Vienna Live

Omar Sosa: Music Starts with a Meal

Written by Vienna Live with Simeon Morrow | Apr 18, 2024 7:00:18 PM

HAVANA, CUBA:

In this video, I ask jazz pianist Omar Sosa what he looks for in a musician.

Without millisecond hesitation, he tells me "freedom, authenticity and light." The prerequisites are already there when Omar calls on any musicians: she/he already knows how to play their instrument.

By inviting a musician to perform with him, Omar is inviting them to become part of an ideal society that only music can show us.

Yet Omar's starting point is not to immediately play music with the new musician; he asks them to sit down for a meal. Based on how she/he joins the meal table, Omar can already judge the quality of her/his musicianship.

Sara Roversi of Future Food Institute is surely nodding in agreement: humanity starts when the meal begins!