(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



How I met Corey Booker 26 years ago [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-04-02

Thank You Senator Booker. I have been following the Senator’s career for 26 years. A lot of my life revolves around Newark NJ. Here is the story of how I met Senator Booker

I have two lives and two careers. One is as an anthropologist/sociologist. The other is as a piano player. These are deeply related things as I have used my life as a musician to experience and learn about communities other than my own. I’ve spent years playing Latin/Spanish music all over New Jersey and New York and even was on a Grammey nominated recording 20 years ago. Playing Latin music—and Jazz--has taken me to places most middle-class gen X white guys don’t go.

For a decade, I worked with a Salsa/Merengue group straight out of Newark, NJ. The leader of the group had grown up with the Latino politicians, specifically Louis Cantana, Newark’s Mayor between Sen Booker and Ras Baraka. Way back in 1994, Councilman Cantana used me in a political speech, pointing to and proclaiming me as an example for how Latino culture was spreading in New Jersey. My Spanish is not strong. My friends had to translate when the audience started staring and pointing at me. And Cantana never said a word to me directly.

My political connections in Newark in the 1990s resulted my “business” partner--the leader of the aforementioned Salsa band--and I providing bands for the Newark City Councilmen and the various Parades in Newark. Our salsa group would do the Newark Puerto Rican Day Parade. We would also supply the bands/music for the St Patrick’s Day Parade, the Columbus Day parade, and the treasured Portuguese Day Parade. The Portuguese Day parade was the best because as a festival its super fun, while as musicians we would go full Brazilian and have a blast.

The Councilmen of Newark would ride the floats with us. Over the 5 or 6 years I did this, the councilmen NEVER said a word to us. Sure, Councilman Tucker would hand someone 10 bucks and say “go get the band some beers”. But they didn’t care about us. And we didn’t care about them. They paid us and we gave them good music. It was a job.

The last parade I did, Portuguese Day Parade 2000, my “business” partner screwed me out of about a thousand dollars. We always had to wait on Newark to pay us, but I would always pay the musicians up front. I paid the band, but my “business” partner kept all the money and ghosted me. I never spoke with him again. I never got paid.

But on that last parade, something interesting happened. One councilman introduced himself. After 5 or 6 years and maybe 15 parades, one councilman actually said hello to the band and introduced himself: Corey Booker

In fact, Ive done several political jobs all over Newark and Jersey City since the 1990s. After years of performing and scores of gigs, only one politician has ever walked up and said hello to the band and introduced themselves. Corey Booker

Of all the local politicians I have met, Booker was the only one thoughtful enough to great the folks busy doing a job.

Thank You Senator Booker. Newark, NJ appreciates its favorite son quite a bit.

PS Unrelated, one of my buddies was flown to Mara Lago to play Don Jr’s first wedding 20 or so years ago. The band got paid their regular rate—nothing special at all--plus a motel room nearby for a night. The food was awful. It was not a great wedding band either.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/2/2314079/-How-I-met-Corey-Booker-26-years-ago?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/