tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-318118252024-03-12T16:29:44.888-07:00¡Vamos a guarachar!compartiendo rarezas del mundo rumbero *
sharing rarities from the world of rumbaBarryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-36774131374781534282012-01-08T16:04:00.000-08:002012-01-08T18:30:01.168-08:00El Goyo: IbaeSome bad news to start the year. Our friend and teacher Gregório Hernández, "El Goyo" passed away today. He was 75. Apparently he had a series of strokes and operations and never recovered. What is there to say? He was one of the greats. So knowledgeable and generous. He will be missed all over the world.<br /><br />Here is a playlist of videos in which El Goyo appears:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLA46AF4E320E1F577&hl=en_US" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="325" width="395"></iframe><br /><br />I'm also re-posting a profile of Goyo first published here in 2006.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2289/3883/1600/goyo.web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/2289/3883/320/goyo.web.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />¡Felíz Cumpleaños! to El Goyo, born Nov 17, 1936.<br /><br />A founding member and instructor with Conjunto Folklórico Nacional for 25 years, a folklorist, professor, stage manager, percussionist, composer, and actor, El Goyo is probably best known as a singer, with such classic performances as "Mayeya" on <span style="font-style: italic;">Rapsodia Rumbera</span>, and "La Jerigonza" on Tata Güines' <span style="font-style: italic;">Aniversário</span> solidifying his legend. He has also worked with jazz saxophonist and flautist Jane Bunnet, most notably on her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chamalongo-Jane-Bunnett-Spirits-Havana/dp/B000006DFY">Chamalongo </a>CD and her Cuban Odyssey DVD. But El Goyo has much more in the works...<span id="fullpost"><br /><br />El Goyo was born in Pinar del Rio, but soon the family moved to the impoverished Havana neighborhood of Las Yaguas. Curiously, his birthday also marks his aniversary as a public performer, in a way.<br /><br />In the early 40's Gregorio's father, Isidoro, went into business for himself as a "botellero," rising early each morning, going through the streets of Havana with a cart, "pregonando" and buying empty bottles from residents to resell at bottle collection companies.<br /><br />One morning as Isidoro was preparing for the day's work, Goyo made a request that surprised him. As María del Carmen Mestas tells it in her book "<a href="http://www.bazar-virtual.com/edpablo/vermas.php?idlibro=" idtema="1">Pasión de Rumbero</a>" (which is the source for much of the info in this article):<br /><br />"Papá, today is my birthday and for my present I want you to take me with you to <span style="font-style: italic;">pregonar."<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"al poco rato ya andaba el chiquillo de siete años lanzando al aire sus pregones entre la admiración de los que disfrutaban aquella voz melodiosa."<br /><br />("soon the 7 year-old was pregonando to the admiration of those who enjoyed that melodious voice.")</blockquote></span><span>Later the family moved to El Moro, where Goyo really developed an interest in rumba, first as a dancer, then later playing palitos and tres-dos, and finally singing.<br /><br />It was an opportune moment for a budding rumbero. The advent of the victrola, radio and televisión gave rumba, formerly hidden in the barrios, much more visibility, and new groups "exploded" onto the scene:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Te digo que fue toda una explosión: nacieron grupos como Alejo y sus muchachos, Los Chicos Buenos, Las Estrellas Amalianas, Los Principales, Rumboleros, Los <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2006/07/old-school-rumbas-on-rapidshare.html">Parraqueños</a>, y Los Tercios Modernos, hasta llegar posteriormente a ese cuarteto magnífico que forman Los Papines."<br /></blockquote><br /></span><span>El Goyo formed his first duo with Carlos Águila, then later worked with Daniel Sánchez, Jesús Estrella Gutierrea, Fico Fabelo and with Juan de Dios Ramos (both in CFN and later in El Sicamarié, Mambo Chambo and Los Principales.)<br /><br />A renowned singer of <span>Abakuá</span>, El Goyo became curious about the secret male society with Calabar roots as a result of hearing the many Abakuá references in rumba:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">El mundo del Abakuá está muy vinculado al de los rumberos y, especialmente, al de los cultivadores del yambú y el guaguancó; por eso, desde que me inicié en la rumba sentí interés por esa sociedad.</span></blockquote><br /><br /></span><span>Later he became an Abakuá himself (his "plaza" is <span>Moruá Iyuansá Uriabón) </span>and through diligent study has become an expert in its songs and practices. <span>"Lo que sí sé hacer es hacer al íreme salir del cuarto fambá," </span>he says. ("One thing I know how to do is make the íreme come out of the fambá room.") His mastery of Abakuá song is evident in his work on the Antología de la Música Afrocubana vol. X, a long out-of-print LP collection recently <a href="http://www.egrem.com.cu/catalogo/undisco.asp?codigo=CD-0744">reissued on CD</a>.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span><span>Today El Goyo is as busy as ever. In 2000 </span><span>he gathered the greats of the genre in the studio to tell the history of rumba from the <span>bandos de calle</span> and the <span>coros de clave</span> through <span>guarapachagueo</span> and rumba-rap in the </span><span> CD "<a href="http://www.cubanmusic.com/Bands/Various_Artists_La_rumba_es_cubana_Su_historia.htm">La Rumba es Cubana"</a> (Abdala UN-CD6004).<br /><br />As for future projects, besides attending </span><span>conferences in the Festival Guanana 2006 in Cienfuegos, and at the ¨Festival La Conga y La Rumba, en Bejucal, </span><span>El Goyo has plans for a DVD which he is going to call "De las Raíces a las Síntesis" ("From the roots to the synthesis") about his investigations into the interaction between the Spanish and African roots in the Cuban musical synthesis, especially the contributions of rumba to son.<br /><br />He also has 3 CDs planned, for which he says he needs "apoyo material." They are "Goyo y sus Amigos," "Homenaje al <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2006/09/leonardo-acosta-la-rumba-y-to-tom.html">Tío Tom</a>," and a third as-yet-untitled disc which will explore how rumberos have sung about national and international political events.<br /><br />Thanks Goyo for sharing your talent and your knowledge with us, and may you spend many more birthdays pregonando to the world the wonders of cuban music.<br /><br />Gracias Goyo por compartir su talento y su gran conocimiento con nosotros, y que pases muchos más cumpleaños pregonando al mundo las glorias de la música cubana.<br /><br />For a complete overview of El Goyo's career, download his <a href="http://www.mediamax.com/guarachon63/Hosted/Goyo.resume.pdf">Curriculum Vitae.</a></span></span></span>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-82312688029041468952012-01-01T10:53:00.000-08:002012-01-01T11:00:53.417-08:00Rumba en Atarés - 2008I've had this footage for a few years now, I've put some of it up, but there was a lot left. I always thought I would find something to do with it, but never have. So up it all goes, to youtube.<br /><br />I think it's 1 and 1/2 hours of some of the finest rumba you'll ever see.<br /><br />Happy New Year!<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL0CC100ABDC651CDF&hl=en_US" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-22120181826644325442011-08-06T06:43:00.003-07:002014-11-10T09:11:47.107-08:00A discography of Guaguancó Matancero (and more rarities)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWXxloeyRocsErYHmQX_qzbDEJG-uCrcmgCXdYJTSl0c5cmU4h3TXaq94UFM05YTivxVwbd4Sh7xgJFffZmVicxYhP7fHX9pg7-4-Ol7R8IFcwx-SrB7Ci1hRnIgTGCfhqcULeQ/s1600/saldivirulajuan.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWXxloeyRocsErYHmQX_qzbDEJG-uCrcmgCXdYJTSl0c5cmU4h3TXaq94UFM05YTivxVwbd4Sh7xgJFffZmVicxYhP7fHX9pg7-4-Ol7R8IFcwx-SrB7Ci1hRnIgTGCfhqcULeQ/s400/saldivirulajuan.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637765238275432514" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 301px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vocalists of "Guaguancó Matancero":</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Esteban Lantri "Saldiguera," Hortensio Alfonso "Virulilla," Juan Mesa "Juan Bosco"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo credit: Vanessa Lindberg</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE 1: Thanks to collector Didier Ferrand we have been able to identify labels and numbers for 5 more songs, plus we learned of one more we were unaware of: "En Opuestas Regiones."</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE 2: Thanks to collector Matt Dillon we've identified 2 more songs.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE 3: Thanks to Mexico-based collector and DJ Brendan Flannery we've identified 2 more songs, and solved the "Manolo Ortega" mystery.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE 4: Thanks to collector Alex Gonzalez of <a href="http://afroworldrecords.com/">http://afroworldrecords.com/ </a>we became aware of Rosy 45-018 Yamurí/Xiomara. The recordings are identical to FMR-018. This is the first I am aware of any overlap of recordings between labels.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE 5: Thanks to collector Emiliano Echeverria we have more info on Mercedita Valdés "Ya me cansé/Miénteme" Puchito 45.</span><br />
<br />
This past spring, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas finished their first tour of the US in 9 years. The story of their origins is well-known: they started in 1952, spontaneously rumbeando with spoons, tables and bottles at the El Gallo bar, on the corner of Matanzas and Daoiz streets in Matanzas.<br />
<br />
After the surprising success of "El Vive Bien," by Alberto Zayas' group, released by Panart in 1955, Jesús Gorís sought them out to record for his label Puchito. They recorded "Los Beodos" and "Los Muñequitos." The story goes that the latter song became such a big hit that audiences began shouting it out at their live shows, "Los muñequitos, Los muñequitos!" so they changed their name to Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrPjsX4s747mcLz2E9Fzj8HH6I3YE2hnzH4Ssy6pE9Nd1l4_2qOoQJZ7LqxAecMDhBo4RHQCEJs9g4AJnN4Sk0eZAyoXYdfCMiVFR8_NQ7LvcNKjaEePfPu0KfPgwqQ7KPFjYGA/s1600/Mun%25CC%2583equitos%252Bantiguos.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrPjsX4s747mcLz2E9Fzj8HH6I3YE2hnzH4Ssy6pE9Nd1l4_2qOoQJZ7LqxAecMDhBo4RHQCEJs9g4AJnN4Sk0eZAyoXYdfCMiVFR8_NQ7LvcNKjaEePfPu0KfPgwqQ7KPFjYGA/s400/Mun%25CC%2583equitos%252Bantiguos.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637768708037642690" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 318px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>The original members of "Guaguancó Matancero":</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Standing (L to R): Florencio Calle "Catalino"; Gregorio Díaz "Goyito";</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Esteban Vega Bacallao "Chachá"; Pablo Mesa "Papi"; Ángel Pellado "Pelladito"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Seated (L to R): Hortencio Alfonso "Virulilla"; Esteban Lantri "Saldiguera"; Juan Bosco Mesa</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Discography of Guaguancó Matancero.</span><br />
<br />
Most of us probably first heard the recordings of Guaguancó Matancero either on one of several vinyl versions of two LP records, "Guaguancó" (Puchito MLP565) and "Guaguancó Vol. 2" (Antilla MLP595), or on CD reissues of those. These LPs are both compilations of previously released 45s or 78s, and shared with other groups.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODew-A1Vr3KKWo6LOVy0k3Y4u6s_NLw3VJmfJhXi9ioR6L61YvjxiEfOCP2hAxePHJXGu16Yxnf6Zphux40yJ5jgPX1bjUZGQTOWc_LtGUyYugUgkWuH1Yw0ObKQ9E7oLXFnUrA/s1600/guaguanco_LP_Puchito565.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODew-A1Vr3KKWo6LOVy0k3Y4u6s_NLw3VJmfJhXi9ioR6L61YvjxiEfOCP2hAxePHJXGu16Yxnf6Zphux40yJ5jgPX1bjUZGQTOWc_LtGUyYugUgkWuH1Yw0ObKQ9E7oLXFnUrA/s400/guaguanco_LP_Puchito565.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606703905512719922" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 366px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Guaguancó</span>(Puchito MLP565)<br />
<br /></div>
As Mark Sanders has <a href="http://fidelseyeglasses.blogspot.com/2008/12/grupo-guaguanco-matancero-papine-y-sus.html">noted</a>, the original pressing of "Guaguancó" was probably Puchito SP 103, released with a slightly different cover...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOyynlXFqDfXg7tg2WcU3snK975w_j7cFDTkkiv-v1fE94uUZ3zbnG_V_vKxeX_N-EQabfwh7h0xtdEmsEmlkj6G65xHv_A03pZ1A8wlkZHfieR1ZPBirQU2BpeTguWz-7YzJhw/s1600/201.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOyynlXFqDfXg7tg2WcU3snK975w_j7cFDTkkiv-v1fE94uUZ3zbnG_V_vKxeX_N-EQabfwh7h0xtdEmsEmlkj6G65xHv_A03pZ1A8wlkZHfieR1ZPBirQU2BpeTguWz-7YzJhw/s400/201.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637771783876372610" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 395px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Guaguancó</span><br />
(Puchito SP103)</div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
...and with credits properly given to the two groups, a detail which was omitted on later releases and led to much unnecessary confusion The correct attributions are:<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Side 1:</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Conjunto Guaguancó Matancero</span><br />
1. Los muñequitos<br />
2. Los beodos<br />
3. Cantar maravilloso<br />
4. Ta' contento el pueblo<br />
5. El chisme de la cuchara<br />
6. Te aseguro yo<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Side 2:</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Papin y sus rumberos</span><br />
1. Tu olvido-Los Rosales (previously released on 45 as Puchito 385-A)<br />
2. Mi quinto (previously released on 45 as Puchito 379-A)<br />
3. María la O-La bien paga (previously released on 45 as Puchito 385-B)<br />
4. Tani (previously released on 45 as Puchito 413-A)<br />
5. Blancas margaritas (previously released on 45 as Puchito 444-A)<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
6. Yo soy cubano (previously released on 45 as Puchito 444-B)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUKfggUNI4gHLgWOnO8HOGOMGZjhoJvL6y2n90gYVpF5SzoseouwJ9O-DmsLvYWeOCOXLu5vAO91i-yKNjLsUrCgCegSIDpH5NM2DTgMK561TtL7uHr8G9Dp3mgiRU2UCS5vIiA/s1600/guaguanco%252Bmlp%252B595.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUKfggUNI4gHLgWOnO8HOGOMGZjhoJvL6y2n90gYVpF5SzoseouwJ9O-DmsLvYWeOCOXLu5vAO91i-yKNjLsUrCgCegSIDpH5NM2DTgMK561TtL7uHr8G9Dp3mgiRU2UCS5vIiA/s400/guaguanco%252Bmlp%252B595.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606707918790813106" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 396px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Guaguancó Vol 2</span><br />
