Britpop's Favourite Timbalero

When Colombian timbal player Roberto Pla arrived the UK in the 1970s, the Latin music scene was practically non-existent. But the boy from Baranquilla soon became the percussionist of choice for UK pop artists such as Joe Strummer, The Cure, Boney M and Kate Bush. Always creating, whether as bandleader, composer or arranger, over his 60 year career, this timbalero extraordinaire has come to be known as The Godfather of Latin music in the UK. Celebrating 40 years in London leading his Latin Ensemble, we talked to London's pioneer of Latin music ahead of his four week residency at CLF Art Lounge’s roof garden, about his life in music, paving the way for todays Latin musicians in the UK.

by Dominique Roome

LatinoLife: When did you first realize that drums were going to be part of your life?

Roberto Pla: There was a Naval military parade passing our house. I was in bed with measles aged 8 or 9 years old. The rest of my family were out watching the parade. When they came they found my bed empty. I was following the military parade walking next to the drummer! That was the first time I had heard a well organized, synchronised drum sound. It blew my mind! This was the greatest thing I had ever heard – an ensemble playing patterns in unison and I realized I had to know more about drums.

LL: What was your first experience of playing drums?

RP: Like many schools at that time, my high school in Barranquilla, Colombia had a military-style band. Ours was one of the best around and won every competition going. Unfortunately you needed to be above a certain height to join, so I was never allowed to be a member! My friends in the band knew I loved the drums so they let me sneak into their rehearsals and practice with. This was my very first flavour of hitting a drum.

LL: What was it like growing up in Barranquilla at that time?

RP: Barranquilla is a very industrial city. It’s in the tropics and is the capital of the Atlantic district. It has the best carnival in Latin America after Rio De Janeiro. The population are happy characters and music is a way of life. Anyone can be a composer. We have four seasons there and all of them are summer!

LL: Do you remember the first time you played in a band?

RP: During high school one of my fellow students had a band playing Beatles covers. He asked me if I wanted to join them one night. He didn’t need to ask twice! He had his own drum kit which I was fascinated with, especially the independence of hands and feet needed to play it, and its importance at the heart of the band. I realized then that I needed to study the drums in a more serious way. 5. What was your first gig playing Latin music? It was in Barranquilla with top local musicians and I was learning a lot. I had started having lessons with the legendary percussionist Pompelio Rodriguez who became a friend until his death. At this time I had the opportunity to play with Maestro Climaco Sarmiento, composer of hundreds of hits including the famous “Vaca Vieja”, and also with El Maestro Nuncira Machado, the father of Chucho Nuncira, with whom I recorded “Los Amores De Petrona”, a big carnival hit. 6. Tell me about your first trip to the capital Bogota? I was contracted to perform at Las Ferias De Girardot with El Maestro J Nuncira Machado, and we had to go through parts of Bogota to get there. I fell in love with the city and it’s climate and never went back to live in Barranquilla except to perform or visit my family!

LL: Tell us about the music scene in Bogota in the late sixties.

RP: It was a dream. Every single nightclub, bar and restaurant had live music. There was a club called La Gaite, an after-hours club where every musician in town turned up to jam after three in the morning. The bandleader there was the great Cuban trumpeter Benny Gustillo who came to Colombia with Arsenio Rodriguez and never went back to Cuba. I had the privilege and honour to play with him, learning a lot as a member of his resident band. That was the platform from which I built a reputation in town and many musicians got to know me. I had already played with some of the best bands in Barranquilla so moving to Bogota was the right move at the right time for me.

LL: You played for ten years with the great Lucho Bermudez. Can you tell us a little bit about how this happened?

