Ednita

To mention the name Ednita is like thinking of Puerto Rico itself because she has been an international ambassador of the "Island of Enchantment," for which she has been a representative at tourist and cultural events.

As for her activities, she is preparing a new concert tour to the U.S. with four cities already confirmed: Orlando, Miami, New York and Los Angeles.

Besides her concerts in these four cities, Ednita also will carry out her role as the tourism spokesperson for Puerto Rico, a task for which she is plainly enthusiastic. Musically if people ask Ednita about her beloved island she will answer that "Puerto Rico is a country very rich in music, extremely prolific. I always say that in Puerto Rico, even the rocks sing."

Speaking of the island's musical background, "Our musical history has forever been rich in emotion and passion," declares Ednita. "And there are many cultural influences that have been retained in Puerto Rico throughout the years, especially with music. Thais has allowed Puerto Rico to be a country of rich, musical variety; there is coastal music which is very percussive, like the bomba and plena, which has evolved as the root of salsa. It's basic music that still is danced and sung to. Cultured music, which was played in large ballrooms at the huge dances, came to be danza."

She enthusiastically speaks of regional variations of music in Puerto Rico stating, "In the countryside people continue to cultivate distinct types of music, variations of a Puerto Rican rhythm called 'seis,' contains cadences that are very similar to Andalucia's 'conte hondo.' It's very beautiful."

"All of us Puerto Ricans have been exposed since children to this music, because it forms a part of out culture. It's music that is listened to and danced to."

"For some very curious reason, Puerto Rican dance music is heard much more often during the Christmas holidays than the rest of the year. The music integrates itself into the Christmas spirit and to the most traditional family spirit."

Who has been the most inspiring? Ednita answers, "Among our great composers are two that really stand our: Rafael Hernandez and Pedro Flores, both who are universal. Their music has been like a flag for us as a people. It's something that we Puerto Ricans carry with us with great pride and honor."

Speaking about the current trends in music, Ednita explains, "Nowadays, as a market Puerto Rico consumes Rock en Espanol, English Language Rock, Merengue, Salsa, Romantic Ballads, Pop, everything. The public listens to a lot of different things because wide-ranging musical taste has different things because people listen to many things. Still, that distinction permits the acceptance of high-quality music. The Puerto Rican's openness affects the way they dace, think laugh, cry and fall in love."

She concludes, "In this sense, the Puerto Rican public is particular and peculiar. Being a country so small, with only three and one-half million inhabitants, there still is a lot of music that is bought. The album sales are very high given the population. A hit record can end up selling 150,000 to 200,000 units."