{ 01

la tragedia
{tragedy}

}
lA TRagediA NO Tiene SonidO,
SlO es un SeNTiMieNTO:

JOS JOS

s i n i e s t r o s

y la t rag ed ia m u sica l e n mxico

p i c n i c

Entrevista

Interview

th e tragedy has no
soun d, it is just a feeling:
jos jos and m usical
trag e dy in m exi co.
julin woodside
Ciudad de Mxico. 2
( @ j u l i a nwo o d s i d e )

esp.
La msica y la tragedia van de la mano. Ya sea
que hablemos de msicos con una vida atormentada, de muertes que coartan trayectorias,
o de tragedias que encarnan en canciones, la
relacin msica-tragedia siempre ha existido
dentro y fuera del escenario.
En Mxico sobran casos de msicos promesa que mueren prematuramente; los que siendo
virtuosos pierden la capacidad para ejecutar
su instrumento; o aquellos que son vctima de
la mala suerte, adicciones o mal de amor. Sin
embargo, no hay msico contemporneo ms
emblemtico, en cuanto a lo trgico, que Jos
Jos, pues al ser una de las mejores voces de
su generacin, sus interpretaciones han hecho
de la tristeza algo muy placentero.
Jos Rmulo Sosa Ortiz, hijo de un famoso tenor y una concertista de piano, naci en
1948. Su padre lo abandon cuando tena 15
aos, edad a la que inici su trayectoria como
cantante y bajista de un tro de Jazz y Bossa
Nova. Sus primeras grabaciones las hizo bajo
el nombre de Jos Sosa, hasta que cambi su
nombre a Jos Jos en honor a su padre, quien
haba fallecido poco antes por alcoholismo.
Alcanz fama internacional como uno de los
mejores intrpretes de su generacin, y junto
con ella llegaron los excesos y la tragedia de
perder poco a poco su voz. A principios de
los noventa, tras un divorcio y por alcoholismo, toc fondo y vivi en un taxi, hasta que
se rehabilit, cuestin que lo ha mantenido a
flote desde entonces.
Pero ms all del mito del artista y la catarsis
de sus interpretaciones, Jos Jos es alguien
que tiene mucho que platicar sobre la tragedia; no slo por conocerla de primera mano,
sino tambin por cantarla y ser cmplice de
las tristezas de muchos.

eng.
Music and tragedy go hand in hand. Whether
we talk about musicians with a troubled life,
deaths that end with music careers, or tragedies
embodied in songs, the relation music-tragedy
has always existed on and off stage.
In Mexico, there are plenty of cases of promising musicians who die prematurely; of those
who being virtuous, lose their capacity to play
an instrument; or those who are victims of bad
luck, addictions, or a bad love. However, there
is not a more iconic contemporary musician,
regarding the tragic, than Jos Jos, because
by being one of the finest voices of his generation, his performances have made of sadness
something very pleasant.
Jos Rmulo Sosa Ortiz, son of a famous
tenor and a concert pianist, was born in 1948.
His father left when he was 15, age at which he
began his career as a singer and bassist of a trio
of Jazz and Bossa Nova. His first recordings were
made under the name of Jos Sosa, until he
changed his name to Jos Jos in honor of his
father, who had recently died of alcoholism. He
achieved international fame as one of the best
performers of his generation, and along with it
came the excesses and the tragedy of slowly
losing his voice. In the early nineties, after a
divorce, and because of his alcoholism, he hit
rock bottom and lived in a taxi, until he attended
rehab, keeping himself afloat ever since then.
But beyond the myth of the artist and the
catharsis of his performances, Jos Jos is someone who has a lot to say about tragedy; not only
because of his firsthand experience, but also
for singing it and abetting the sorrows of many.

julin woodside: Usted tiene larga experiencia musical. Dira que la tragedia
suena a algo?
jos jos: La tragedia no tiene sonido, slo
es un sentimiento. Conozco msicos que con
un piano son capaces de representar la tristeza,
son genios. Pero dira que lo que para muchos
puede parecer trgico, para otros no lo es.
julin woodside.: You have a long
musical experience. Would you say that
tragedy has its own sound?
jos jos: The tragedy has no sound, it's
just a feeling. I know musicians that are able
to represent sadness with a piano, they are
geniuses. But I would say that what may seem
tragic for many, for others it is not.
jw: Su msica ha acompaado momentos
romnticos, pero tambin tristes. Recuerda alguna ancdota donde haya visto esa relacin entre msica, romance y
tragedia?
jj: Cuando daba serenatas en la calle, a los 15
aos, me emocionaba mucho ver a mis amigos esperando que sus novias prendieran la
luz, aunque fuera un segundo, para saber que
estaban escuchando las canciones. Cuando
eso suceda su cara se iluminaba de alegra.
Por el contrario, cuando se lleva una serenata
de dolor, nadie prende la luz. Te ignoran por
completo y la cara del que lleva serenata solo
refleja tristeza profunda.

