Surrogate Latina #5: Sara Mc Guinness, Pianist and Bandleader

In 2018, Sara Mc Guinness was the first non-Latinx to win the LUKAS Musician of the Year. So respected and revered is Sara amongst Latin musicians in the UK that, will very little self-promotion, she garnered the most votes in recognition of her work with Latin Music. She is one of the UK’s most respected pianists, band leaders and educators of Cuban Salsa. In 2000, seeing the common ground between Congolese and Cuban music, Sara formed a band bringing musicians from the two traditions together. With Grupo Lokito and Sarabanda, Sara has brought together some of the best Latin musicians to create both these award-winning bands. As well as an outstanding musician, as an educator Sara’s passion has led her to teach an annual Cuban Music Course in Havana, Cuba and Sound Recording and Music in the Saharawi refugee camps in the Sahara desert.

by Amaranta Wright

From my father I inherited his drive, from my mother her abundant energy and positive outlook. My mother was an amazing character, she was American which gave me a non-British outlook on life. She touched many peoplses lives and was a great inspiration to me.

I grew up listening and dancing to jazz-funk and soul music. I soon realised that most of the music that I loved had a serious Latin rhythm section driving it along. This led me to explore Salsa and it took off from there.

I sought out a Colombian piano player (Kinacho) to teach me how to play Salsa. Until then I had been playing soul, reggae and ska. I immersed myself in Latin music, building my reputation on the UK scene and making links in Cuba.

Starting to work as a pianist on the salsa scene coincided with me having a daughter. It was already unusual being a woman musician in salsa bands and unheard of to be a single parent as well.

I first went to Cuba in 1992 during what was termed the Periodo Especial. I was in a band called Salsa Y Ache and we befriended the great Cuban Son group Sierra Maestra. I went to visit them and also to meet musicians and engineers in Egrem Studios, at the time the bass player from Sierra Maestra was the head of recording there.

My first impression of Cuba was of the generosity, strength, resolve and humour of the Cuban people, despite the very difficult time; there was nothing in the shops, hardly any electricity, very little live performance etc. I have been numerous times since and the one thing that is striking about Cuban society is the amazing amount of diverse musical output that one small island has. Also, their commitment to the arts and the way that artists and musicians are seen as valued members of society is amazing. Completely different to the status we have in UK society.

My greatest Latin American influences are Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Richie Ray, Larry Harlow, Oscar Hernandez and Papo Lucca. From personal contact, many great Cuban friends: Juan De marcos Gonzales, Guillermo Rubalcaba, Cachaito Lopez, Babarito Torres, Frank Emilio, also the amazing, energetic musicologist and wonderful human being Sonia Perez Cassola, who became a great friend. One of the saddest things was going to Cachaito’s funeral in Havana.

Grupo Lokito performance as part of Fuerza London (10min58)

British people are more reserved, less likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger than Latin Americans. My Latin friends don’t understand (and neither do I really) sarcasm. Also, British people can be a bit negative about trying out new ideas.

I love running my annual music course in Havana. I love seeing the participants enjoy the whole experience: both the rehearsals with my great team of Cuban musicians and mixing with local Cubans, meeting and talking to people and immersing themselves in Cuban music and culture.

If I didn’t live in London…I would like to live part of the year in Cuba – Havana or Matanzas and perhaps somewhere else that I have not discovered yet.

https://saramcguinness.co.uk