RYU & TOSCO
A Bond Born in the Special Period
It began with a line I found online, in an article published four years before José Luis Cortés (TOSCO) passed away (Tosco y Cortés | On Cuba News).
“He has thirteen flutes, but during a tour he lost his favorite one. ‘Murakami told me I had to have the best flute in the world, and he bought me one made entirely of silver.'”
I wanted to know more about the two of them.
Early 1990s. It was the “Special Period” in Cuba—a time of great hardship following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the midst of this era, two men met: Ryu Murakami and José Luis Cortés “Tosco.” Together, they created countless recordings and unforgettable concerts.
I feel their meeting was destiny, like two souls pulling together exactly what they needed. Their bond was incredibly strong. Interestingly, a scene from Ryu Murakami’s debut novel, Almost Transparent Blue, feels like a “foreshadowing” of their meeting—as if their friendship was written in the stars long before it happened.
Ryu has written extensively about TOSCO in his liner notes and essays. What I present here is a glimpse of those writings, filtered through my own perspective on their unique connection.
I believe the friendship and collaboration between these two became a vital piece of Cuban music history in the 1990s.
I hope you can feel the deep bond that existed between them.
FLUTE
Almost Transparent Blue (1976)
" just you go play the flute, I’ll sell some smack and buy you a good flute with the money."
"The Man" who called "TOSCO"
José Luis Cortés
（1994）
TOSCO ⊂ MURAKAMI ="KYOKO"
"Tosco", "KYOKO", and "Ryu Murakami", stories are all connected. Tosco lives inside of Murakami and Murakami lives into Tosco's music.
The New World Beat
A Guide to Pleasurable Cuban Music
(Excerpt from “The New World Beat: A Guide to Pleasurable Cuban Music,” 1993)
“He is my dear friend; the two of us call each other brothers. José Luis is a bandleader, songwriter, composer, arranger, and flutist (as well as a singer, dancer, and baritone saxophonist). He is world-class in every one of these roles, but as a flutist he is, without question, a genius—the best in the world, beyond anyone’s reach.
Countless times, while spending time with him, I’ve thought, ‘So this is what true talent looks like.’ Because he pays no mind at all to pleasing others, in Cuba he is misunderstood as a cocky upstart—but at his core he is incredibly kind.
When the album You Don’t Know What Love Is was recorded in Havana with the voice of Xiomara Laugart, he served as music director and did perfect work. I mean ‘perfect’ in the truest sense of the word. Drilled in the classics, he tosses off jazz as if it were nothing—almost as though sneering at jazz itself—a true child of music. And yet, they say, as a young boy he honestly agonized over whether to become a fisherman or a musician.
Today, the fusion of the African and the European—that is, the ‘New World Beat,’ the new music that will come after the classical—exists nowhere but inside José Luis Cortés. Whenever I tell him this, he always laughs, embarrassed, but he clearly carries a certain pride within him.
I love his favorite saying: ‘Don’t mess with me—I’m amazing.’
Born in 1951, in Villa Clara Province. His mother sang very well, though she was not a singer by profession. In 1965 he entered the ENA (National School of Art), majoring in violin, but partway through he switched to the flute. He studied the saxophone as well. From 1970 to 1980 he was with Los Van Van, where he learned what it takes to make an audience dance; Los Van Van performed José Luis’s own compositions, too. Then, in 1980, Irakere called for him, and he moved on. He is said to have practiced alone for several hours every day. The flute improvisations he left behind in his Irakere years are worthy of special note. He left Irakere in 1986, and in 1988 he formed NG La Banda.”
Born on October 5, 1951, in Santa Clara, Cuba, and passed away on April 18, 2022, at the age of 70. He was affectionately known as “Tosco.” His nickname, which means “rough” or “gruff,” reflected his blunt and straightforward personality. As the leader of NG La Banda, he perfected the musical style known as “Timba.” Today, José Luis Cortés is revered by the Cuban people as a legendary musician.
Two of NG La Banda’s masterpieces, Cabaret Panorámico | Échale Limón (1993) and La Bruja, were produced by Ryu Murakami. The track “Murakami Mambo” is featured on the Cabaret Panorámico album.
