TIMBA.COM: If you were to continue this idea of using other famous Cuban musicians' works as a jumping-off point for your own work, what other composers would be possible candidates?

CERUTO: This year I'll produce a recording dedicated to Elio Revé, with the help of his son who asked me to produce and arrange it. Towards the end of the year we'll record a tribute to the Cuban Trova.

TIMBA.COM: You wrote almost all of Paulito F.G.'s arrangements over a period of quite a few years. How did you first start working with him?

CERUTO: In 1992 when we were working with Opus13 he asked me to join his new group and become his musical director. To work with Paulo F.G. was a great benefit to my career. With him I had the chance to write for a huge public, since he's such a popular singer. When I wrote for him I always thought of the people.

TIMBA.COM: You and Paulito obviously had a very strong creative chemistry. Tell us about the process a song like Y Ahora Qué, Y San Toma Qué or De la Habana went through from the initial idea to the final recording.

CERUTO: The process was usually the same - first we would find a central line and then he'd give me some suggestions and I would sit down with paper and orchestrate the song. Then, before we performed it in public, we'd rehearse it and decide what which parts would stay and which wouldn't. After it had been performed in public we would work out the final details for the recording.

TIMBA.COM: Paulito has always had one of the best groups in Cuba, but the absolute peak had to be the band that recorded "Con la Conciencia Tranquila", a disc which many consider to be one of the very best and most creative timba CD's ever released. The previous disc already had many of the greatest musicians in the timba scene: Joel Paez on drums, Tomás Cruz on congas, and Alexander Abreu on trumpet, but when Joel Domínguez and Sergio Noroña took over on bass and piano you had "la combinación perfecta". How long was this band able to stay intact?

CERUTO: When these young musicians joined the band it added a new touch of flavor and Cubanía. For example, pianist Sergio Noroña is a natural at Cuban music, his Timba style is unique and has its own personality. These musicians had a lot of strength on stage too - they attracted the audience due to their great talent, and this lasted about two years.

TIMBA.COM: "Con la Conciencia" was the first Paulito disc to be recorded with a click track. What was the reason for the change and why do you prefer to use a click?

CERUTO: I think that it was the first Timba CD recorded with a click track. I also think that if a song is written in 120 BPM, it shouldn't end at 200 bpm! Sometimes in the studio musicians tend to rush the songs if you don't have a good reference point.

TIMBA.COM: Looking back on your work with Paulito, what are your favorite arrangements?

CERUTO: Some of my favorites are "Tu no me calculas", "EL Bueno soy yo", "Amiga no", and "De La Habana".

TIMBA.COM: Do you feel comfortable discussing your reasons for leaving Paulito's band in 2000?

CERUTO: I left the band so I could work on my own projects with more time and leisure.

TIMBA.COM: After leaving Paulito, you worked on Issac Delgado's new disc and toured with him briefly. Do you plan to write more timba arrangements for Issac or others in the future?

CERUTO: Issac and I have developed a good working chemistry in terms of production work. I think we'll record many more, and we already have another one as a future project but I won't get into that at this time!

TIMBA.COM: At the end of last year you were working on an Issac Delgado production of a Celia Cruz tribute CD featuring Hayla Momprie. What's new with that project?

CERUTO: Hayla's CD is about to be released - in fact, it's probably already out in Havana.

TIMBA.COM: What are your immediate and long range musical plans for the future?

CERUTO: My immediate projects are: "Algo Común" by Amaury Prez (salsa), Yoli (pop singer), Hector Tellez (bolero singer) Marlín Ramazzini (salsa-pop), and the tribute to Elio Revé we talked about earlier. I'll be arranging and producing on all these projects.

TIMBA.COM: Is there anything we haven't covered here that you'd like to add?

CERUTO: I am happy to know there is so much interest in Cuban Music around the world, I think that is gaining a well-deserved place in music around the world. We will continue to bring forward our TIMBA.

PART 2: Questions from Luis "JazzBuffalo" Moreno - record reviewer, radio show host, webmaster of JazzBuffalo.com and moderator of the legendary Latin Jazz Discussion List groups.yahoo.com/group/latinjazz.

JazzBuffalo: Many Cuban musicians divide their time between Timba and Jazz projects.
What is the relationship between Timba and contemporary Cuban Jazz?

CERUTO: Latin Jazz and Timba have many common points - they're both based on Cuban rhythms, the clave, etc. Many of the harmonies used in Timba come from Latin Jazz and, like Jazz, Timba also has a bit of improvisation.

JazzBuffalo: In the last couple of years there have been about ten debut releases by
very young Cuban jazz artists. Is it possible to speak yet of a new school
of Cuban Jazz? If so, what are its emerging characteristics?

CERUTO: I think that there's a continuity in the school of Cuban Jazz that started many years ago with people like Chano Pozo, Mauro Bauzo, Bebo Valdés, and others. The heritage is still the same. It is possible that today's musicians, with their great musical training, have more technical possibilities for improvisation, but in the end it's all a continuity of Cuban Jazz.

JazzBuffalo: Do you feel that for creative growth Cuban Jazz musicians need to travelto Europe or New York?

CERUTO: The musicians that go to Europe are probably looking to get more exposure in the eastern world. Ultimately it helps expose our music to the world.

JazzBuffalo: What other Latin Jazz projects would you like to develop?

CERUTO: I'd love to work in a combined project with North American musicians.