(Puchito/Antilla MLP595)<br />
<br /></div>
Guaguancó Vol. 2 (Puchito/Antilla LP595) is another compilation, probably from other Puchito 78's and 45's, with only two songs by Guaguancó Matancero, despite the prominence of their name on the cover. The actual artists, as best as we can determine are:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Side 1:</span><br />
1. Yo tenía una mujer - Fuico y su ritmo [previously released on 45 as Puchito 471-B]<br />
2. El dia que naci yo - Merceditas Valdés y Coro Folklorico Cubano [previously released on 45 as Puchito 411-A, with "Papin y sus rumberos"]<br />
3. Francicua - Papín y sus rumberos (previously released on 45 as Puchito 379-B)<br />
4. Saludo nacional - Papín y sus rumberos [previously released on 45 as Puchito 413-B]<br />
5. La bandera de mi terra - Conjunto Guaguancó Matancero<br />
6. Guaguanco botao - Senén Suárez y su Conjunto Tropicana Nightclub<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Side 2:</span><br />
7. En este ritmo - Conjunto Guaguancó Matancero [Puchito 359-B]<br />
8. Ya me cansé - Merceditas Valdés y Coro Folklorico Cubano [previously released on 45 as Puchito 411-B, with "Papin y sus rumberos"]<br />
9. Un toque de bembe - Senén Suárez y su Conjunto Tropicana Nightclub<br />
10. Guaguanco en el solar - Rene Álvarez y su Conjunto [previously released on 78 as Puchito 156]<br />
11. Yambeque - Senén Suárez y su Conjunto Tropicana Nightclub [Puchito 120; 78rpm(?)]<br />
12. Anana arena - Senén Suárez y su Conjunto Tropicana Nightclub<br />
<br />
Three more recordings by the original group, or at least with the original vocal lineup of Esteban Lantri "Saldiguera" (1st voice), Hortensio Alfonso "Virulilla" (2nd voice) and Juan Mesa, "Juan Bosco" (inspirador), appeared on a 1967 French LP "Carnaval a Santiago de Cuba" (Chant du Monde LDX-A-4250), a disc with it's own <a href="http://fidelseyeglasses.blogspot.com/2008/12/carnival-santiago-de-cuba-lp-1959-cuba.html">complicated history</a>, but here we'll just note the three recordings by Guaguancó Matancero (credited on the LP as "Los Matanceros" - perhaps due to contractual obligations?):<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoG9H35JhV3VYjtf8SDo0dCPyFdD-VRST9PpaxKrkzl_3Me32jWEWwQla02SFKAQ5C1XYbAbZTBxNd9XyUYK2mgeG4lvK4YZratZ19xjninwXFVru73Hb3fEq-6IW_rTOBsRieA/s1600/ldx-a-4250.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoG9H35JhV3VYjtf8SDo0dCPyFdD-VRST9PpaxKrkzl_3Me32jWEWwQla02SFKAQ5C1XYbAbZTBxNd9XyUYK2mgeG4lvK4YZratZ19xjninwXFVru73Hb3fEq-6IW_rTOBsRieA/s400/ldx-a-4250.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606922372102153074" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 399px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Carnaval a Santiago de Cuba"</span><br />
(Chant du Monde LDX-A-4250)</div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">"Carnaval a Santiago de Cuba" (Chant du Monde LDX-A-4250)</span><br />
1. Gloria a Cuba - "Los Matanceros"<br />
2. La reforma agraria - "Los Matanceros"<br />
3. 'Ta contento el pueblo - "Los Matanceros"<br />
<br />
<br />
All three songs last well over 4 minutes, which indicates they were recorded for the Chant du Monde LP, and not previously released as 45's. (The version of "Ta contento el pueblo" is different from that on Puchito 565.)<br />
<br />
The lyrical content of these songs suggests they were composed in 1959 ("Año de la liberación"),<br />
1960 ("Año de la reforma agraria") and 1961 ("Año de la educación") respectively.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * *<br />
<br /></div>
For years, those were the most readily available recordings of Guaguancó Matancero, until 1999, with the CD release of "Rumba Abierta" by WS Latino (CD 4205):<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2J1StT-ikCjBI1RXLXkrlTSEhA9QsRo1j8x-DL_REp1y480TofNQE2Cs9YpvEtQHiQYRWuzcrMyTpzV1cwNBbJiQVuhOzZ-Uujoe1Cwu1webOikHEvlSoS3GQscnODOtnX6hVlw/s1600/WS+Latino.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2J1StT-ikCjBI1RXLXkrlTSEhA9QsRo1j8x-DL_REp1y480TofNQE2Cs9YpvEtQHiQYRWuzcrMyTpzV1cwNBbJiQVuhOzZ-Uujoe1Cwu1webOikHEvlSoS3GQscnODOtnX6hVlw/s400/WS+Latino.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606960895677004578" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Rumba Abierta"</span><br />
WS Latino (CD 4205)<br />
<br /></div>
This CD contained 10 tracks, all previously unavailable on LP. Unfortunately, no other discographic information was included. Apparently they were recorded by Rogelio Martínez Jr., son of long-time Sonora Matancera director Rogelio Martínez, for a label called F.M.R.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Rumba Abierta (WS Latino CD 4205)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica;"></span>1. Ritmo Abacuá<br />
2. La Gitana<br />
3. Madre, No Llores<br />
4. Yumuri (Yamori)<br />
5. Severa Y Lauta<br />
6. El Enredo<br />
7. Illabó<br />
8. La Polémica<br />
9. La Plegaria<br />
10. Lamento Esclavo<br />
<br />
<br />
A few years later Tumbao released "Los Muñequitos de Matanzas":<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbLYjJrUeTu0e1xfqMvUKFS1KCryuWdZG5Ucj_cx6gT9BAPgFEOltYEVv1auIARgqwGztyimxDUpeJx6oNf1iuuuGJdiK6J4U48D5gy8Me5MEIkO65QAFjrprulEW5wnI75gWvA/s1600/Tumbao+CD707.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbLYjJrUeTu0e1xfqMvUKFS1KCryuWdZG5Ucj_cx6gT9BAPgFEOltYEVv1auIARgqwGztyimxDUpeJx6oNf1iuuuGJdiK6J4U48D5gy8Me5MEIkO65QAFjrprulEW5wnI75gWvA/s400/Tumbao+CD707.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606927011581817218" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Los Muñequitos de Matanzas"</span><br />
Tumbao CD707<br />
<br /></div>
This CD collected most of the songs previously released on Puchito 565, Antilla 595, and WS Latino 4295, and added three more:<br />
<br />
1. Oyelos de nuevo<br />
2. Benny, adios<br />
3. Recuerdos<br />
<br />
The CD also includes a curious track, "Introducción por Manolo Ortega" that we aren't really sure what to make of. Manolo Ortega (1921-2003) was a popular TV broadcaster of the day. In this brief track he says, "...la música afrocubana...que gustosamente regalamos <span style="font-style: italic;">en este disco</span>..." so we can assume it was released on a 45 at some point, probably post-revolution, and given its relatively short length (1:17) , possibly as a extra track on a 7-inch EP.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: Brendan Flannery has solved the mystery of the "Introducción por Manolo Ortega" track for us. He writes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d-oDx9oFgOrQNTdaoRAtLLyAW9HuIZXfaCsDxhgm_YsQHejnGzR9dz7oySOT4_8KEkNETUlaaNTEw22nvhrD6aQV9PI_ttyVN8yXO8gYndoIb04CyAfRY6LJDSB5_phDL0AEqA/s1600/Picture+12.png"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d-oDx9oFgOrQNTdaoRAtLLyAW9HuIZXfaCsDxhgm_YsQHejnGzR9dz7oySOT4_8KEkNETUlaaNTEw22nvhrD6aQV9PI_ttyVN8yXO8gYndoIb04CyAfRY6LJDSB5_phDL0AEqA/s400/Picture+12.png" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732777720208272690" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 317px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>When I saw the quote of the Manolo Ortega thing about "gustosamente regalamos" I started thinkin that rang a bell, then it came to me. Its from an LP called CUBA TE ESPERA CANTANDO, put out by Instituto Nacional de la Industria Turistica, I'd say probably 1957, 58 but maybe early period pos-triunfo. It doesn't have a record label as such, but credits Puchito, Gema, and Seeco for contributing tracks. No "rare" songs but its a cool compilation and between each song Manolo gives intro/explanation.</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
This CD also contains what is probably the first version of "Oyelos de nuevo," a song written to dispel rumors that the group had broken up, and that they have recorded at several other points in their career.<br />
<br />
"De nuevo aquí tienen a Los Muñequitos<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here you have again Los Muñequitos</span></span><br />
<br />
Ahora sí, es verdad, que aparecieron<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Yes it's true, they have appeared</span></span><br />
<br />
Aquí están..."<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Here they are...</span>"</span><br />
<br />
and the chorus:<br />
<br />
"Los Muñequitos de nuevo, hablen habladores"<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Los Muñequitos again, let the talkers talk</span><br />
<br />
This version is probably from 1963. It's notable that they refer to themselves here as "Los Muñequitos," when the recording was most likely released under the name "Guaguancó Matancero." This suggests that the name "Los Muñequitos de Matanzas" was in use informally before becoming official, probably when the group was re-formed in the 1970s.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * *</div>
<br />
And again those were the only recordings of Guaguancó Matancero that we knew of until 2007, when courtesy of Raúl González Brito and Frankois, we found 5 more:<br />
<br />
1. Canto para ti<br />
2. Que te pasa, hermano<br />
3. Chinito<br />
4. Lo güiro<br />
5. Tumba la caña<br />
<br />
And from a cassette owned by Mark Sanders we got 5 more:<br />
<br />
7. Tus promesas (in fact "Llora como lloré)<br />
8. Omelé<br />
9. Sacrificio<br />
10. Lo que dice el Abakuá<br />
11. Mira que eres linda<br />
<br />
<br />
Recently we received three more from Dutch musician Otto de Graaf (who for his Master's thesis in 1993 wrote a pioneering analysis of rumba lyrics called "Poesía del Pueblo," available <a href="http://members.casema.nl/otto.degraaf/PoesiaDelPueblo/home.htm">here</a>.):<br />
<br />
12. Por primera vez<br />
13. No me trates<br />
14. Xiomara<br />
<br />
So if we consider the three tunes from the Chant du Monde LDX-A-4250 to have been released separately on LP, we get 34 titles recorded by the original Guaguancó Matancero, or 17 "singles" released on either 10" 78 rpm or 7" 45 rpm discs (or both).<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Original vinyl releases of Guaguancó Matancero.</span>Here is the list in an easy to read format. The same list follows below with photos and sound files:<br />
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Puchito 298 Los Beodos / Los Muñequitos<br />
Puchito 309 Ta contento el pueblo / Cantar Maravilloso<br />
Puchito 331 El chisme de la cuchara / La bandera de mi tierra<br />
Puchito 359 Te aseguro yo / En este ritmo<br />
<br />
F.M.R. 003 Severa y Latuá / El Enredo<br />
F.M.R. 004 Illabó / La polémica<br />
F.M.R. 005 Ritmo Abacuá / La gitana<br />
F.M.R. 011 Oye mi Omele* / Mañana te espero niña - Mira que eres linda*<br />
F.M.R. 012 Recuerdos/La Plegaria<br />
F.M.R. 018 Xiomara* / Yamuri<br />
F.M.R. 027 Madre no llores / Tus Promesas*<br />
<br />
Rosy 45-018 Yamurí / Xiomara<br />
Rosy 45-036 Que te pasa hermano* / Chinito*<br />
Rosy 45-040 Lo que dice el Abakuá* / Sacrificio*<br />
Rosy 45-047 Tumba la caña* / Canto para ti*<br />
Rosy 45-053 Por primera vez* / En opuestas regiones*<br />
Rosy 45-063 No me trates* / Lo Güiro*<br />
<br />
Egrem 45-2685 Oyelos de nuevo / Beny, Adiós (Released in 1967 as "Los Muñequitos de Matanzas," first use of that name on vinyl for the name of the group.)<br />
<br />
(A title marked with an asterisk * indicates it has never been released on any other format.)<br />
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Still missing are:<br />
<br />
Lamento Esclavo<br />
Oyelos de nuevo<br />
____________?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">DISCOGRAPHY WITH PHOTOS AND SOUND FILES:</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Puchito (Number, Titles, Formats):</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFbOh0MkjWbBQnSl2WgHZUD4hRqaKIskq24zF9Cw2W713ppYoX8cQNT9M4w4t8lmfs7pr-vVclQu3fmXX47oOIKimlA0Rp6I3Tzjk25MgmW7i83o5gAthtBHOW9huMGEMU0ZKyQ/s1600/puchito+298A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFbOh0MkjWbBQnSl2WgHZUD4hRqaKIskq24zF9Cw2W713ppYoX8cQNT9M4w4t8lmfs7pr-vVclQu3fmXX47oOIKimlA0Rp6I3Tzjk25MgmW7i83o5gAthtBHOW9huMGEMU0ZKyQ/s400/puchito+298A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637526580684851058" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 201px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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298 Los beodos / Los muñequitos (45, 78)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73Fa_MkuaKbOOkxp90o0C7O7_nbO6BP61mCCwBxlS_DdbcpBvZhBgt1FXuUuby_m4OcN6Z3nRyEAd0tnVP9qzSPIAbOGETgw6pSE1HYI1tfHRS__PaSkp5Ftxrk1-13tnezrlkQ/s1600/puchito+309A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73Fa_MkuaKbOOkxp90o0C7O7_nbO6BP61mCCwBxlS_DdbcpBvZhBgt1FXuUuby_m4OcN6Z3nRyEAd0tnVP9qzSPIAbOGETgw6pSE1HYI1tfHRS__PaSkp5Ftxrk1-13tnezrlkQ/s400/puchito+309A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637528248793886210" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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309 Ta contento el pueblo / Cantar maravilloso (45, 78)</div>
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[<span style="font-style: italic;">No photo available</span>]<br />
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331 El chisme de la cuchara / La bandera de mi tierra<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFcQwphrRuACgF1tQzTuuPdLyc78qMM9XsWOU_UimQpWvXcHEEDhKyONTlrdJ6waRvCKECp5KXpih57WhKey3VP0RLVNq_xdWN1V3R_qBVnLF2tCE22R1u1Op3SNgPprVnMDqgw/s1600/puchito+359A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFcQwphrRuACgF1tQzTuuPdLyc78qMM9XsWOU_UimQpWvXcHEEDhKyONTlrdJ6waRvCKECp5KXpih57WhKey3VP0RLVNq_xdWN1V3R_qBVnLF2tCE22R1u1Op3SNgPprVnMDqgw/s400/puchito+359A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637532759990616754" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 201px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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359 Te aseguro yo / En este ritmo (45)<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">F.M.R. (Number, Titles, Formats):</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HJpz7cLNDGbI7y_ImyUP5xuCBUzynrYtALkulHIJbN7Y_KVjwtHs-jproVmL8vl7RCoyHSeeKFd4HNduDZrneLWLLlABR34rGaXJDLaHgsteqhWxi-NuokGXZGszseIR528zsw/s1600/FMR003A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HJpz7cLNDGbI7y_ImyUP5xuCBUzynrYtALkulHIJbN7Y_KVjwtHs-jproVmL8vl7RCoyHSeeKFd4HNduDZrneLWLLlABR34rGaXJDLaHgsteqhWxi-NuokGXZGszseIR528zsw/s400/FMR003A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637534094391404162" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 201px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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003 Severa y Latuá / El Enredo (45)<br />
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004 Illabó / La polemica (45)<br />
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005 Ritmo Abacuá / La gitana (45)<br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Oye mi Omelé")</span></span><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Mira que eres linda")</span></span><br />
