SARASOTA (WSNN) – Sarasota is moving to the sounds of a special instrument from the Caribbean. On Day Four of our Hispanic Heritage series, I show you how one Cuban artist stays connected to his roots through the traditional sounds of his country.
Renesito Avich shares his Hispanic roots with the Sarasota community through an authentic Cuban instrument called el ‘Tres.’
“This represents the sound of Cuba, this represents our Cuban heritage,” Avich said.
‘Tres’ means three in Spanish. A guitar has six strings, but this guitar has…
“Three pairs of strings, and since the strings are so separate, it’s percussive,” Avich said. “So our music, our Latin music, our Cuban music is a blending between melody and very percussive and danceable music.
His music was inspired by his hometown, Santiago De Cuba.
“It’s the music that I grew up with,” Avich said.
And it’s the music he brings to Sarasota.
“I feel like I have a big family in Sarasota, which is my audience, which is my crowd and I’m so grateful for them,” Avich said. “All the help, all the support.”
If you’re walking Sarasota’s main street on Wednesday nights, you’ll hear Rensito playing the ‘Tres,’ the bongos, bass, maracas, and more. He’s a one-man Cuban band.
“It’s a concept I created when I came to the states,” Avich said. “I’m able to record around 7 instruments at a time and make it sound like a full orchestra.”
He uses a looper, recording the instruments from scratch.
“I’m on stage producing my own music live and people enjoy it,” Avich said. “Dance to it, it’s the whole part of the experience.”
Specials guest musicians often join the fun. At this gig, my dad, Aramis Gutierrez, added to his sounds by playing the bass.
“Everyone that comes from a different country as an immigrant carried their own roots,” Avich said. “I carry on my back my country, my music, the house smell, everything is coming with me. I want people to fall in love with my music.”
If you want to catch these traditional Cuban sounds, you can check Renesito out at El Melvin Cocina Mexican every Wednesday night. He produces new music every month. For more information, you can visit his website here.
