Ned Sublette
Encyclopedia
Ned Sublette is an American
composer
, musician
, record producer and musicologist. Sublette studied Spanish Classical Guitar
with Hector Garcia at the University of New Mexico
and with Emilio Pujol
in Spain. He studied composition
with Kenneth Gaburo
at the University of California, San Diego
. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico
, moved to New York City
in 1976, and has worked with John Cage
, LaMonte Young, Glenn Branca
, and Peter Gordon
.
As a performer, Sublette is probably best known for fusing country-western and afro-Caribbean styles including salsa
, cumbia
and rumba
, as reflected on the 1999 album "Cowboy Rumba". He is also a leading scholar of Cuba
n music. His label Qbadisc releases Cuban music in the United States and he has produced Latin musicians including Ritmo Oriental and Issac Delgado
and has co-produced Public Radio International's "Afropop Worldwide" show.
During the 1980s, he led the Ned Sublette Band, which played country with Cuban stylings. His "Cowboy Rumba" reached number one on World Music Charts Europe during December, 1999. In 2006, Willie Nelson
released Sublette's song "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other
" in the wake of the success of Brokeback Mountain
.
His book on Cuban music, Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo (ISBN 1-55652-516-8) was published in 2004.The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square, was published in 2008 by Lawrence Hill Books. The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans published in 2009 by Lawrence Hill Books continues the history of New Orleans cultures and music.
Sublette is a 2005 Guggenheim Fellow
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer and musicologist. Sublette studied Spanish Classical Guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
with Hector Garcia at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
and with Emilio Pujol
Emilio Pujol
Emili Pujol Vilarrubí was a composer and the leading twentieth century musicologist and classical guitar teacher.- Biography :...
in Spain. He studied composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
with Kenneth Gaburo
Kenneth Gaburo
-Life:Gaburo was born in Somerville, New Jersey. He served as a professor of music at the University of Illinois, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Iowa. His notable students include James Tenney and Allen Strange...
at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico
Portales, New Mexico
Portales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 11,131 at the 2000 census. Portales is located near the larger city of Clovis as well as Cannon Air Force Base, a major contributor to the economy of the region.Eastern New Mexico...
, moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1976, and has worked with John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, LaMonte Young, Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
, and Peter Gordon
Peter Laurence Gordon
Peter Gordon is an American experimental composer and musician, whose music draws from influences as diverse as jazz, opera, rock and world music...
.
As a performer, Sublette is probably best known for fusing country-western and afro-Caribbean styles including salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
and rumba
Rumba
Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...
, as reflected on the 1999 album "Cowboy Rumba". He is also a leading scholar of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n music. His label Qbadisc releases Cuban music in the United States and he has produced Latin musicians including Ritmo Oriental and Issac Delgado
Issac Delgado
This article is about the musician; for the New Orleans philanthropist with a similar name, see Isaac DelgadoIssac Delgado is one of the founders of the band NG La Banda and is a popular salsa and timba performer.-Early life and family:His father, Luis Delgado, was a tailor and his mother,...
and has co-produced Public Radio International's "Afropop Worldwide" show.
During the 1980s, he led the Ned Sublette Band, which played country with Cuban stylings. His "Cowboy Rumba" reached number one on World Music Charts Europe during December, 1999. In 2006, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
released Sublette's song "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other
Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other
"Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other" is, according to Gene Tyranny, "the famous gay cowboy song" by Latin country musician Ned Sublette, whose music, according to Howard Cohen, features a, "lilting West Texas waltz feel"...
" in the wake of the success of Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
.
His book on Cuban music, Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo (ISBN 1-55652-516-8) was published in 2004.The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square, was published in 2008 by Lawrence Hill Books. The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans published in 2009 by Lawrence Hill Books continues the history of New Orleans cultures and music.
Sublette is a 2005 Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.
External links
- WNYC interview with Ned Sublette on Cuban music, January 2009
- Interview with Ned Sublette by Prof. Joseph Roach of Yale University, 2005
- Interview with Ned Sublette by Prof. Vicki Mayer of Tulane University, 2005
- Interview with Ned Sublette by Garnette Cadogan in Bomb, Summer 2009, on New Orleans music, Mardi Gras, and history
- Ned Sublette performs songs at The Kitchen in New York City, June, 2006
- Review of The Year Before the Flood by Ingrid Norton