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011 Oye mi Omelé* / Mañana te espero niña - Mira que eres linda* (45)<br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(click to hear "Xiomara")</span></span><br />
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012 Recuerdos / La Plegaria (45)<br />
<br />
018 Xiomara* / Yamurí (45)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKOksx7KJgjB_Y_XYJyaiA9aWT2_0HPG6tQc4vdh0P2MEtA2gQLyX-Dm-n0rAcAawI-NlxwYBzRa0IM1oIeschYTtBUvUH1Dxp3g5oNaiFHSEnMcyILeS7MbDdoiledh6nGdqmg/s1600/FMR027A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKOksx7KJgjB_Y_XYJyaiA9aWT2_0HPG6tQc4vdh0P2MEtA2gQLyX-Dm-n0rAcAawI-NlxwYBzRa0IM1oIeschYTtBUvUH1Dxp3g5oNaiFHSEnMcyILeS7MbDdoiledh6nGdqmg/s400/FMR027A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637542613599526866" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Tus promesas")</span></span><br />
027 Madre no llores / Tus promesas* (45)<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Rosy (Number, Titles, Formats):</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitN740XGqn0HWbCDQdkbuCg1OWWjNoUKLP0Oxe9_bIQGlCibMYr-73JQChDZ2S_RL_ZDiHuNqnvWIVkQQ7TxA3h-Bc_OoCbRqDofQR85S3Az_v9DyJrK4QwCZOYwVHpFe2uKjhpA/s1600/lo+que+dice.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitN740XGqn0HWbCDQdkbuCg1OWWjNoUKLP0Oxe9_bIQGlCibMYr-73JQChDZ2S_RL_ZDiHuNqnvWIVkQQ7TxA3h-Bc_OoCbRqDofQR85S3Az_v9DyJrK4QwCZOYwVHpFe2uKjhpA/s200/lo+que+dice.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637751934251647154" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Lo que dice el Abakuá")</span></span><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Sacrificio")</span></span><br />
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45-040 Lo que dice el Abakuá* / Sacrificio* (45)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMDoXTG02cUSoUsAieVlyte0OJbHb8i1TfwjzZWd_C2pP9lEayosp0RsnZA71Jp5z4M-qrb4CFG_JRHLKNEcK_ygX22x-DN9ZqfOgwqwidyhI_mBz29yeVdNE0KUpmrpfri0mYg/s1600/Rosy+036A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMDoXTG02cUSoUsAieVlyte0OJbHb8i1TfwjzZWd_C2pP9lEayosp0RsnZA71Jp5z4M-qrb4CFG_JRHLKNEcK_ygX22x-DN9ZqfOgwqwidyhI_mBz29yeVdNE0KUpmrpfri0mYg/s400/Rosy+036A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637549194797939106" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 201px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(click to hear "Que te pasa hermano")</span></span><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Chinito")</span></span><br />
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45-036 Que te pasa hermano* / Chinito* (45)<br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "Tumba la caña")</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(click to hear "Canto para ti")</span></span><br />
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45-047 Tumba la caña* / Canto para ti*<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(click to hear "Por primera vez")</span></span><br />
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45-053 Por primera vez* / En opuestas regiones*<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTAQ5TDrs4swuZRsKh7Hmk0LME7oOxrAZMpAVedVZfVuiGiFZzOu9fa2X7PdPwe7T6KzVfKxzbNyNNewcGMGzvlL7fDVMcg9o8_r4X7fgdFKbThOZstXQ2QWxpAjhmMQ_-K1vSA/s1600/Rosy+063A-B.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTAQ5TDrs4swuZRsKh7Hmk0LME7oOxrAZMpAVedVZfVuiGiFZzOu9fa2X7PdPwe7T6KzVfKxzbNyNNewcGMGzvlL7fDVMcg9o8_r4X7fgdFKbThOZstXQ2QWxpAjhmMQ_-K1vSA/s400/Rosy+063A-B.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637547298774519458" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
<embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="28" width="335"></embed></object> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(click to hear "No me trates")</span></span><br />
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="28" id="divplaylist" width="335"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=15465329-13b">
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45-063 No me trates* / Lo güiro* (45)<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Label, number, format still unknown:</span><br />
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Benny Adiós<br />
Lamento esclavo<br />
Óyelos de nuevo<br />
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There are now just 3 songs for which the label and catalog number are missing. Of course we need an even number of songs, so that means there is still another out there.<br />
<br />
If anyone has any discographic information for these recordings, or knows of any others, we'd greatly appreciate hearing from you.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-44644136518576387622011-07-16T09:05:00.000-07:002011-07-17T08:30:40.029-07:00From the Solar to the Salon: Silvestre Méndez, Miguelito "Cara Ancha" and "Sonerito"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxeqNG_7v-Elh7zVeLKXJocPwBwBhfjpu2MZK7AiRY2BkEoojR5oK4yqU_BJgYn7gabuvYVof84aUbAKFdBgwOpGR6jJzRhVyWTyIJ8OeApkQ3RsHW-K8BtfritAAKJomqafxmQ/s1600/Silvestre%252BMend%2525C3%2525A9z1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxeqNG_7v-Elh7zVeLKXJocPwBwBhfjpu2MZK7AiRY2BkEoojR5oK4yqU_BJgYn7gabuvYVof84aUbAKFdBgwOpGR6jJzRhVyWTyIJ8OeApkQ3RsHW-K8BtfritAAKJomqafxmQ/s320/Silvestre%252BMend%2525C3%2525A9z1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614181652387333394" border="0" /></a><br />It's well known that rumba has provided the raw material for countless songs in many styles of Cuban music, but seldom has that fact been illustrated more vividly than in a story told by Silvestre Méndez (1921-1997) to Mexican writer <a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzalo_Martr%C3%A9">Gonzalo Martré</a> (b. 1928).<br /><br />The story appears in a small but invaluable little book called "Rumberos de Ayer: Músicos Cubanos en México (1930-1950)" (<span class="st"> Editorial Instituto Veracruzano de Cultura, México, 1997).</span><br /><br />Silvestre tells the story of how he became a professional musician, and in doing so gives us a rare glimpse into the world of rumberos in Havana in the early 1940's, the rivalries that existed among them, and how those rivalries sometimes played out in "puyas," songs that directly or indirectly challenged or insulted particular individuals.<br /><br />The story is also significant for vividly illustrating a process that has occurred countless times in Cuban music: a popular "anonymous" guaguancó from the solar is given a band arrangement, maybe a little lyrical adaptation, and taken to the <span style="font-style: italic;">salon</span>.<br /><br />We were recently privileged to come across the audio of this interview, which fully captures Silvestre's pleasure in telling the story, and incidentally rescuing a forgotten rumba song from obscurity. (A transcript by me is below, an English summary follows.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzVgCQrmtxNmF401aTVN0krhSm_awsCiM7wVX4HpKHJlDQB4L60iReuQl-peXzLNExZMazNy_3l_Eo' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Click above to hear audio, transcript appears below.)</span><br /></div><br /><br /><blockquote>"Entonces yo nací en el barrio de Jesús María, me llamo Silvestre Méndez. Jesús María se le dice cariñosamente, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Amalia</span>."<br /><br />Entonces desde chiquito, nosotros éramos cuatro hermanos, y mi papá, a todas las visitas que nos llevaba cuando yo tenía, lo recuerdo muy bien, apenas unos, como 5 o 6 años, así que cada vez llevábamos a una casa, de visita, mi papá se pone, "A ver niño, baila aí" yo bailando rumba desde que yo tenía 4 o 6 años.<br /><br />Entonces, en Jesús María uno de los hombres que fue un gran rumbero, un gran compositor, que fue un guia mia, que se llamaba El Nino, Santos Ramírez, él era compositor del Alacrán, "Oye colega no te asombres cuando veas," se cantaba muy bonito guaguancó.<br /><br />Entonces pues ya como digo, yo nací allí en este barrio de chiquitico la oía la rumba, pues la llevo desde fiñe. En Jesús María había muchos rumberos. Y entonces ya en el plano de la cosa profesional y eso...<br /><br />Yo no sé si es un poquito largo pa contarte eso...Yo saqué una rumba cuando tenía como...unos 12 o 13 años por ahí, no, unos 14 años, saqué una rumba que se llama "Tambó" que todo el mundo la conoce:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tambó, tambó, tambó,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">escucho el eco del tambó</span><span style="font-style: italic;">...<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Así decía un rumbero</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">del barrio de Jesús María</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en una rumba que había</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Tambó, tambó, tambó,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">escucho el eco del tambó</span><br /><br />Yo saqué esa rumba y se hizo popular en todo el barrio, y eso, y la empezamos a cantar después, y ... sacó una rumba...a así pero volando, volando se hacía famoso y ya se canta en todo el barrio, empezó a sonar esa rumba.<br /><br />Entonces en mi barrio, pues había muchos rumberos, entre ellos había uno muy famoso que le decían Miguelito "Cara Ancha," era muy yamoso allí, pues que ya era de la gente más grande. Yo vivía allá en Águila entre Diária y Tallapiedra.<br /><br />Y los muchachos chiquiticos estábamos de Águila y Puerta Cerrada, pues muy... entre Águila y Puerta Cerrada ... el parquecito donde estaba la gente más grande que eran los rumberos, no? Carlos Noa [compositor de "La rumba es cubana"], Juan De Saraguate (?), Miguelito "Cara Ancha", ..., Yoyo Casteleiro, esa genta que sacaba la comparsa La Jabonera que despues le decián La Jardinera.... Entonces se hizo muy famosa la rumba en el barrio, y Miguelito se puso celoso, se puso celoso, y sacó una rumba que decía:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">En mi barrio hay un grupito</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">de rumberitos nuevos,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo siempre le digo así</span><span style="font-style: italic;">:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Con él que sabe no se juega,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">y si se juega con cuidado</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo siempre le digo</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">a los rumberitos nuevos:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Oyelo bien, aé</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oyelo bien, aé</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Sabes que yo soy la llave</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Oyelo bien, aé</span><br /><br />...la rumba esa? Uno de los rumberos muy famosos, del barrio nuestro que se llamaba Carlos Noa. Y como nosotros los fiñes andábamos de Puerta Cerrada pa' allá, al hacerse famosa la rumba, un buen día Miguelito, este, Carlos Noa, estaban reunidos allí en Águila y Vives, en el parquecito, ellos se reunian allá a tomar y eso, era una barrita que había allí uno de esos restaurán comida por un lado y por la otra esquina servían la bebida, no?<br /><br />Entonces, Carlos Noa, dijo, "Quién sacó esta rumba de "Tambó"?"<br /><br />"Silvestre, muchacho, que anda por allí abajo"<br /><br />Y entonces le dijo él a Miguelito, "Bueno, un rumbero de esa época sacando eso de "Rumberito de ahora y eso"..."Oyelo bien ae, sabes que yo soy la llave, oyelo bien ae..."<br /><br />Me enteré de eso yo, y yo saqué...otra rumba. Que se llama, primero - lo que es conocido por "Sonerito de ahora", primero fue "Rumberito de ahora", entonces yo se lo saqué en contestación a Miguelito diciéndole:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tú me dijiste</span><span style="font-style: italic;">s<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">que era rumberito,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">rumberito de ahora.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo canto hace tiempo</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">pero nunca quise</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">cantarte mi rumba</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">hasta cierto momento.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Después me dijiste</span><span style="font-style: italic;">s<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">que tú era la llave.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">¿La llave de dónde?</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Tú canta un poquito</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">no seas alabancioso<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Miguel, no te metas</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">con La Estrella Amaliana.</span><br /><br />Porque nosotros los fiñes teníamos un grupito que le llamabamos La Estrella Amaliana allá en Águila y Diaria.<br /><br />Muy bien, saqué esa rumba coño, también en seguida oye, pues se hizo famoso en el barrio.<br /><br />Un día Carlitos Noa me mandó a llamar aquellos que estaban allí en la barra a tomar "Traen el fiñe ese de allá abajo pa' que le cante la rumba que le sacó a Miguelito!" Y se la canté en su cara y eso...<br /><br />Bueno, pues ya a coger este fama que ser conocido por la gente en el barrio como rumbero y eso.<br /><br />Pero un buen día entonces, oigo el numero en una emisora que se llamaba XEB<br />cantado por Cheo Marqueti y Los Dandys del 40 se llamaba el conjunto; Los Dandys del 40 de Joseito Bergerí, lo cantan ... yo lo oigo por radio ya no tenía conocimiento todavía de lo que era derecho de autor, ni nada, muchacho, rrronco pa llá, y voy para la emisora y voy para y lo espero afuera, a Cheo Marquetti, tocaba la trompeta un trompetista que se llamaba Manolo Berrio que era muy famoso también, fue trompetista de la comparsa Los Componedores.<br /><br />Bueno, y lo fui a esperar afuera, chico, de la transmisión, porque pa mi era un ofenso que estuvieron cantando mi musica por radio, sin permiso, y lo espero afuera en la calle, digo, "Este númerito aquí, porque tu lo va cantando pa' radio si el numero que yo sacó era para rumbear nosotros en el barrio y eso, y tu lo va cantando en el radio y te va a ser dueño de él", y dice, "No, no, chico", aquellos entonces me dijeron, "No, eso te conviene que lo cantan por radio, mira, ve, registra tus canciones y ... te hace compositor, te registran a la Sociedad de Compositores y cobra derechos por regalia por compositores..."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Un momentico, sobre que año más o menos</span><br /><br />Esto fue, como por 1940, 1940...