RP: I have been a lucky person all my life and I had the privilege and honour to play the drum kit with his band for almost ten years. The whole band were stars, a band that I had only seen on television – I couldn’t afford to see them live. Their drummer was a dear friend of mine, and one day he said that he was leaving the band and that he wanted me to go for an audition to replace him. I thought that he was joking and I said I would go. Two weeks later he said that they were waiting for me at 3pm the folllowing afternoon. I was petrified! My friend said that there was no need to take any drums - everything would be there me. I went to Club Candilejas, owned by El Maestro Bermudez which was the home of the band when they were not on tour. The audition lasted half an hour and we played number after number. So far he hadn’t even asked my name and I had no idea how I was doing but I was starting to have fun and was enjoying the moment. At the very end he said “what’s your name son” I said “Roberto, Maestro”. “Whereare you from Roberto” I replied “Baranquilla, Maestro” He said “Do you know where my office is? Go there and my secretary will give you the address of the band’s tailor so you can get all your uniforms ordered.”

LL: Well us about your journey to the UK

RP: In 1978, I was constantly on tour throughout the Americas with Maestro Lucho Bermudez. We toured the USA at least three times a year playing for the Latin communities and I had friends who were keen that I moved to New York to work with them. After spending a year in NY, I had the opportunity to come to Europe and I fell in love with London. After two years working in factories on Commercial Street and Commercial Rd, I managed to establish myself on the music scene here. In those days there was no Latin scene whatsoever in London! There were however some fantastic bands playing Latin fusion like Robert Greenfield’s Cayenne and Gonzalez both of whom I travelled all over the UK and Europe with.

LL: In the eighties you flirted with the UK pop scene. Can you tell us about that?

RP: I was fortunate to tour the world with Boney M for five years, to appear on Top of the Pops with the Cure, tour with Joe Strummer (Ex Clash) and his Latino Rockabilly War Band and with US3 and M People. I toured Asia with the legendary Slim Gaillard, (the father in law of Marvin Gaye), recorded with Kate Bush and appeared in the film Eat The Rich with Motorhead.

cure pla

LL: What was the Latin scene in the UK like back then?

RP: Well, in 1982 I was playing the Bracknell Jazz Festival with Cayenne and I met a guy called Stan Thewlis from the North of England who told me he played flute. We met again a few months later and I heard him play. He played fantastically with all the Latin flavour so I called him Stan “Rivera”. The name stuck and we formed Valdez, the first authentic salsa band in the UK directed by Stan. Later on the band became Sonido De Londres and had the invaluable contribution of young percussionist Dave Pattman on bongo. Dave is now a master percussionist and I have had the pleasure of playing with him for 40 years!

During the eighties and nineties I also had the honour of joining the regular band of great Cuban pianist and composer Alfredo Rodriguez, who relocated to Paris after a long stint in the States working with Joe Cuba, Fajardo, Willie Rosario, Tito Puente, Charanga 76 etc. The band was based in Paris, but we performed all over Europe and North Africa including UK venues Bass Clef, Band On The Wall, HQ Club and Bar Rumba contributing to what by the early nineties had become a thriving UK Latin club scene.

LL: Tell us about your own project, The Roberto Pla Latin Ensemble.

RP: This was formed in 1987 so this year we celebrate 35 years in the business! Over the years we have been chosen to back some of the greatest salsa vocalists of all time including Cheo Feliciano, Adalberto Santiago, Tito Allen, Azuquita, and Herman Olivera. This summer we have a month’s residency at the fabulous roof garden at CLF Arts Lounge in Peckham. The venue is currently taking London by storm and injecting new life and energy into the live music scene.

Hosted by legendary DJ John Armstrong, (who has the biggest record collection I have seen in my life), the band kicks off on Saturday 16 July and we return on 23 and 30 July and 6 August. I am bringing in a full 19 piece Latin big-band for these shows which will be spectacular and features Nolita Golding, Graciela Rodriguez and Jose Cascaret on vocals. We hope to see you all there where we can continue this interview!! I would like to thank Latino Life for publishing this interview and for the fantastic contribution they are making to Latin culture in the UK.

Roberto Pla plays a 4-date weekly residency: SAT JULY 16, SAT JULY23, SAT JULY 30 & SAT AUG 6 from 1pm-6pm at CLF Art Lounge (on the roof garden), 4A Station Way Peckham (just 10 metres from Peckham Rye Overground station)

Advance tix: www.clfartlounge.com/book