{ s i n i s t e r }

MSIcOS mExIcaNOS
que han muerto de forma trgica

a nt e s d e lo s

m ex i ca n mus icia n s w ho hav e die d

t ragica lly b e fore the age of
too de la villa (21; cantante):
cncer de garganta (21; singer): throat
cancer.
ren ferrer (22; cantante):
traumatismo en la cabeza tras golpiza de
unos policas (22; singer): head trauma
after being beaten by policemen.
guty crdenas (26; compositor):
balazo durante una ria en una cantina
(26; composer): shot during a fight in
a bar.
juventino rosas (26; compositor):
mielitis espinal (26; composer): Spinal
myelitis.
valentn elizalde (27; cantante):
asesinado (27; singer): murdered.
cristina trevi (27; soprano): no
definido (27; soprano): undefined.
sergio martell (27; pianista): no
definido (27; pianist): undefined.
leopoldo polo snchez
labastida (29; cantante): ahogado en
una piscina (29; singer): drowned in a
swimming pool.

rockdrigo gonzlez (34;

cantautor): durante el temblor de 1985
(34; songwriter): during the 1985
earthquake.
javier sols (34; cantante):
complicaciones de salud (34; singer):
health problems.
mario eduardo rivas montero
(36; cantante): vih (36; singer): hiv
julio haro (37; cantante): vih
(37; singer): hiv
pedro infante (39; cantante):
avionazo (39; singer): plane crash.
zaratustra vzquez (39;
tecladista): fuga de gas en su
departamento (39; keyboardist):
gas leak in his apartment.
silvestre revueltas
(40; compositor): bronconeumona
(40; composer): bronchopneumonia.
too cisneros (s/definir; guitarrista):
accidente automovilstico (undefined;
guitarist): car accident.

{ 01

l a trage d ia no ti ene sonido,

slo e s un sentim i ento:
j os jos y l a tragedia m usical
e n mxico

p i c n i c

Entrevista

Interview

jw: Your music has accompanied romantic moments, but also sad. Do you
remember any anecdote in which you have
seen a relation between music, romance
and tragedy?
jj: When I serenated in the street, at age 15, I
got really excited to see my friends waiting for
their girlfriends to turn on the light, even for
a second, to know that they were listening to
the songs. When that happened, their faces lit
up with joy. By contrast, when one performs a
pain serenate, nobody turns on the light. You
are completely ignored and the face of the one
serenating only reflects a deep sadness.
jw: Cul es la cancin ms trgica que
ha interpretado?
jj: Han sido muchas, de varios compositores.
Pero sin duda quien mejor ha retratado la tristeza con su msica, en Mxico y a nivel mundial,
ha sido el maestro Jos Alfredo Jimnez.
jw: Which is the most tragic song you have
performed?
jj: There have been plenty, of several composers. But surely who has best portrayed sadness
with his music, in Mexico and worldwide, has
been the master Jos Alfredo Jimnez.
jw: Qu opina de la infinidad de artistas
que en una poca estn en la gloria, pero
que despus son borrados de la memoria?
jj: Agustn Lara, lvaro Carrillo, Jos Antonio
Mndez y Consuelo Velzquez han sido compositores mundiales. Jams sern olvidados.
Ellos ya fallecieron pero hay otros en activo
que cuando desaparezcan tampoco sern olvidados. El caso de los intrpretes es distinto,
pues la mayora depende del momento en
que graban una cancin que entra a la radio,
la televisin o el Hit Parade. Antonio Aguilar,
Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete y Pedro Vargas
son inolvidables porque el pblico mexicano
nunca olvida a sus dolos.

s i n i e s t r o s
{ s i n i s t e r }

jw: What is your opinion about the many

artists who were once very popular, but
are later forgotten?
jj: Agustn Lara, lvaro Carrillo, Jos Antonio
Mndez and Consuelo Velzquez have been
world-renowned composers. They will never be
forgotten. They already died but there are other
active ones that when they disappear will also
not be forgotten. This is different for interpreters,
since most of them depend on the moment in
which they record a song and this comes on
the radio, television or the Hit Parade. Antonio
Aguilar, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete and Pedro
Vargas are unforgettable because the Mexican
public never forgets their idols.
jw: Un momento icnico es su interpretacin de El Triste en el 2 Festival Internacional de la Cancin Latina. A 44 aos
de este momento, cmo lo recuerda?
jj: Esa fue mi segunda cancin mundial, la primera fue La nave del olvido, y ambas hablan
de mi propia historia personal y de la tristeza de
haber perdido a la mujer que amaba. Sin duda
El triste ser mi bandera.
jw: An iconic moment is your interpretation of El Triste at the 2nd International
Festival of the Latin Song. At 44 years from
it, how do you remember that moment?
jj: That was my second internationally released
song, the first one was La nave del olvido, and
both speak about my own personal story and the
sadness of having lost the woman I loved. Without a doubt, El triste is my personal anthem.
jw: Vale la pena tratar de superar la tragedia, o es mejor abrazarla hasta que pase?
jj: La tristeza es algo que Dios nos deja sentir
para saber que no estamos solos, que l est
con nosotros para superarla. Es parte de la vida,
pues solo as podemos distinguir lo que significa
la alegra.
jw: Is it worth trying to overcome tragedy,
or is it better to embrace it until it passes?
jj: Sadness is something God lets us feel to
know that we are not alone, that He is with us
to overcome it. It is part of life, for only then can
we distinguish the meaning of joy.

la tragedia
{tragedy}

s i n i e s t r o s

C i n i s m o i m p re s o

eduardo salles

{ s i n i s t e r }

p i c n i c

Ciudad de Mxico
cinismoilustrado.com

esp. Publicado el 12 de marzo de

2011, un da despus del Tsunami
de Japn
eng. Published on March 12, 2011, a
day after the Tsunami in Japan.