Even as the desert heat threatens to pull the guitar out of tune, Grupo Riken maintains a relentless, rhythmic optimism. The fast-paced feeling of a guitar-like cuatro and the steady rhythm of the guitar, punctuated by the sharp slap of the bongos, drew a crowd, and people stood and danced to rhythms uncommon in Tucson.
For the musicians, the stage is a sanctuary, guitarist Jose Luis Puerta said.
“Playing on a big stage, like our recent show at La Rosa, makes an event feel official and legit,” he said.
Puerta, an associate professor of practice at the University of Arizona’s School of Music, is joined in Grupo Riken by Alexis Rivera, a cuatro player and a computer engineer, and David Perez, a bongo player and an interpreter for Banner Hospital.
The group not only shares music, he said, but also a part of their identity as Puerto Ricans.
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“When I attend a concert, when I leave, I feel like a different person,” Puerta said. “But now that I’m here and I’m playing that music, I feel like there’s a connection to where we come from. So for us, there’s a really big sense of identity and representation in playing this music.”
The group’s foundation began long before they arrived in Arizona, in the classrooms of Puerto Rico, he said. Puerta started learning to play music in elementary school.
“Then I went to a performing arts school,” he said. “That’s where I learned guitar. I got hooked, and I just never did anything else.”
After graduating from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, he pursued a master’s and a doctorate at the UA.
Despite the high-level formal training, Grupo Riken remains anchored in the raw, communal joy of live performance, Rivera said. In an era dominated by digital streaming, the group views the stage as essential.
“With the situation of music right now, we know that live music is essential,” he said. “Even though you have everything on your phone, there’s nothing like live.”
The group’s philosophy translates into an interactive performance style. While some audiences remain quiet out of a misplaced sense of etiquette, Grupo Riken encourages them to get loud.
“Sometimes people don’t clap their hands in the middle of the song because they think that is disrespectful,” Perez said. “But we love that. We try to invite people to do that.”
The chemistry between the musicians and the crowd can turn technical difficulties into a part of the show. When the Arizona heat forces frequent re-tuning, the band uses the downtime for banter, keeping the energy light and the connection with the audience intact.
“Since this is not our actual job, this is to enjoy so that people can feel that happiness,” Puerta said. “When we see people staying for the whole presentation, that’s the main reason.”
For Grupo Riken, the ultimate reward is not found in a paycheck, but in the sight of a crowd that refuses to leave, he said.
Watch Grupo Riken’s Facebook page to see when the group next books shows.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
