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Acento Cubano
A lifetime ago, my husband and I went to a show featuring local songwriters performing in the round at Nashville’s famed Blue Bird Cafe. We walked in late and missed the introductions.
When one of the performers began to speak and sing, I got goosebumps. His voice was beautiful and it also was familiar. I turned to my husband and said: “That guy sounds Cuban to me.”
Turns out he was. And my husband once again was amazed by my strange ability to pick out Latinos before we know for sure they are Latino. I can smell it, I tell him. It’s a bit of a joke, for sure, but there is a definite “knowing.” In the years it was rare to meet Hispanics here in Tennessee, it helped me spot “my people” and make new acquaintances.
The singer, by the way, was Raul Malo, Cubanito crooner from Miami who fronted the wildly popular band, the Mavericks. He lives in these parts now and has one of the most soul-moving voices I’ve ever heard.
I’m sharing this story because I heard this story on NPR this morning. It’s about the new series Cane and the quest for the correct Cuban-American accent. They wanted the actors, some of whom are not Cuban, to sound cubaniche, not Puerto Rican or Colombian because so many of us can tell.
Personally, I cannot wait for this series to start. Can’t help but wonder whether it will be more than a caricature with a correct accent. But also hope they throw in a few chusmas for fun and color.
Ju know?
How funny - I heard that story, too!
I’ve long been annoyed by Cuban accents as portrayed by Hollywood (Marisa Tomei in The Perez Family, anyone?), and particularly hate it when they get Anglos to play Hispanics.
I’m looking forward to the series, too, but like you, hope it’s not some silly caricature.
And yes, away from home, I can pick up a “Miami accent” in seconds!
My mom always says we all have “the island tatooed on our foreheads,” which is why it’s so easy to pick out Cubans in a crowd.
My ears instantly prick up and I say with a knowing nod, “Yep, there are Cubans in here somewhere.”
It’s fun to be Cubapsychic. Or am I just a Cuban-psycho? =D
Oh, boy, this is funny…I’m also waiting for the series, but, conciendo el paño, I rather don’t have huge expectations…
The Cuban accent radar? Amazing. When we moved to colorful Colorado, Americans and other Latinos would hear me talking, either in English or in Spanish with mami or MDH, and always asked from where was the Spanish I was talking, or the accent I have.
Maybe I haven’t seen the tatoo in my forehead?
I was reading something about “Cane” the other day and I’m really looking forward to the series. Yes, I am a little annoyed that the lead is Puerto Rican/Suriname and not Cuban. But at this point, I’m just happy that there’s a series about Cubans at all.
Tere - I HATE when Anglo actors do the “Cuban” accent and it’s such a joke. “Scarface”? Talk about caricature!
BTW, did anyone else catch “Joe” (Rocky Echevarria) on “Burn Notice” last week?
I still can’t call Rocky E. by his Hollywood name, Steven Bauer. Too much que pasa, usa in my past.