Frutero Moderno (A Modern Fruit Peddler...)

The fruit peddler... in spite of the technological advances of the 21st century or the simpler times of our grandparents, this character has continued to roll in his cart, piled high with fresh fruit for the enjoyment of all colors, backgrounds and social classes.

Why modern? This fruit peddler is unique in that he sells tropical fruit in a neighborhood where residents hail from every corner of the globe.

He is a polyglot and he offers his luscious merchandise in many dialects. Only in Latinamerica can you find at least 3 or 4 names for the same fruit, in the same language! Papaya is also lechoza, watermelon is melón but also sandía and patilla, guineo and cambur both mean banana and passion fruit scores off the charts with parcha, parchita, maracuyá and chinola as all of its possible names. The fruit peddler’s versatility lies in his ability to speak Dominican, Puertorican, Venezuelan, Cuban, Colombian and so on. Were it not so he would be selling a beautiful Chinese maiden to a Puertorrican! ... (They call their oranges "chinas").

“Modern Fruit Peddler” is the title of our new album release. I hope it reflects that as different as we may think we are from each other, or how original and unique we may believe ourselves to be, we are all in essence very much the same. This is the secret behind La Clave Secreta: our group’s amalgamation and cultural fusion in one rhythm, harmony and melody.

Year 2007... at a time of divisiveness, when our differences are more striking than our similarities, we need “modern fruit peddlers”. La Clave Secreta and I will be that fruit peddler, bearers of the universal language of music, a language that throughout history has been the cultural and communications bridge we are most in need of.