<br /><br />Muy bien, entonces, en vez de registrarlo con el nombre de "Rumberito" le puse "Sonerito", para que siguiera cantando Cheo Marquetti, con el conjunto, y fue entonces el numerito eso muy conocido aquí en La Habana, yo creo es muy conocido el numerito, después lo grabó Conjunto Casino, lo grabó Servando Díaz, mucha gente lo grabaron:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tu me dijiste</span>s<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">que soy sonerito</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">sonerito de ahora</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">yo canto hace tiempo</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">canción y bolero</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">y canto una rumba</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en todo momento</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Despues me dijistes</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">que tu era la llave</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">la llave de donde?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tu canta un poquito</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">no seas alabancioso</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oye, no te metas</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en la vida de nosotros</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oye no te metas, en la vida de nosotros</span><br /><br /><br />y eso fue la iniciación de mi vida professional, registré mi número, y entonces composiciones y eso..."</blockquote><br /><br />Summarizing briefly in English:<br /><br />In the late 1930's, when Silvestre was about 14, growing up in the famous rumbero barrio Jesús María, would hang out with they younger rumberos and they formed a group called "Estrella Amaliana." Silvestre composed a guaguancó called "Tambó" that became very popular at rumbas in the neighborhood:<br /><br /><object height="28" width="335"><param value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtzOjg6IjE1MzI4MjczIjtzOjQ6ImNvZGUiO3M6MTI6IjE1MzI4MjczLWZlMCI7czo2OiJ1c2VySWQiO3M6NjoiNzAyMzgzIjtzOjEyOiJleHRlcm5hbENhbGwiO2k6MTtzOjQ6InRpbWUiO2k6MTMxMDkxNTY4Nzt9&autoplay=default" name="movie"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtzOjg6IjE1MzI4MjczIjtzOjQ6ImNvZGUiO3M6MTI6IjE1MzI4MjczLWZlMCI7czo2OiJ1c2VySWQiO3M6NjoiNzAyMzgzIjtzOjEyOiJleHRlcm5hbENhbGwiO2k6MTtzOjQ6InRpbWUiO2k6MTMxMDkxNTY4Nzt9&autoplay=default" height="28" width="335"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Tambó, tambó, tambó,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>The drum,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">escucho el eco del tambó</span><span style="font-style: italic;">... </span>/ I hear the echo of the drum<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Así decía un rumbero</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ </span>So said a rumbero<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">del barrio de Jesús María</span> / from the Jesús María barrio<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en una rumba que había</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>/<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>At a rumba<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tambó, tambó, tambó,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>The drum<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">escucho el eco del tambó </span>/ The drum, I hear the echo of the drum<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></blockquote><br />One of the local elder rumberos, Miguelito "Cara Ancha" ("Mickey Big Face"), got jealous of the young rumbero's fame, and one day called Silvestre over to challenge him with another song:<br /><br /><object height="28" width="335"><param value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtzOjg6IjE1MzI4Mjc1IjtzOjQ6ImNvZGUiO3M6MTI6IjE1MzI4Mjc1LTE5NyI7czo2OiJ1c2VySWQiO3M6NjoiNzAyMzgzIjtzOjEyOiJleHRlcm5hbENhbGwiO2k6MTtzOjQ6InRpbWUiO2k6MTMxMDkxNjE4Mjt9&autoplay=default" name="movie"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtzOjg6IjE1MzI4Mjc1IjtzOjQ6ImNvZGUiO3M6MTI6IjE1MzI4Mjc1LTE5NyI7czo2OiJ1c2VySWQiO3M6NjoiNzAyMzgzIjtzOjEyOiJleHRlcm5hbENhbGwiO2k6MTtzOjQ6InRpbWUiO2k6MTMxMDkxNjE4Mjt9&autoplay=default" height="28" width="335"></embed></object><br /><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">En mi barrio hay un grupito</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> / There's a new little group<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">de rumberitos nuevos,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> / of little rumberos in my neighborhood<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo siempre le digo así</span><span style="font-style: italic;">:</span> / Here's what I always say:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Con él que sabe no se juega,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> / Don't play with someone who knows,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">y si se juega con cuidado</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span> / And if you do, be careful<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo siempre le digo</span> / I always say<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">a los rumberitos nuevos:</span> / To the new little rumberos<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Oyelo bien, aé</span> / Listen up good,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oyelo bien, aé</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> / Listen up good,<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Sabes que yo soy la llave</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> / You better know that I am the key (ie, the best)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Oyelo bien, aé</span> / Listen up good<br /></div></blockquote>Silvestre took this in, and later came up with another rumba in reply:<br /><br /><object height="28" width="335"><param value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtzOjg6IjE1MzI4Mjc2IjtzOjQ6ImNvZGUiO3M6MTI6IjE1MzI4Mjc2LWM1OSI7czo2OiJ1c2VySWQiO3M6NjoiNzAyMzgzIjtzOjEyOiJleHRlcm5hbENhbGwiO2k6MTtzOjQ6InRpbWUiO2k6MTMxMDkxNjIzNjt9&autoplay=default" name="movie"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtzOjg6IjE1MzI4Mjc2IjtzOjQ6ImNvZGUiO3M6MTI6IjE1MzI4Mjc2LWM1OSI7czo2OiJ1c2VySWQiO3M6NjoiNzAyMzgzIjtzOjEyOiJleHRlcm5hbENhbGwiO2k6MTtzOjQ6InRpbWUiO2k6MTMxMDkxNjIzNjt9&autoplay=default" height="28" width="335"></embed></object><br /><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tú me dijiste</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ You told me<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">que era rumberito,</span> / I was a "little rumbero"<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">rumberito de ahora. </span><span>/ A little rumbero of the moment<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo canto hace tiempo</span> / I've been singing for a while<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">pero nunca quise</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ But I never wanted<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">cantarte mi rumba</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ To sing you my rumba<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">hasta cierto momento. </span><span>/ Until just the right moment<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Después me dijiste</span><span style="font-style: italic;">s </span><span>/ Then you said<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">que tú eras la llave.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ </span><span> you were "the key"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">¿La llave de dónde?</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ But the key to where?<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Tú canta un poquito</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ You sing a little bit<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">no seas alabancioso </span><span>/ Don't be so stuck up<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Miguel, no te metas</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>/ Miguel, don't mess<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">con La Estrella Amaliana. </span><span>/ with La Estrella Amaliana<br /></span></blockquote>This new song from Silvestre also became a big hit in the neighborhood. Some time later however, Silvestre is surprised to hear his song on the radio, being performed in a band arrangement by Cheo Marquetti. So Silvestre ran down to wait by the door of the radio station, where the band was giving a live performance. Confronted with the young composer, the group, to their credit, told Silvestre how he could register his song so he could get composer credits.<br /><br />When registering the song, Silvestre kept the text changes that had been made, so the song would make sense when performed in a <span style="font-style: italic;">son</span> style:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Tu me dijiste</span> / You told me<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">que soy sonerito</span> / I was a little sonero<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">sonerito de ahora</span> / a little sonero of the moment<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">yo canto hace tiempo</span> / I've been singing for a while<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">canción y bolero</span> / canción and boleros<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">y canto una rumba</span> / And I can sing a rumba<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en todo momento</span> / at any moment<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Despues me dijistes</span> / Then you told me<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">que tu eras la llave</span> / That you were the key<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">la llave de donde?</span> / But the key to where?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tu canta un poquito</span> / You sing a little<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">no seas alabancioso</span> / Don't be so stuck up<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oye, no te metas</span> / Hey, don't you mess<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en la vida de nosotros</span> / In our lives<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oye no te metas, en la vida de nosotros</span></blockquote><br />The song "Sonerito" was recorded in 1944 by Conjunto Casino:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyuSJNv3BNo5v0qT3nBLi1KfgAshDngGmTC0trFE0sg7AdO03bzLLWq9o6xZcCs53ecNqO8bzPwbYc' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />And later, "Tambó" was recorded by Machito:<br /></div></div><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/n7xGFrNQs2E" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>And so Silvestre Méndez, a young rumbero from Jesús María, began his career as a professional musician.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-73801660821549290012011-06-09T17:46:00.000-07:002011-06-09T17:50:13.717-07:00Ibae: Guillermo Triana "El Negro"We regret to pass along this sad news, El Negro Triana passed away yesterday, apparently from complications of asthma.<br /><br />Below is a repost of a profile we did on him in February 2009.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY2oA2anBKShYTJ9muI4CgUFRi6cQ3CZI-R58c4mnYCjNGaNlF_IV6GJYcDCik0VsjPJurYnjP8uTqwxMrzkK89TddM6edkSDGmVNG1KK5MvZrVfqZmqsU5_SOhbURnmy-TV_pA/s1600-h/IMG_0145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY2oA2anBKShYTJ9muI4CgUFRi6cQ3CZI-R58c4mnYCjNGaNlF_IV6GJYcDCik0VsjPJurYnjP8uTqwxMrzkK89TddM6edkSDGmVNG1KK5MvZrVfqZmqsU5_SOhbURnmy-TV_pA/s400/IMG_0145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225932423625549074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Guillermo "El Negro" Triana Crespo</span><br />Havana, Feb 2008<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(photo: Barry Cox)</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Guillermo Triana Crespo, known as "El Negro" was born on February 10 1940, at 212 calle Ángeles, between Corrales y Gloria, in Jesús María, Havana, just down the street from the Embale family. He was always there at the rumbas in their solar, they were like family to him. Guillermo was inspired to begin singing rumba by hearing Carlos Embale's older brother, <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2008/06/ibae-luis-embale.html">Luis</a>. He would sing with a group called Estrellas Amalianas, along with Lazaro Suazo, Roberto Carillo (a nephew of Tio Tom), and Chino "Mala Noche," now all passed away.<br /><br />While El Negro is appreciated by everyone as an all-around rumba singer, equally adept at guaguancó, columbia, yambú and Abakuá, his preference is for <span style="font-style: italic;">voz tercera</span>, the high harmony part in a vocal duo. He also enjoys creating arrangements, adapting songs from other genres such as boleros, splicing them together into a creation all his own.<br /><br />El Negro has enjoyed a long and varied career. In 1965 he joined Pello El Afrokán's Mozambique group and later joined Luis "Aspirina" Chacón Medivel's group Sicamarié.<br /><br />He also worked with Lacho Rivero in carnavales, and even worked as a music therapist in a psychiatric hospital.<br /><br />In 1970 he began working with Carlos Embale, playing tumbador on the LP "Conjunto Guaguancó Carlos Embale."<br /><br />Later he began working with the great Coro Folklórico Nacional, (initally formed by Ignacio Piñeiro), with whom he continues today.<br /><br />He was married to the great rumba singer Zuzana Calzado until her passing several years ago.<br /><br />He has also been called more recently to participate in groups with Pancho Quinto as well as Ventu Rumbero, working with Chavalonga, Fariñas and Román Diaz.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />GROUPS</span><b>:</b><br />-Grupo de Pello El Afrokán<br />-Grupo Sicamarié<br />-Grupo de Lacho Rivero<br />-Grupo de Carlos Embale<br />-El Coro Folklórico Cubano<br />-Grupo de Pancho Quinto<br />-Ventú Rumbero<br /><br /><b>Discography:</b><br />Coro Folkórico Cubano "En un Solar Habanero" (Egrem 0424, 1991)<br />Pancho Quinto "En el Solar La Cueva del Humo" (RWCD 9704, 1997)<br />El Goyo: "La Rumba es Cubana - su Historia" (Unicornio UN-CD6004)<br />Pancho Quinto "Rumba sin Fronteras" (Riverboat 2003)<br />Clave y Guaguancó "La Rumba que no Termina" (2007)<br /><br /><b>Filmography:</b><br />-DVD "<a href="http://www.boogalu.com/generic_rumbambeo.html">Rumbambeo</a>" (Boogalu Productions) de Santiago Garzón Rill "Chaguito"<br /><br /><b>Sources:</b><br />Liner notes, DVD "Rumbambeo" de Santiago Garzón Rill "Chaguito".<br /><a href="http://larumbanoescomoayer.blogspot.com/">Pequeña Enciclopedia de la Rumba Cubana.