money in the city. Big names don’t really go to smaller countries or “non-first world” countries because they do not see citizens’ talent. The English-speaking world dominates above the Spanish-speaking world, unfortunately.
A number of techniques are used throughout the movie Chico and Rita to present New York as a “obligatory destination of sorts for musical pilgrims and also for anyone interested in assimilating themselves into a fast developing international market based in and around United States mass culture.” In the film, the impact jazz has on both New Yorkers and Cubans is vividly depicted. When Rita first met the man who would later become her manager, she was excited to embrace the chance to go to New York and made it clear to him that this had always been her goal. When Ramon tells Chico about Rita’s recent success, Chico realizes that all of the top Afro-Cuban performers perform there and that they might be able to establish themselves there. Rita might serve as an illustration of someone attempting to fit into the fast growing global market. Jazz has unquestionably had a tremendous impact on music, both historically and currently. Black and Latino stars commonly made brief appearances in the entertainment industry before being passed over for up-and-comers. The film does a fantastic job of illustrating the challenges minorities face in their quest for acceptance and new beginnings.
“Chico and Rita” is an animated movie that showcases New York as a hub for musical talent and cultural exchange. This is done through the portrayal of the city as a destination for musical pilgrims and a center for the emerging international market in mass culture. The film highlights the vibrant music scene in New York, which attracts musicians from all over the world, and features the city’s iconic landmarks, such as the Harlem Jazz clubs and the Savoy Ballroom. Additionally, the film presents the melting pot of cultures that makes New York a hub for cultural exchange, reflecting the city’s role as a gateway for immigrant communities from around the world to showcase their talents and integrate into American society. The most important aspect of this film is the love story between the two main characters, Chico and Rita. Their love story is set against the backdrop of the vibrant and exciting music scene in the city, and serves as a metaphor for the struggles and triumphs of life in general. Overall, “Chico and Rita” presents New York as a dynamic, culturally diverse, and musically rich city, making it an obligatory destination for those seeking to experience the city’s cultural offerings.
The film Chico and Rita showcases New York as an obligatory destination in the scene that Rita is having a conversation with a man who to appear as a record label owner. The man speaks to Rita about going to the USA . She tells him that it has been a long-life dream of hers to travel to the U.S. She was eager to have the man not only take her but to also take Chico as her co-artist/partner. When Chico saw her talking to the man he was at the bar drinking. He was jealous of Rita not knowing that she was also trying to negotiate his trip with her. In the reading Bauzá-Guillespie-Latin Jazz- by J. Moreno. When Bauza was being interviewed he expressed how it was important for artists to touch New York at some point. He also referenced how the trip use to take three and a half days and how now you can get to NY in a few hours. The New York Jazz scene was acknowledged internationally so the great musicians did anything to come to NY and get recognized. In the film Chico and Rita, Rita went from NY to Hollywood and then to Las Vegas. Once you are recognized in NY it was a route to become a international star. During that time NY was also being influenced by migration from many Latin countries. The Jazz scene was being integrated with the Afro-Cuban Jazz scene. Which was creating different music movements throughout the city.
I wasn’t aware of how evident the clash of cultures was, especially during this musical era spilling with jazz and “musicoasethetic” experimentation, up until I watched the film, Chico and Rita. This film introduced this concept of cross-cultural music when I heard Rita utter the iconic Hispanic lyrics “became, besame mucho…” In this scene, I heard the background jazz that accompanied her soothing singing notes. I believe this experimentation that Jairo Moreno discusses the Latin feelings that could be experienced through certain musical pieces, specifically jazz music. Chico and Rita both display these collaborations between the Caribbean, Latino, and New Orleans ties with the migration to NY from Chico. His Puerto Rican descendancy is, as Jairo Moreno would state, part of the “flow of exchanges among an assortment of black, creole, Spanish, French, and white North American musicians.” The migration that both Chico and Rita experienced could explain how the trailblazing musical genre expanded throughout the Eastern Coast into the Western Coast and vice versa. Chico’s migration to New Orleans from NY could constitute one instance, while Rita’s migration to Las Vegas could constitute another. One vivid cultural clash that stuck with me after watching the film was between African American (the term is being used loosely) music and Latino music when Chico had to perform as a backup piano player for a jazz band since the established player was ill.
We can see that throughout the film. Chico and Rita, this idea that New York City has become a hot commodity and everyone wants to live here is clearly shown. In the film, New York is seen as the place where musicians come to pursue their dreams and great music is created. We can see this in the film, when Rita is offered a chance to come to New York City. She is immediately excited because she knows that everyone comes here to pursue their dreams and make it big but she gets disappointed when she doesn’t see that Chico’s name is mentioned in the contract. At the end, Chico also comes to New York City looking to achieve his dream too and Rita becomes famous as a musician. Rita also said “this is my dream” and this is another part to show how everyone wants to come to New York and make it out. It is also essential to note that to make your dreams come true in New York, you have to be different and unique, “There are alot of pianists in New York”. All in all, New York city is a place where music is amplified and talent can bloom. New York is also a place where cultures are combined and talent can expand from various areas in New York.