A gansy load? There is rarely any need for such a word, as tuners are normally solitary animals, stalking the margins between sound check and performance, rarely spotted, and even more rarely appreciated.

But if they weren't there, we would all notice soon enough.

Which is just what has happened in Cuba over the last couple of decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, and the imposition of a pernicious trade embargo by the US, which prevents dangerous items like felt hammers and piano strings from getting into the wrong hands. As Russian-trained piano tuners have become scarce, and spare parts scarcer, so Cuba's pianos, particularly away from the statesupported recording studios and concert halls, have rusted and decayed, falling prey to the twin ravages of rust and termites in what is one of the most humid climates on earth.

Enter Galway piano tuner Ciar�n Ryan. Following a visit to Cuba as part of the 'Send a Piana to Havana' project last year, Ryan raised money through two benefit concerts in Galway and Dublin, and then persuaded two of Ireland's leading tuners to join him on a mission of musical mercy to help save Cuba's pianos: Paul Wade, the mercurial genius who tunes most pianos of note in Dublin, including those in the NCH; and Alex Jeffares, scion of the venerable Bandon family who have been supplying, fixing and tuning pianos in Cork for decades.

That Cuban pianos, when they are tuned, are put to good use, is patently obvious from even the briefest survey of 20th century music. Musically speaking, Cubans punch many divisions above their weight, and the contribution of this small island to contemporary music, and particularly to jazz, is inestimable.

There are many theories as to why this might be but most boil down to the fact that in Latin America, and particularly in Cuba, the traditions of African drumming somehow survived the dreadful cultural and personal upheavals of slavery. That Cuba was one of the last countries to cease importing slaves is hardly to the credit of its colonial masters, but it means that at the very root of Cuban music may still be found the rites and rituals of west African religious practice, amazingly intact.

The rhythms and its rituals of the Santeria religion, which still predominate in Cuba, are the seeds from which grew the archetypal rhythm of this island, the rumba. As the well-known Cuban standard puts it, 'Nadia Se Salva de la Rumba' ('Nothing can Save you from the Rumba') its infectious polyrhythm, which throws the body off balance and leads inevitably to movement of the hips, remains at the heart of music in Cuba, and through the influence of this island's worldclass musicians it continues to exert an extraordinary influence on most contemporary western music, from jazz to rock'n'roll to hip-hop.

The best way to sample the rumba is to run the US embargo yourself and visit an island which, thanks in part to Ryan and his tuners, has a warm welcome for Irish visitors. But there are some decent compilations available, mostly through the internet, where you can check out authentic rumba rhythms in the comfort of your own headphones. Cuba Classics Volume 3 - Rumba, (Tumi), is a scholarly survey of the main rhythms of the rumba, while Dejala en la Puntica by the Conjunto Clave y Guaguanco (Enja) is a slice of contemporary rumba straight from the streets of Havana.

Wade will be back on duty in Dublin next week in time for the visit of Scandanvian piano hipsters EST, so as you take your seat in the Solstice Arts Centre, Navan (14 March), Garter Lane, Waterford (15) or Vicar Street, Dublin (16), take a moment to notice how finely tuned the piano is. These things don't tune themselves.

www. tumimusic. com www. enjarecords. com www. improvisedmusic. ie