</a><br /><br /><br />Singing "Una vez me dormí" in 2008:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ibgZEBmfVTo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ibgZEBmfVTo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Una vez me dormí</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Autor: <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/violino-tzigano-after-cherubini-for-violin-piano-for-the-film-mamma-roma">"Violino Tzigano (after Cherubini)" de Carlo Buti</a> (La décima es de Tio Tom)<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Género: Guaguancó<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Grabación: Guillermo Triana "El Negro" in situ Feb 2008</span></span><br /><br />Una vez fui a dormir<br />Y soñé que un vuelo<br />Un camino cogí<br />Y de pronto me vi<br />En la puerta del cielo<br />Y en el cielo rumor<br />De canciones venian<br />Y una diana de amor<br />Alivió mi dolor<br />Que en mi pecho sentia<br /><br />Pues bueno,<br />Anoche estuve soñando<br />Que al cielo me transportaba<br />Apolo que me esperaba<br />Me recibió improvisando<br />Luego estuvimos hablando<br />Luego estuvimos hablando<br />Sobre de astrologia<br />San José y San Fernando<br />San José y San Fernando<br />Con Jesus Cristo llegaron<br />Y asombrado se quedaron<br />De la improvisación mia<br />María un beso me dió<br />Timbero, María un beso me dió<br />San José reza y suspira<br />Apolo botó la lira<br />Y Jesus Cristo me aplaudió<br />San Isidro y San Fernando<br />Mandaron a San Ignacio<br />Que construyera un palacio<br />Y el nombre mio llevara<br />Para que yo administrara<br />Y asombrado quedé yo<br />Y asombrado quedé yo<br />Del trato tan alagueño<br />Solo sin saber que sueño<br />Hacia el cielo me llevó<br /><br />Y una vez me dormí...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Yo tuve un sueño feliz, y quise hacer una canción</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Pa' que me mira con malos ojos, si malos ojos no mata a nadie</span><br /><br /><br />Singing voz tercera with Juan de Dios in 2001:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CvLmuEP8bkU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CvLmuEP8bkU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Singing "La Rana" in 2008:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IXfk2iEpVow&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IXfk2iEpVow&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-971232446403605042011-05-30T10:15:00.001-07:002012-04-17T17:14:19.345-07:00The earliest recordings of Cuban rumba: A comprehensive summaryby Barry Cox.<br /><br />Last year, musician, artist and collector Myron Ort <a href="http://www.zeno-okeanos.com/rumba-1947.html">posted on his website</a> what we believed were likely to be the first recordings of traditional rumba (that is, rumba with only voice and percussion), by Carlos Vidal Bolado, under the name "Vidal Bolado y su ritmo de tambores" (SMC Pro-Arte 2519, 2520).<br /><br />In this article we'll attempt to summarize our research so far about these and other early recordings of traditional Cuban rumba up to 1956, and provide a comprehensive overview of the discography. Percussionist David Peñalosa and I have been evaluating many of these recordings and we will be elaborating on them at a later time.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Part One: Rumba in the earliest days of recording</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span><br />In one form or another, rumba has been a presence on Cuban recordings since nearly the beginning of the recording industry there (Reyes 2000). References to rumba, "rumberos", rumba melodies, and song titles suggestive of rumba melodies or conventions are legion.<br /><br />Unfortunately many of these early recordings are unavailable for listening. (Díaz Ayala (1994:16) estimates that only 15 to 20 percent of the music released on 78 was transferred to LP.) However we have posted examples where we are fortunate enough to have a reference.<br /><br />Following are selections (from a much longer list) of recordings through the 1920s which reference rumba or contain rumba melodies. (Most of these recordings are referenced in Díaz Ayala 1994.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1899 - Los Rumberos. Arturo B. Adamini.<br /></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Edison cylinder 4247)</span></span><br />First known reference to rumba on record. This performance is most probably related to the rumba of the <span style="font-style: italic;">teatro vernáculo</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">variedades</span>, a popular form of theater entertainment in Cuba at the time, where performers, often in blackface, performed "rumbitas" after comedy routines often featuring "negritos" "gallegos" and "mulatas." The word "rumba," in the context of the teatro vernáculo was used very loosely to say the least.<br /><br /><blockquote>The term rumba was apparently used by variedades musicians to refer to any sort of lively, uninhibited movement on stage during the finale. The few existing recordings of "diálogo y rumba" form the Cuban popular theater similarly demonstrate that, as in the case of dance, virtually any musical composition could be described as rumba...variedades rumba was influenced stylistically at least as much by Italian light opera as by Afrocuban non-commercial musics. In many cases it incorporated virtually none of the characteristics associated with the latter (Moore 1995:174).</blockquote><br /><br />While we haven't heard this particular recording, this song of the same title from 1928, by Italian tenor Tito Schipa & the American Emilio De Gogorza (Victor 1751) could be similar:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qWJlN_kt8y4" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">"Los Rumberos" (1928)<br />Tito Schipa and Emilio de Gorgoza<br />Victor 1751<br /></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1907 - (July) La Rumba. Orquesta Típica Velázquez.<br /></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Victor 12" 99023)</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />First appearance of the word "Rumba" on a record label. Recorded in Mexico, the genre is listed as "Danzón Veracruzano."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1913 - La Rumba. Victor Military Band.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Victor 10" 17439)</span><br />Another early appearance of "Rumba" on a record label. Genre is listed as "Tango."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuoBgfPWgqQl_CUllOSA1FniW7io4fILW9yhv8V2Rpi8IY3O7ZfXlw0M9qCU912m58ZCsRdqsFwpPDRwcK3UZWaJrmmOMjEyIadSLhQXIIA_W-PYLXlevQh5G27mrNPrdMhvNkA/s1600/La+Rumba+Victor+17439.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuoBgfPWgqQl_CUllOSA1FniW7io4fILW9yhv8V2Rpi8IY3O7ZfXlw0M9qCU912m58ZCsRdqsFwpPDRwcK3UZWaJrmmOMjEyIadSLhQXIIA_W-PYLXlevQh5G27mrNPrdMhvNkA/s320/La+Rumba+Victor+17439.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611874578667731202" border="0" /></a><br />Click below to listen:<br /><br /><object id="fp_52495617" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="148" width="400"> <param value="true" name="allowfullscreen"> <param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"> <param value="high" name="quality"> <param value="true" name="cachebusting"> <param value="#000000" name="bgcolor"> <param name="movie" value="http://media.loc.gov/player/flowplayer.commercial.swf?0.09839624424997984"> <param value="config=http://media.loc.gov//media/embed/id/A2671ACD48C2037CE0438C93F116037C" name="flashvars"> <embed src="http://media.loc.gov/player/flowplayer.commercial.swf?0.09839624424997984" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" cachebusting="true" flashvars="config=http://media.loc.gov//media/embed/id/A2671ACD48C2037CE0438C93F116037C" bgcolor="#000000" quality="true" height="148" width="400"></embed><br /></object><br /><br />As is the case with the previous examples, besides the title this recording obviously has little to do with rumba as we think of it today. Still, it is instructive to see the varied contexts in which the term "rumba" has historically been used. Additional information about this recording can be found <a href="http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/3449">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1916 - (October 18) Lo Típico de Cuba. Terceto Nano.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Victor 10" 72783)</span><br />Earliest attribution of Ignacio Piñeiro (1888-1969) as composer; genre is listed as "rumba." Ignacio Piñeiro is well-known today as one of Cuba's preeminent composers of guaguancó and sones, and he would later participate in one of the first recordings of traditional rumba in Cuba.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1916 - El Edén de los Roncos. Orquesta Reverón.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Victor, no number)</span><br />The composer of this danzón is listed as Ricardo Reverón. Recorded but never released, this is most likely a version of the guaguancó today attributed to Ignacio Piñeiro.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1918 - Guaguancó. Orquesta Reverón.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Victor 68558)</span><br />First known appearance of the word "guaguancó" on a record label. A danzón with ABACADAE structure, none of the melodies used appear to have any relationship to guaguancó or rumba (Díaz Ayala 2006:123).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dydqz5nLJ0jYV0LnM1GmvwcvalbVJtlygc-MOoSj0Lu9IJsKv07UXnbF_9x_jvAhfAmwBwhVpBXUf0' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click to hear "Guaguancó"<br />by Orquesta Reverón (Danzón, 1918)<br />Victor 68558<br /></span></div><br />Stretching to make some sort of connection, one could start speculating from the fact that danzónes tend to save the title theme for the last, which in this case starts at about 3:20.<br /><br />This theme starts out with a <span class="il">three</span>-note motif (tresillo), which could conceivably carry the lyric "gua-guan-có." Later the same motif appears paired with another note, which could be "el" or "mi."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1920 - Se acabó la rumba. Orquesta Felipe Valdéz.<br /></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Victor 72759)</span></span><br />Probably the first danzón to feature vocals, this is a version of the guaguancó better known as "La Última Rumba." Reissued on "Early Cuban Danzón Orchestras 1916-1920" Harlequin CD 131.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">c. 1920 - El yambú guaguancó. María Teresa Vera y Manuel Corona.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Columbia C3557)</span><br />As Díaz Ayala has noted (2006:124), this could be considered the first recording of a traditional rumba.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyeBpoD_hAZS-mf8VOKWjEej3Pcqa51PW6R1O80N7gS4MC02Xw0v0yrzaAH-N7az14gBYa5UonDk6k' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click to hear "El yambú guaguancó" c. 1920</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"> by María Teresa Vera and Manuel Corona</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"> Columbia C3557</span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span>The song structure is typical of yambú or older rumbas, starting out with a sung wordless chorus, alternating with a soloist who sings cuartetas. In this case the soloist is María Teresa Vera (1895-1965), and among her cuartetas she sings:<br /><blockquote><br />"Hay muchas conozco yo<br />que de sus males tienen culpa<br />y que le dan por desculpa<br />que el diablo les castigo"</blockquote><br />The chorus then returns, this time with the familiar introductory melody today known as "Ave María Morena," or in some cases simply "Yambú." The cuartetas continue, including the familiar:<br /><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">"Mi padre con cinco estrellas<br />no pudo ser general<br />y yo con una estrella y media<br />hago la tierra temblar."<br /><br /></div></blockquote>The chorus then returns to sing "Ave María Morena," with Vera singing another familiar cuarteta:<br /><br /><blockquote>Un jardinero de amor<br />siembra una planta y se va<br />otro viene y la cultiva<br />¿De quién de los dos será?</blockquote><br />Although this recording features guitar, the melody, the style of singing, the claves and the style of the percussion instrument's (which could be a bongó, tack-head drum or even a cajón) soloing strike us as all pure <span style="font-style: italic;">rumba de solar</span>.<br /><br />Many of María Teresa Vera's earliest recordings feature rumba melodies which are still in the rumba repertoire today. Some of them can be heard on "El Legendário duo de la Trova Cubana" Tumbao CD 090.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Part Two: The earliest recordings of traditional rumba 1941-1956.</span><br />In this section we will summarize what we know about the earliest recordings of "traditional" rumba, that is, vocals with only percussion instrumentation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1937/8 - Tam Tam, o el origen de la rumba.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Directed by Ernesto Caparrós, BW, 22 min.)</span><br />Although never released on disc, the earliest recorded documentation of authentic Cuban rumba we have been able to find is from this short film, and we felt it deserved mention here. It features a short segment of a rumba shot in a nightclub, said to be the Edén Concert, at 28 Zulueta street in Havana. (de Palacios, 1988). A trumpet can be heard soloing briefly in the first part, but for most of the segment only voices and drumming are heard.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwkHDbyG_5ti139Yc53Q_zaP3GBReL3ufpSBJYduNg9tyILdALB5seYtmuV-t5TkM30FYgEZYWNPlU' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click to view clip from </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"> "Tam-Tam: O el origen de la rumba"<br />Dir. Ernesto Caparrós, 1937 or 1938<br /></span></div><br />The rhythm played is a quite fast guaguancó, a style that is sometimes referred to as "jiribilla," while the male and female dancers both dance columbia simultaneously. At one point, an actor or dancer portraying a drunken patron joins them, and begins dancing with movements reminiscent of the íremes of Abakuá, while the woman takes his glass and dances with it balanced on her head, a common act in rumba cabaret acts of the time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1941 - Harold Courlander records rumba, guaguancó, yambú, conga in Havana.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of Traditional Music</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, Accession Number 54-058-F</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 8178 item 5 - Conga</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 8180 item 7 - Guaguancó</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 8180 item 8 - Yambú</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 8192 item 6 - Rumba</span><br /><br />Harold Courlander (1908-1996) was an American novelist, folklorist and anthropologist who specialized in African and African Diasporic cultures, particularly in Haiti. His trip to Cuba was sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies, in cooperation with Columbia University’s Archive of Primitive Music. He is well-known for having made the first field recordings of Afrocuban folkloric music, a small fraction of which were released in a 78rpm album (Disc New York, ca 1947) and LP (Ethnic Folkways Library P-410).