’El loco’ was born when Jim Norcross was zapped with 240 volts in Cayo Coco, Cuba in June 2002. After being fried by a faulty fridge & grooving on it, I was hanging out with the members of Piloto’s Klimax in the 24-7 bar of El Senador Hotel. At about 4 AM we were watching World Cup & I was still quite electrified, when Kevin (trumpet player-now defected) said to me, "You were wet & naked standing on a tile floor while getting electrocuted-
Jim, you are dead & now reborn, El loco!" Although, he could have said, "Jim, I wish you were dead-you’re boring & loco!" Well, whatever- I heard reborn, El loco & I vowed from then on to try to ’make a difference’ for Cuban Music. I have held true to my pledge, throwing many a Cuban ’out of clave’ in the process, but, playing my reborn heart out every time.
Yoel Diaz has been there from the start, suffering thru it all, including my invention of ’Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha’ & is also my partner in Cuban Time. Yoel has taken to wearing a disguise when playing with El loco, ever since ’Go To Hell, Fidel’ became of some keen interest to Senior Castro. La lucha!!
