Jamie Ryan’s obsession with Cuban music and culture started when he was 16 years old.

Two decades of studying traditional folklore music from Cuba and a trip to the country where he immersed himself among the natives and joined them in their religious ceremonies have all prepared him for his performance Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Ryan, a music professor, will be giving a one-man show with conga bells, cowbells and wooden blocks, and share his knowledge of Cuban culture.

Ryan also said he will be chanting in a folkloric language with a few songs, with the accompaniment of three of his students.

He said this performance is a testament to his love of the music and the culture.

Ryan first gained exposure to this kind music 20 years ago. He picked up a Cuban record and played it for the first time. And it was love at first listen.

At the time, he said, it was a culture shock to him. Having grown up in rural Wisconsin, he had no direct contact to Cuban musicians, and he said he had no idea there was a Cuban presence within America.

“I didn’t understand it, but it was really exciting music,” Ryan said.

When he made it to college, Ryan sought out professors who had defected from Cuba to further his knowledge about the genre.

“Cubans have an interesting way with melody, both rhythmic and very tuneful at the same time,” Ryan said.

One of his professors included Michael Spiro, who is currently teaching at Indiana University and has earned seven Grammy nominations for his Latin jazz albums.

Ryan said Spiro was jailed in Havana while on his trip but brought back so much knowledge from the country.

And the music, Ryan said, became an avenue into Cuban culture. Every time he learned something, new information about the music he was studying surfaced.

“You can’t study any music or art without really digging into the culture it represents,” Ryan said. “When I started studying this music, I had no idea I’d have to study the culture.”

Ryan said he never thought he would spend years of his life — and a lot of money — studying traditional music.

Learning that pockets of Cuban culture existed within the states shocked him the most. He has camera footage of a religious ceremony that he still watches, and he said it still sends shivers down his spine.

Ryan said he was not afraid of the chanting or music he heard at the ceremony, but up until that point he had no way of experiencing the music physically. There were no Cuban neighborhoods close enough that he could simply waltz over to.

Ryan said that before, even when he traveled to Cuba to get an authentic experience with the music, the political tension between the United States and the country had made it difficult for him to learn about more about its music.

When he made his pilgrimage to Cuba 10 years ago, he said the natives were somewhat reluctant about sharing their customs with outsiders.

But his trip was not in vain.

Ryan came back with a much deeper appreciation for the music and said he wanted to play it correctly.

“I don’t want to sound like an American playing at Cuban music,” Ryan said. “I want to sound like the music is engrained into my nervous system, because you would only want to hear a couple of minutes of someone attempting to play someone else’s music.”

People would cringe when watching someone who is simply mimicking other musicians’ music without having any insight about their craft, Ryan said.

“You wouldn’t want to hear someone from another country play rock ‘n’ roll if they haven’t really mastered the feel of it,” Ryan said. “You would say, ‘Oh, that’s cute, but I would like to go back to listening to the Rolling Stones.’”

Jaime Lopez can be reached at 581-2812 or jlopez2@eiu.edu.