<br /><br />The liner notes to the Folkways release state that the recordings were made in 1940, but Courlander wrote two separate articles (Courlander 1942; 1984) referring to his Cuba trip as having taken place in 1941.<br /><br />A complete copy of all 10 hours are at the Archives of Traditional Music ("ATM") in Bloomington, Indiana.<br /><br />We will explore Courlander's recordings further in a later article. For now we will present "EC 8180 item 7," what we believe to be the earliest recording of guaguancó played in the traditional style.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzTlReaFPfS1NVAfSfIDeWjKySL97vY5xmzf0ex1xhT9HJ5HzkAXcqztZtR3poLl3K5WfbttTOzXZ8' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click to hear a guaguancó<br />recorded by Harold Courlander in Havana, 1941.<br />Probably of Alberto Zayas and Lulu Yonkori<br />From The Archives of Traditional Music, EC8108, item 7.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although the recording is not of optimal quality, we can hear quite clearly the voice of Alberto Zayas as the "inspirador," leading the chorus with his <span style="font-style: italic;">dianas</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">floreos</span>. Zayas was a major informant of Courlander's. (Although in Courlander's writings he is evidently sometimes mistakenly called "Alfredo," as even some of Zayas' recorded releases do (see Díaz Ayala ....).<br /><br />As best we can determine, the lyrics are as follows:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of Traditional Music</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Harold Courlander<br />Accession Number 54-058-F</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />EC 8180 item 7 - Guaguancó</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span class="il">Ya</span> <span class="il">yo</span> <span class="il">estoy</span> <span class="il">desengañado</span><br />de lo que es la humanidad,<br /><span class="il">Ya</span> <span class="il">yo</span> <span class="il">estoy</span> <span class="il">desengañado</span><br />de lo que es la humanidad<br />[de poder] vivir<br />A mi no me engaña más<br />que él que <span class="il">yo</span> quiera<br /><br />Si acaso muero,<br />es por mi instinto natural.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> (El hombre, caballero,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> O, </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="il">ya</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="il">yo</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="il">estoy</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="il">desengañado</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />¡De nuevo!</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />¡De nuevo, de nuevo, de nuevo!</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Vamo', a, cantor, olá<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">¡Dáselo!</span>)<br /><br /><span class="il">Ya</span> <span class="il">yo</span> <span class="il">estoy</span> <span class="il">desengañado</span><br />de lo que es la humanidad<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br />de poder vivir.<br />A mi no me engaña más<br />que él que <span class="il">yo</span> quiera<br /><br />Si acaso muero,<br />es por mi instinto natural.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> (El hombre, el hombre,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">el hombre, el hombre,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Vamos a ver,<br />Olá, olá)</span><br /><br />El hombre,<br />sin zapatos,<br />sin calzones,<br />sin sombrero,<br />si tiene la [...] como <span class="il">estoy</span> <span class="il">yo</span><br />no vale nada en la sociedad<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Cuando tenga, vamos a ver, olá)</span><br /><br />Cuando tenga un sombrero<br />[...]<br />a cantar, a cantar <span style="font-style: italic;">(Llámalo)</span><br />[...] la vida [...] la realidad<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Bobo eke na' ma'</span></blockquote><br />The group is obviously professional and well-rehearsed, and was probably an early incarnation of Zayas' group Lulu Yonkori. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">1946 - Bill Abel of Coast Records travels to Havana</span>, to record "genuine Afro-Cubano rumbas" for Peerless Records. We are unaware of any recordings that resulted from these sessions.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPb6Hn0ArWxi2556AxhxJckwYgwXeyFExpluhxzzsSWVbQtHUTqIonKLl9_C23BJp3FPlV6fu6a-YSZUKPtJfVVFn_FULt-BVXPM4XoQiYlmvzhMroHiyNWsXIV83yQ_nD9tk_w/s1600/Billboard+Aug+31+1946.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPb6Hn0ArWxi2556AxhxJckwYgwXeyFExpluhxzzsSWVbQtHUTqIonKLl9_C23BJp3FPlV6fu6a-YSZUKPtJfVVFn_FULt-BVXPM4XoQiYlmvzhMroHiyNWsXIV83yQ_nD9tk_w/s400/Billboard+Aug+31+1946.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611206689982981282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >From Billboard, Aug 31, 1946, p. 124</span> </div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1947 - Katharine Beardmore records guaguancó and columbia rhythms in Havana.</span><br />The <a href="http://www.loc.gov/folklife/guides/Cuban.html">Cuban and Cuban American Collection at the Library of Congress</a> holds many recordings, including some of Afrocuban music, and a few of rumba.<br /><br />In 1947 Katharine Beardmore recorded some examples of drum rhythms for various styles. We know little about her. She was possibly Canadian, signing one letter "c/o the Royal Trust Company, Ottawa, Canada." We have not heard these recordings, but she appears to have made what could be considered the first instructional records for rumba:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The music played in these records is normally accompanied by songs and dances. The purpose here, however, is to give examples of rhythm alone for students interested in this study. In the case of the Guaguancó, the Lucumí, and the Conga, the rhythms of each instrument are introduced separately at first to facilitate their analysis, and then the instruments are played together. In these instances, the instruments come in in the following order: claves, quinto, tumbador, conga, jimagua." (Beardmore 1947).</blockquote><br />The Library of Congress describes these recordings as follows:<br /><br /><b></b><blockquote><b>AFS 8562-8567: </b> Six 12-inch discs of drum rhythms of five Afro-Cuban popular dances (<i>columbia, comparsa, conga, guaguancó, </i>and <i>lucumí</i>) and one example of combined rhythms played by an ensemble of five musicians. Recorded possibly in Havana, Cuba, by Katharine Beardmore, ca. 1947-48. The collection includes eight pages of correspondence, descriptions, and lists. (Twenty-two minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reels 121B-122A)</blockquote><br />In a 1947 letter to Duncan Emrich of the Archive of American Folk Song, Beardmore proposes a rather extensive recorded collection of Afrocuban music (but no rumba), to be directed by Fernando Ortiz. We do not know whether any of these recordings were ever undertaken, but it seems similar to the project that was later carried out by Josefina Tarafa and Lydia Cabrera in 1955 (Beardmore 1947).<br /><b></b><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">1947 - 1949 (?) - Chano Pozo and Carlos Vidal record for SMC-Pro Arte in New York City.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">SMC Pro-Arte 2517-A</span> Ritmo Afro-Cubano No. 1 ["Ya No Se Puede Rumbear"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SMC Pro-Arte 2517-B</span> Ritmo Afro-Cubano No. 2 ["Abasí"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />SMC Pro-Arte 2518-A</span> Ritmo Afro-Cubano No. 3 ["Tambombararana"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SMC Pro-Arte 2518-B</span> Ritmo Afro-Cubano No. 4 ["Placetas"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />SMC Pro Arte 2519-A</span> "Ritmo Afro Cubano No. 5 ["Columbia"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SMC Pro Arte 2519-B</span> "Ritmo Afro Cubano No. 6 ["Santo"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />SMC Pro-Arte 2520-A</span> "Ritmo Afro Cubano No. 7 ["Abakuá"]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SMC Pro-Arte 2520-B</span> "Ritmo Afro Cubano No. 8 ["Guaguancó"]<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWu8DGyOwIsHtuUb5S3qn_2t3XV05h3fO2danQSu3UgCxyW_iUDal9U8sNRUA3arTzgjdh32LShOWpUs05E2mmXMOo8Ry8amjRkG_GWogo8-nJyJhSVmjtNy6KksQpA_IWqIO/s1600/WF0049.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 337px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWu8DGyOwIsHtuUb5S3qn_2t3XV05h3fO2danQSu3UgCxyW_iUDal9U8sNRUA3arTzgjdh32LShOWpUs05E2mmXMOo8Ry8amjRkG_GWogo8-nJyJhSVmjtNy6KksQpA_IWqIO/s1600/WF0049.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The earliest known studio recordings of traditional Cuban rumba were made in New York City by Gabriel Oller's SMC Pro-Arte label. Chano Pozo (1915-1948) recorded four sides on February 7th, 1947. Personnel were Chano Pozo, Miguelito Valdés and Kike Rodríguez (congas and vocals), Carlos Vidal (congas) and José Mangual (bongó) (Pujol 2001).<br /><br />Apparently with the intent of releasing an "album" (consisting of four 10" 78 rpm discs), Oller also released four numbers from a session headed by Carlos Vidal Bolado (1914-1996). The date and personnel on this session are unknown.<br /><br />So for some reason, the recordings sat unreleased for two years, through a general recording strike that lasted most of 1948, and Chano's death in Harlem on Dec. 2, of that same year. The Chano Pozo sides begin to appear in the listings of Latin American releases in Billboard magazine of Feb. 5, 1949.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8Gj1niQBPH3Wvr8R3GSKeHx6zhHhuuheRb8sKy9Cc0B1TyiStYZRftJq6P4TiN-FKlPQR2AAWoRJX-9TBJdp5f2nHzyDaMOgT8O1yP_9pIbMm1bzeF-y9vYhql_0_0fu-sOs/s1600/BIllboard+Feb+5+1949_a.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 478px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8Gj1niQBPH3Wvr8R3GSKeHx6zhHhuuheRb8sKy9Cc0B1TyiStYZRftJq6P4TiN-FKlPQR2AAWoRJX-9TBJdp5f2nHzyDaMOgT8O1yP_9pIbMm1bzeF-y9vYhql_0_0fu-sOs/s1600/BIllboard+Feb+5+1949_a.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">From <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> Feb 5, 1949.</span><br /></div><br /><br />The Vidal tracks were probably released only in mid-to-late 1949, as part of an album called "Voodoo Drums" (SMC 5):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaWOyVk5w9Ff7RYIZ4_Sf5JiRRaa4jgQAvXuiWgJ44YfROExgF91rYQIoiX3zpz0BtBBpL7g6O8QZynr5hLeeETYRfTwAdBVBoK_kjw0uidxzdLX1GNjHz6x4fv4vrjiuh4fAZw/s1600/voodoo-drums2-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaWOyVk5w9Ff7RYIZ4_Sf5JiRRaa4jgQAvXuiWgJ44YfROExgF91rYQIoiX3zpz0BtBBpL7g6O8QZynr5hLeeETYRfTwAdBVBoK_kjw0uidxzdLX1GNjHz6x4fv4vrjiuh4fAZw/s320/voodoo-drums2-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611210202342226882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >"Voodoo Drums" SMC#5 (ca. 1949)</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Chano Pozo and Vidal Bolado's Afro-Cuban Drum Beaters</span></span><br /><br /></div><br />A review of this album appeared in Billboard's edition of November 26, 1949:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmT_IlmQiZTgqbr1LxeR1AQc5x-eoUvHJTqOMXUkI3fFFjKLepJuIbiqXs8fxD7j4ByHTZC0yh7ZFdvCAsx7nufYy3HX-y9a_N1ENaCFGvatCtKYHPvHm6yiGRS_7qGV-latoy/s1600/Billboard+Nov+26+1949.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 454px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmT_IlmQiZTgqbr1LxeR1AQc5x-eoUvHJTqOMXUkI3fFFjKLepJuIbiqXs8fxD7j4ByHTZC0yh7ZFdvCAsx7nufYy3HX-y9a_N1ENaCFGvatCtKYHPvHm6yiGRS_7qGV-latoy/s1600/Billboard+Nov+26+1949.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Some of the Chano sides were later re-issued on LP and eventually all of them on CD (Tumbao CD 305) but the Vidal Bolado recordings remained extremely rare, never having been reissued in any other format. The Vidal Bolado recordings can be heard <a href="http://www.zeno-okeanos.com/rumba-1947.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1948 (?) - Silvestre Méndez records "El as de la rumba" for Musart.</span><br />Silvestre Méndez has said that the first recording he made after arriving in Mexico in 1946 was "El as de la rumba" for Memo Acosta's Musart label:<br /><br /><blockquote>"...y ahí está en el coro el Gallego de Matanzas, y está el Melón y el Chocolate, Antonio Díaz, entonces yo lo grabé en ritmo de guaguancó auténtico como lo compuse, la rumba auténtica de Cuba; después tuve la ocasión de ver a Machito la primera vez que fui a Nueva York y se lo di a él y lo grabó." (Martré 1997:48)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >"...and in the chorus there is el Gallego de Matanzas, and Melón, and Chocolate, Antonio Díaz, and so I recorded it as an authentic guaguancó like I composed it, the authentic rumba of Cuba; later I saw Machito on my first trip to new York and I gave it to him and he recorded it."</span></blockquote><br />Musart was founded in 1948, so this recording must have been made sometime after that date, and before Machito's recording in 1958. Silvestre Méndez would later record several early rumbas, but as of yet we have not been able to locate this traditional rumba version of "El as de la rumba."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1948 - William and Berta Montero (Bascom) record a columbia in Matanzas.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of Traditional Music,<br />Accession number: 72-261-F</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">ATL 5391; Track 2 item no. 3 - Columbia</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1948 - Richard Waterman records 14 rumbas in Regla.