I formed Duende in 2016 with a clear goal. Years of playing in bands, touring, and performing with master musicians from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and elsewhere exposed me to a wide range of musical styles. Most importantly, the experience taught me how music has the power to bring people together across lines of difference and speak to our deepest needs and desires as human beings, primarily our desire to connect with others. I wanted to see if I could distill these lessons and express them anew through original compositions.
No one gets on in this world alone and I was blessed from the start by two prodigiously gifted and enthusiastic musical collaborators: Farko Dosumov and Jeff Busch. I marvel at the fact that we’re still making music together nearly a decade later. It’s one of the great privileges of my life to enjoy such a long creative partnership with these two musicians, both of whom I admire deeply and count among my closest friends.
When I finally decided to get serious about forming a band after kicking the idea around for years, I took heart from a quote by Scottish mountaineer W.H. Murray:
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could’ve dreamt would come his way.
Without a doubt my journey so far with Duende Libre has affirmed the truth of these words. I’ve experienced countless surprises and chance encounters along the way, along with plenty of challenges, frustrations, and “full-circle” moments.
Let me share an example from 2024. Last November, just a few days after our deeply polarizing presidential election, Jeff, Farko, and myself embarked on a brief tour in Montana. Contrary to any misgivings I had about touring in the aftermath of the election, we were greeted everywhere we went with a depth of hospitality and warm generosity that was profoundly humbling.
There are many vivid examples I could share, but one in particular stands out. A mutual friend and musical peer connected us with a drummer in Missoula who, although he had never met us in person, lent Jeff his drums and helped me organize and promote a free public workshop. As if that wasn’t enough he even let us stay in his house while he was out of town! Such generosity and trust are rare these days and for me this example suggests a very different (and essential) narrative about humanity from most of what we read in the daily news.
Words cannot describe how it felt to be embraced wholeheartedly by a community of strangers many miles from home at a time of deep polarization and discord in our nation (and the world). For me, experiences like these (and there have been many) serve as potent reminders of the innate desire that we humans share to connect, to come together in community, and to be part of something greater than ourselves — as the poet and activist Marge Piercy put it, “to be of use”. I believe this fundamental need to connect strikes at the very core of who we are as social beings. And as my teachers showed me, music can be a powerful catalyst to foster such connection and inspire us to be better versions of ourselves. It is my honor and privilege to share this journey of music and connection with you.
Photos by Lisa Hagen Glynn