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of Traditional Music,<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Accession number: 72-087-F</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 10" 969</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 8, 5A - Guaguancó ["Cállate tu"] (July 28, 1948)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 9, 5B - Columbia ["Boku boku"</span>]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 10, 6A - Guaguancó ["El Tasajero"]</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 12, 7A - Guaguancó ["Que sentimiento me da"] (July 28, 1948)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 13, 7B - Guaguancó ["Julio Guzmani inspirador"</span>]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 14, 8A - Guaguancó ["Dicen que soy un borracho"</span>]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 15, 8B - Columbia ["Soy Uriabón"</span>]<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 10" 970</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 1, 9A - Columbia ["Soy el primer caminante..."] (July 28, 1948)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 12, 15B - Columbia ["Blen blen blen"</span>]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 13, 16A - Guaguancó - ["Yo tengo que mudar"] (July 28, 1948)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 14, 16B - Guaguancó - [Yo tengo que mudar] (cont'd)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC 10" 971</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 7, 20A - Yambú - "A vela vela"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 8, 20B - "A vela vela" cont'd</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 9, 21A - Guaguancó ["San Dimas"</span>]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 10, 21B - ["San Dimas" cont'd</span>]<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 11, 22A - Guaguancó - ["Mi Tercio tiene un güiro"] (August 1, 1948)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 12, 22B - Yambú - ["Chévere"]</span><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 224);font-family:Times New Roman;" id="internal-source-marker_0.5517661340260306" ><br /></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BOrYalyboyR3Oo7_FTLaFTZOAA8p6a2NQUZ9LKevwWCHYWitTfMbaVfP6EHqzLjs1bglfcgK_AfdGCjXwCL8uz0LyHUy6LtvzIMkw5nPZcId8h0eVFXswNh83liH7cYjetFvnQ/s1600/Montero+and+Waterman.1946.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BOrYalyboyR3Oo7_FTLaFTZOAA8p6a2NQUZ9LKevwWCHYWitTfMbaVfP6EHqzLjs1bglfcgK_AfdGCjXwCL8uz0LyHUy6LtvzIMkw5nPZcId8h0eVFXswNh83liH7cYjetFvnQ/s320/Montero+and+Waterman.1946.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611797861109560738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Berta Montero and Richard Waterman in Cuba, c. 1946.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Source unknown, clipping courtesy of Dr. Kevin Yelvington.</span></span><br /></div><br />In the summer of 1948, four anthropologists from Northwestern University went to Cuba to conduct field research. They were David W. Ames, William Bascom, Berta Montero (later Berta Bascom), and Richard A. Waterman.<br /><br />During their stay, Bascom and Montero alternated between Havana, Matanzas, Jovellanos, and other places to study Ifá and Santería; Ames settled in Vedado to conduct research for his article "<a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/271148">Negro family types in a Cuban solar</a>;" and Waterman settled in Regla, across the bay from Havana.<br /><br />Influenced by Melville Herskovits' interest in the search for Africanisms in the Americas (Waterman 1988), Waterman and the Bascoms made many recordings of all types of music during this trip. The Bascoms focused mostly on lucumi and palo, but Waterman recorded everything from children's songs to Palo Monte. Copies of all of these recordings are stored at The Archives of Traditional Music. (They even shot color film during the trip, which we look forward to locating some day.)<br /><br />William Bascom left over 300 single-spaced typed pages of field notes of his 1948 trip to Cuba. Unfortunately there is no mention of any of the nearly 3 hours of recordings at the ATM (Bascom 1948). On many of the tracks a woman's voice can be heard prompting the informants to start recording or identify themselves, etc., which suggests that the recordings may have been directed by Berta Montero.<br /><br />Richard Waterman began recording rumbas in the Puerto Nuevo section of Regla on July 28, 1948. We have so far been able to locate his field notes only from the period of July 13-21st (Herskovits, N.d.). However, from the scarce documentation included with the discs we know the names of some of the participants: Alberto Brito, Felix Díaz, Julio Guzmani, and Gilberto Hernández.<br /><br />We have learned that Alberto Brito was the father of Reinaldo Brito, composer of the guaguancó "El Niño Rey." Reinaldo states that his father worked in the "Oriente Industrial" slaughterhouse at Línea and E streets in the Lawton Batista district of Havana. He was also "obonekue" (initiate) of the Abakuá Potencia Uriabón Brandi Mosongo Efí Enmemoro (Hernández, 2011).<br /><br />The Waterman rumbas are significant because as opposed to the flashier "cabaret" style of rumba frequently heard on early recordings, they allow us to hear rumba as it was played by and for rumberos of the day. There is a casual feel, and the instrumentation consists of spoons, bottles, boxes and the occasional drums.<br /><br />Obviously our research on these recordings is ongoing, and we will have more to say about them at a later date. For now, we will present the first rumba Waterman recorded:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dza38qxpwilPl-z_TI5GkKoXUyiGK2ue17fVr2B1S67xqCG47VEFtX5DITX04lv1q4NaSMbLjSUqxA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><span></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of Traditional Music,<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Accession number: 72-087-F</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">EC 10" 969</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Item no. 8, 5A - Guaguancó</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span>Hay quien tiene,<br />Hay quien tiene su warará<br /><i>(bis)</i><br />Sabiendo que nunca el vulgo<br />su secreto va a saber<br /><i>(bis)</i><br />Pero yo, qué me acuesto de madruga'<br />Pero yo, qué me acuesto de madruga'<br /><br />Me entero de todo el chisme<br />sin que nadie me lo cuente<br /><i>(bis)</i><br /><br />Y me callo porque soy hombre discreto<br />Y me callo porque soy hombre discreto<br /><br />An dan dan dan dan etc.<br /><br /><i>[Se repite la canción]</i><br /><br />Y me callo porque soy hombre completo<br />Y me callo porque soy hombre completo<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Cállate tu, mira que soy Abakuá</span></blockquote><br />About the term "<span style="font-style: italic;">wárárá</span>," Ivor Miller has linked it to the Abakuá term "<span style="font-style: italic;">Awárandária</span>." He writes:<br /><br /><blockquote>"In a rumba context, <span style="font-style: italic;">wárárá</span> means "to play": it is a code referring to a group of men who live in peace, who get along well, enjoying debates about the richness of their cultural history, because they have mystic bonds as Abakuá members." (Miller 2006:164 and notes.)</blockquote><br />So we can translate the lyrics as:<br /><br /><blockquote>"There are those who have their Abakuá group<br />knowing that the common people<br />will never know their secret<br /><br />But me, I stay up late,<br />I learn all the gossip<br />without anyone having to tell me<br /><br />But I stay quiet, because I am a discreet man<br />But I stay quiet, because I am a complete man<br /><br />Chorus: Be quiet, you - I am Abakuá!</blockquote>The song at once celebrates the bonds and benefits of Abakuá membership, the dignified manner expected of an Abakuá, and also issues a subtle challenge - be careful what you say about an Abakuá member.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1948-1949 - Filiberto Sánchez records Panart and RCA Victor in Cuba.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 78 1196-A</span> "Atájala que se va (Columbia)" (1948)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 78 1196-B</span> "Acere Ecobio (Ñáñigo)" (1948)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 78 23-1254-A</span> "Ocamanllé (Canto Negro)" (1949)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 78 23-1254-B</span> "Tumbador (Rumba Negra)" (1949)<br /><br />The first studio recordings of rumba made in Cuba were recorded by Filiberto Sánchez.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2A7V3gi2fI534KRncVMm_i5rEsa66lpkzFaJf1nsnl970g_l0-JpKDBDNmWIoDNCdclnXmLxnhfTxxAjs_TqhxW7ZyKbcYKVn2ubNx5hYZeWSSs8YoAD_CwDZEONCkpkpm4DsA/s1600/Panart+1196A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2A7V3gi2fI534KRncVMm_i5rEsa66lpkzFaJf1nsnl970g_l0-JpKDBDNmWIoDNCdclnXmLxnhfTxxAjs_TqhxW7ZyKbcYKVn2ubNx5hYZeWSSs8YoAD_CwDZEONCkpkpm4DsA/s320/Panart+1196A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612553352334856290" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAKEML_JwnwDUBt-h4h4Nrgc2p-jjKP7-kGLSOvUk70BST_1ElW_muOKnbM_MBFkgjsv_BGwqnAzLVvw42ZUoVEvTITHehMWgRlQ9j_xZGA5XcsJXWAb8G9FDWmbNNu9AB_hbbw/s1600/Panart+1196B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAKEML_JwnwDUBt-h4h4Nrgc2p-jjKP7-kGLSOvUk70BST_1ElW_muOKnbM_MBFkgjsv_BGwqnAzLVvw42ZUoVEvTITHehMWgRlQ9j_xZGA5XcsJXWAb8G9FDWmbNNu9AB_hbbw/s320/Panart+1196B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612553343382523394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 1196<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64XF34WCpDRFYU-jp-DbARwVi43Ooy81Oz6T7r01uEF0Xwk-wqTtumKB3PCkim4LRPddE25PIHg5lmR0lAqLYPTHtJ5JeRBZyVa2llxYE0Lpeikv00X59QK3QsjraRI7h8wFCHA/s1600/RCA+Victor+23-1254-A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64XF34WCpDRFYU-jp-DbARwVi43Ooy81Oz6T7r01uEF0Xwk-wqTtumKB3PCkim4LRPddE25PIHg5lmR0lAqLYPTHtJ5JeRBZyVa2llxYE0Lpeikv00X59QK3QsjraRI7h8wFCHA/s320/RCA+Victor+23-1254-A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612553337085332834" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr-9WOgUvO0OvfUDfvcIiXtvEcXWekLlrBLS7HRsw1z0pInUV77UC9onIM1x8OQ6lLQa0pOPytl8qhWLUMyxGQxp1BwVcveGnLQZuML0JngkIT7Di6lpUjpBQxDIcr4HLW6sf0A/s1600/RCA+VIctor+23-1254.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr-9WOgUvO0OvfUDfvcIiXtvEcXWekLlrBLS7HRsw1z0pInUV77UC9onIM1x8OQ6lLQa0pOPytl8qhWLUMyxGQxp1BwVcveGnLQZuML0JngkIT7Di6lpUjpBQxDIcr4HLW6sf0A/s320/RCA+VIctor+23-1254.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612553336282146498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">RCA Victor 23-1254</span><br />Images courtesy Matt Dillon</span></span><br /></div><br />Released in 1948 and 1949, to our knowledge they have never been reissued in any other format. We obtained copies from the collection of Matt Dillon.<br /><br />Besides being the first recordings of rumba made in Cuba, they also may be Cuba's first studio recordings of traditional Abakuá music.<br /><br />Filiberto Sánchez was a percussionist from the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Havana who worked as a percussionist for numerous groups such as Jóvenes del Cayo, Orquesta Casino de la Playa, Orquesta Adolfo Guzman, Cabaret Tropicana, La Mil Diez con Enrique Pilderot, and RHC Cadena Azul. (Sánchez, Jr., 2011)<br /><br />In the 1940's he played tumbador with Agustín "El Bongosero" Gutierrez on bongó and vocalist Abelardo Barroso in La Banda de Música de la Policía (Petinaud Martínez, n.d.).<br /><br />His son, Filiberto Sánchez Jr., is currently timbalero with Buena Vista Social Club.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwgT8YyFsT_iNhzvTHZ5Um67JoyZgkvSpoo42P0H-sGvasx__99bGOdJL_i_qTbXVNZGDqL8NDByeY' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Click to hear "Atájala que se va,"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">by Filiberto y su ritmo</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 1196 (1948)</span></span><br /></div><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Atájala que se va"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Filiberto y su ritmo</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Cantan: Tata y Vega</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 1196</span><br /><br />Llamé, llamé, llamé<br />Llamé, llamé, llamé<br />No supiste compreender<br />Mujer, mujer, mujer<br />tu no tienes corazón<br /><br />Tanto como la quería<br />Tanto como la quería<br />no me supo compreender<br />lo que yo quería saber<br />lo malo que ella me hacía<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: A e</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Atájala que se va</span></blockquote>"Atájala que se va" is listed as a columbia on the label but the rhythmic accompaniment is clearly a guaguancó. The song structure is an old style rumba, a short refrain sung by a chorus, repeated after a soloist recites a <span style="font-style: italic;">cuarteta</span>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzwLnwOAcBj0pDUyHAmY7KGstM7fBPDLqPrjFQPJdoAhQkZ4riu1x8aU6dSJVafrTjUtEeEWRZ9kWM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Click to hear "Tumbador"<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > by Filiberto Sánchez y su ritmo "Abacuá"<br />RCA Victor 1254 (1949)</span><br /></div><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Tumbador"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Filiberto Sánchez y su ritmo "Abacuá"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 1254</span><br /><br />Los rumberos están diciendo<br />que la rumba está<br />pa' gozar<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br /><br />La timba se ha puesto buena,<br />el quinto y el tumbador<br />¡A gozar, a rumbear!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Ay, ay, ay, que bueno está mi rumbón</span></blockquote>The song here is very simple, One remarkable aspect of "Tumbador" is that in the montuno section, at about 1:25, someone begins singing inspirations in a sort of mock-drunken English:<br /><br />"Hello, hello, brother, helloooo!<br />Meanwhile Cubans are gonna give you new style!<br />C'mon and get my stuff now, I'm gonna do it for you!"<br /><br />Cristóbal Diaz Ayala suggests these lines may be cabaret Dandy Crawford, a Cuban performer of Jamaican origin known for singing in English.<br /><br />At 2:15, the solista sings "Agustín el Timbalero, rayas tiene en el bongó," right before a quinto solo. This suggests that Agustín "el Bongocero" Gutierrez is present on the recording, which would not be surprising given his known association with Sánchez.<br /><br />Many questions remain about these recordings, and our research is ongoing.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1949 (?) - Juan Liscano records 5 rumbas by Cuban ensemble "Conjunto El Niño."</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Library of Congress Cuban and Cuban American Collection</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AFS 9907A3-B1: One disc containing two rumbas.<br />(Seven minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 278B</span>)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AFS 9909A1-A2, B2: One disc containing three rumbas.<br />(Eleven minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 279A)</span><br /><br />Another set of recordings in the Library of Congress of particular interest, but which we have as yet not heard, is the Juan Liscano collection.<br /><br />The full listing in the Library of Congress reads as follows:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFS 9907-9909:</span> Three 16-inch discs of Cuban and Venezuelan instrumentals and songs recorded by Juan Liscano before 1950. The collection includes eight pages of descriptions and lists. The Cuban examples consist of claves, drums, male chorus, rhythm stick, and solo male vocalist.<br /><br /><blockquote> <p><b>AFS 9907A3-B1:</b> One disc containing two rumbas. (Seven minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 278B)</p> <p><b>AFS 9908B1-B2:</b> One disc containing two Afro-Cuban religious songs. (Seven minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 278B)</p> <p><b>AFS 9909A1-A2, B2:</b> One disc containing three rumbas. (Eleven minutes; tape copy on LWO 5111 reel 279A) </p> </blockquote><br /></blockquote>Dr. Kenneth Bilby (Personal comm. 2011) believes that these recordings are of a Cuban group called "Conjunto El Niño," and were recorded while that group was on tour in Venezuela.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1952 (?) - Mongo Santamaría records "Afro-Cuban Drums (Voodoo Rituals)" in Cuba (SMC Pro-Arte 535).</span><span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 224);font-family:Times New Roman;" ><br /></span><br />In 1952 or 1953 SMC released the 10” 33 1/3 LP "Afro-Cuban Drums (Voodoo Rituals)." Although SMC was a New York based label, according to Díaz Ayala, an SMC catalog says these recordings were made in Cuba during carnaval (Díaz Ayala 2006: 84).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KnWPI-tKt5HYIJ1AJKyZLfFr7n-jrnuehjQ_rGK6HXB8BFxMO34YzBpKVtuK3L9wE6-cb09o5w0gd03dDeURRGLLyUGHXfWVAn6F00grusTCyME16WT_w2zyM955vke2lu0Ruw/s1600/SMC+535.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KnWPI-tKt5HYIJ1AJKyZLfFr7n-jrnuehjQ_rGK6HXB8BFxMO34YzBpKVtuK3L9wE6-cb09o5w0gd03dDeURRGLLyUGHXfWVAn6F00grusTCyME16WT_w2zyM955vke2lu0Ruw/s320/SMC+535.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611939902143105058" border="0" /></a><br />This release contained on one side Changó, Conga Callejera, and two rumbas, which were also released on 78 rpm:<br /><br />SMC 2535-A "Meta"<br />SMC 2535-B "Guaguancó"<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhUINabO0ON4OAKWOEXvJmvX_57bQaybNzjEPu5FhOcFvPoHwUeEDjOBKgXjlj0EktCJpeteBF1xnZnpk6I5xBV03WbgWXXang3jGt-antsSFyXGL28wN5dRdulCLqP4NSo_8yQ/s1600/SMC+2535A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFhUINabO0ON4OAKWOEXvJmvX_57bQaybNzjEPu5FhOcFvPoHwUeEDjOBKgXjlj0EktCJpeteBF1xnZnpk6I5xBV03WbgWXXang3jGt-antsSFyXGL28wN5dRdulCLqP4NSo_8yQ/s320/SMC+2535A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611880654468440706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >78 rpm release of "Meta"</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Mongo Santamaría's Afro-Cuban Drum Beaters.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />SMC Pro-Arte 2535A</span></span><br /></div><br />The other side is entirely dedicated to an instrumental, "Fiesta Abakuá." "Columbia" and "Guaguancó" are also instrumentals. Unfortunately, these two pieces were recorded or mixed with excessive reverb, greatly diminishing their historic value.<br /><br />Later, three more songs were added, "Ochún," "Elegua," and "Yemaya," all sung by Merceditas Valdés, and re-released as a 12" LP called <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Tambores Afrocubanos"</span> (SMC 592).<br /><br />Given that "Tambores Afrocubanos" is mentioned among "currently available" releases in Langston Hughes' 1955 book "A Short History of Jazz," this record probably dates from 1954 or early 1955 (Hughes 1955:60).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iFSC3bvoXVX389SO1RyO6WMX_jjb1O7v1esetu2XhADgSXcT2vxqKJSjW2hsuLMLMxyzOi7I51xdunjOpS4t7eUuVBT4uUyoPbAxnKC5WGANpThwJor9ZsT0nCloZCgLEmdzaA/s1600/SMC+592.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iFSC3bvoXVX389SO1RyO6WMX_jjb1O7v1esetu2XhADgSXcT2vxqKJSjW2hsuLMLMxyzOi7I51xdunjOpS4t7eUuVBT4uUyoPbAxnKC5WGANpThwJor9ZsT0nCloZCgLEmdzaA/s320/SMC+592.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611960772888102466" border="0" /></a><br />The cover artwork is almost identical to that used on SMC No. 5, released in 1949.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1955 - Mongo Santamaría records "Changó"</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in New York (Tico 137).<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGLeNUsItaBEoCsJPes7uPb7Mzp95_GHh0lJELRkbYccdf1PGQDPZcR89vVOCbsG_wZtCIggN4l3Ila359cKgSiILXw5Iu8q5A3b_5zQn3XFiS0DGXHYIFyiZA9XVqICyQitRVw/s1600/Chango+Tico+137.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGLeNUsItaBEoCsJPes7uPb7Mzp95_GHh0lJELRkbYccdf1PGQDPZcR89vVOCbsG_wZtCIggN4l3Ila359cKgSiILXw5Iu8q5A3b_5zQn3XFiS0DGXHYIFyiZA9XVqICyQitRVw/s320/Chango+Tico+137.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611938119899197778" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKZJhYIcHJUPTcgGgtT34qT_EYRojG1H3U9DodysnZ0o_ggWA4srDL_CNtLTKorhzSC_5LCPzk3KbqW_Wll1kR27c_q3MCaq_6Bm6hzA07UiQPlsrVfgmoCFXYqiwkwwQ8ZcHSA/s1600/Chango+Tico+137.jpg"><br /></a>This record contained eight numbers, including three rumbas, "Columbia," "Caumbia," and "Margarito."<br /><br />In 1957 the tracks from Changó were combined with four new numbers, including the guaguancó "Consejo al Vive Bien," on a 12" LP under the name "Mongo Santamaría's Drums and Chants" (Tico 1037).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UpK4FdqF-BCkSBRzT7IGIoAE7L3Eqkaga0gTVG1ryj0w1LNDaEsFZDNHaBp1MCjcJXfPtOIMFbmq3m_BxS5X9cRm_FSWiR6xlQP84xtyHTiFGcT5WyB57vrV4uYCAGk-b1_riA/s1600/Tico.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UpK4FdqF-BCkSBRzT7IGIoAE7L3Eqkaga0gTVG1ryj0w1LNDaEsFZDNHaBp1MCjcJXfPtOIMFbmq3m_BxS5X9cRm_FSWiR6xlQP84xtyHTiFGcT5WyB57vrV4uYCAGk-b1_riA/s320/Tico.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611983493083653634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Tico 1037<br />Courtesy Mark Sanders</span><br /></div><br />There is some controversy surrounding this recording, regarding Silvestre Méndez's involvement and whether or not the original intention was to release "Changó" under his name or Santamarías. For more details, see Gerard, 2001.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1955 - (Spring) Odilio Urfé directs the recording of Ignacio Piñeiro's project "Festival in Havana."</span><br />(Riverside 4005).<br /><br />This disc contains 12 numbers, 6 congas and 6 rumbas.<br /><br />The rumbas are:<br /><br />Consuélate como yo - Guaguancó<br />Dónde Andabas Anoche - Guaguancó<br />Última Rumba - Guaguancó<br />Desengaño de los roncos - Guaguancó<br />Malanga - Columbia<br />Ave María Morena - Yambú<br /><br /><br />This record was the result of a project initiated by Odilio Urfé (1921-1988), a musician and musicologist who founded Instituto Musical de Investigaciones Folclóricas in 1947.<br />Personnel included: Ignacio Pineiro, Oscar "Floresita" Velasco, Pedro Mena, Carlos Embale, Bienvenido Leon, Adriano Rodriguez, Oracio Endibo, Ana Maria Garcia, Giraldo Rodriguez, Pedro Aspirina, Raul "Nasaco" Diaz, Gerardo Valdés, and Nicholas Mauro (Díaz Ayala, N.d.).<br /><br />The record has a complex history of releases and re-releases under several titles and labels that can be confusing. We believe they were released in the following order:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KnoDVQVqM4gOJOBp0tqdtDxFk_mf-fBmOrjpz2taz6gZF7IHTJaHquwYt_6YfavuyjJp3wIpfsaUAdpuXGr2nkilz2xd3jutRzxUdcF6fyy5DzTLldhLfpFtDQfQM-Rx6t2u/s1600/festivalriverside.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KnoDVQVqM4gOJOBp0tqdtDxFk_mf-fBmOrjpz2taz6gZF7IHTJaHquwYt_6YfavuyjJp3wIpfsaUAdpuXGr2nkilz2xd3jutRzxUdcF6fyy5DzTLldhLfpFtDQfQM-Rx6t2u/s1600/festivalriverside.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Riverside 4005 - "Festival in Havana"</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Probably released in 1956 or 1957.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyejSuVvMdr1GImMYhZeqxM29FTLCmZ_etSEXfln0xTByEsd9jO9O-xuF1pK6aO7raiVil6IZ7bdP5VgWAn-4IUjSMyy7yA5exLO4s9snFgiYa6RXXXaJrJagwGgD7VM6f_52EiQ/s1600/Riverside+4005-A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyejSuVvMdr1GImMYhZeqxM29FTLCmZ_etSEXfln0xTByEsd9jO9O-xuF1pK6aO7raiVil6IZ7bdP5VgWAn-4IUjSMyy7yA5exLO4s9snFgiYa6RXXXaJrJagwGgD7VM6f_52EiQ/s320/Riverside+4005-A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612468661906904322" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOqm64G3_NMVmw5PyjkCR4gUkHz29W4MNMr6pdqB94dU4EjZXsyYhyphenhyphenqYCv0Vl5EFlciRnMKRJZM4XiyRzwmSIUXSyptduV2Knbojbd4aABsAxD9kCr55EOJ0veGlDHOC711gujw/s1600/Riverside+4005-B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOqm64G3_NMVmw5PyjkCR4gUkHz29W4MNMr6pdqB94dU4EjZXsyYhyphenhyphenqYCv0Vl5EFlciRnMKRJZM4XiyRzwmSIUXSyptduV2Knbojbd4aABsAxD9kCr55EOJ0veGlDHOC711gujw/s320/Riverside+4005-B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612468658405865778" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><li>Liner notes say recorded in "Spring of 1955."</li></ul><ul><li>Referenced in Schwann Record and Tape Guide, 1957, p. 148.</li></ul><ul><li>Discussed at length, though in a general way, Roger Pryor Dodge's article "The Cuban Sextetos," published in the December 1958 edition of The Jazz Review (Dodge, 1958; 1995).<br /></li></ul><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NpjdEtOwZ1PdLjVzY0HdFYZDcbrbjWleFMrmJAxag_4cz-gVabBJsRQuAtIfRMwnNkYbL0HC5JJpGK5BqjWYOZ4CFfJX5qBm9pU3l22WFmFcZeMFnrXccw1BYVyYpRYnc8Ka/s1600/JUDSON3011a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NpjdEtOwZ1PdLjVzY0HdFYZDcbrbjWleFMrmJAxag_4cz-gVabBJsRQuAtIfRMwnNkYbL0HC5JJpGK5BqjWYOZ4CFfJX5qBm9pU3l22WFmFcZeMFnrXccw1BYVyYpRYnc8Ka/s1600/JUDSON3011a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Judson 3011 - "Cuban Carnival"</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Probably released in 1957 or 1958.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkLcsUHIUY-12GKeBs1lRME832uIUKXG94o81pGkjB34WkDbKZdK0Mt6nK-3JBKlpl5cN4yg0mehWS8cr93B7stN8DqNhBMvaNGSTToSSD65GQU-t9Cbxhyn-WU0o0SAiDPx8Mg/s1600/Judson+311+A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkLcsUHIUY-12GKeBs1lRME832uIUKXG94o81pGkjB34WkDbKZdK0Mt6nK-3JBKlpl5cN4yg0mehWS8cr93B7stN8DqNhBMvaNGSTToSSD65GQU-t9Cbxhyn-WU0o0SAiDPx8Mg/s320/Judson+311+A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612468659795410226" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTuoJWkxjw-hWYjJjkxxx6G0G6k3P3NDBVkn_s0DcUQc0ltISRY3e8oXWfLihmuJALTO2UiL3FJwWFILP-7IOZZBN8_5rYdU_nvHfkVEEYnEVjoj1-BHuT1zl9xXvrNsuyffD5A/s1600/Judson+311+B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTuoJWkxjw-hWYjJjkxxx6G0G6k3P3NDBVkn_s0DcUQc0ltISRY3e8oXWfLihmuJALTO2UiL3FJwWFILP-7IOZZBN8_5rYdU_nvHfkVEEYnEVjoj1-BHuT1zl9xXvrNsuyffD5A/s320/Judson+311+B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612468656002754994" border="0" /></a><br /></div><ul><li>Liner notes say recorded "Spring of 1956"</li></ul><ul><li>Referenced in Hi Fidelity, Vol 8, Aug. 1958</li></ul><ul><li>Referenced in Schwann Record and Tape Guide, 1959, p. 197, 203</li></ul><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_7KEj3MyZ1Sufn2-vS_xEVs3pHxk9xAB8QYdE8D6-KN97FzK9tQKr7FP8NI555eXAKgQOp2pXA7ELB1RxCUj64gV6dZh9SkeHIdKbip-cxNnNz4s1jFgxwyRAe1-F05B3Prl/s1600/wlp728f.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_7KEj3MyZ1Sufn2-vS_xEVs3pHxk9xAB8QYdE8D6-KN97FzK9tQKr7FP8NI555eXAKgQOp2pXA7ELB1RxCUj64gV6dZh9SkeHIdKbip-cxNnNz4s1jFgxwyRAe1-F05B3Prl/s1600/wlp728f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Washington 728 - "Cuban Festival: Traditional Music of the Famous Havana Festival."</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Probably released in late 1961 or early 1962.<br /></div><br /><ul><li>Liner notes say "recorded in mid-fifties."</li></ul><ul><li>Referenced in Billboard, May 12, 1962, p. 44</li></ul><ul><li>Referenced in Ethnomusicology, Vol. 7, no 2, May 1963, p. 146. A generally positive but rather vexed review by none other than Richard Waterman, who expresses his frustration at the lack of detail in the liner notes:<br /></li></ul><blockquote>"The recording engineer, whoever <span style="font-style: italic;">he</span> was, may have been blindfolded for the occasion, along with the A & R man, but it seems more probable, in view of the identical six-to-a-side lengths of the selections, that these are dubbings of ten-inch 78 RPM discs. So why not say so? It seems very odd to conceal the names of the artists and composers. Is Bill Grauer afraid Fidel might kick up a fuss?" (Waterman, 1963).</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcol9p0m_XCoEsu0PfqSgsxxPKCzuHiKa27wgYGl9RsuikB3OP0rg11FZIHRMXTthyphenhyphenpr4uFMFe_T8kIUmSLrU-LtNv9XuLmv39qJquqvrp45st1yQO__N4z8M6vgLQFbgFjYd/s1600/Orig.+1950s_LP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 325px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcol9p0m_XCoEsu0PfqSgsxxPKCzuHiKa27wgYGl9RsuikB3OP0rg11FZIHRMXTthyphenhyphenpr4uFMFe_T8kIUmSLrU-LtNv9XuLmv39qJquqvrp45st1yQO__N4z8M6vgLQFbgFjYd/s1600/Orig.+1950s_LP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">ICAIC ICD-508 - La rumba y la conga</span><br />Probably released in 1962.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Thanks to Mark Sanders for the images.)</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaL3hl_AoWeHLhMKO-OLu3cHyeO4N__KJa5qERuxQ4kXHWFPnkG-aaTkD0TuyKPQiM5i4ju1Jr1-1_0aaLnc6b5ud8LmOdQJQEn_affujbGLU5k7FV5t0FO_uLijoyR6IIbJuI/s1600/A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 326px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaL3hl_AoWeHLhMKO-OLu3cHyeO4N__KJa5qERuxQ4kXHWFPnkG-aaTkD0TuyKPQiM5i4ju1Jr1-1_0aaLnc6b5ud8LmOdQJQEn_affujbGLU5k7FV5t0FO_uLijoyR6IIbJuI/s1600/A.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Hj_IfSWu9nPq-Do4W0OGkA6RypiMz2XTriJkTNVP8knzwOwu7Zn6vR_-dlm15UHN0J47A0sz6_C7zd5bwtm3kD3TsChIrUCyZopXhREEdYS0-4t2V6Ui6iJnLj4IffoWb8vQ/s1600/B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Hj_IfSWu9nPq-Do4W0OGkA6RypiMz2XTriJkTNVP8knzwOwu7Zn6vR_-dlm15UHN0J47A0sz6_C7zd5bwtm3kD3TsChIrUCyZopXhREEdYS0-4t2V6Ui6iJnLj4IffoWb8vQ/s1600/B.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br /><ul><li>Same as Riverside 4005, Judson 311 and Washington 728 except without "El Barracón" and "Donde Andabas Anoche."</li></ul><ul><li>Probably released 1962. (Reyes Fortún 2007:108)</li></ul><br />Carlos Embale has said that he was approached by Ignacio Piñeiro, Odilio Urfé and Rafael Ortiz about participating in this recording in late 1954, which supports the Spring 1955 recording date on the Riverside 4005 release (Mestas, N.d., 64).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1955 - Alberto Zayas' group records "El Vive Bien/Congo Mulense" in Havana<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Panart 1915)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span><br /><br />This is the record that created a rumba sensation. "El Vive Bien," composed by Alberto Zayas and sung by Roberto Maza, became traditional rumba's first big mega-hit. It was sung from the perspective of the "Bon Vivant," the happy layabout who is supported by his wife's labor:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">"...Y cuando te pongas bella<br />Y vengas de la cocina<br />Y me traigas la cantina<br />Y la sopita en botella<br />Te diré que eres mi estrella<br />Y que yo mucho te quiero<br />Tú vendrás con el dinero<br />De la primera mesada<br />Tú conmigo estás casada, mi amor<br />Lo tuyo me pertenece<br />Ven aquí todos los meses<br />Sin tocar del guano nada<br />Y al fin de la gran jornada<br />Dirás que yo soy muy bueno<br />Muy felices viviremos<br />Pero yo sin hacer nada..."<br /></div></blockquote><br />Panart 1915 was quickly followed by a flurry of recordings in 1956:<br /><br />Panart 1942: Tata Perico / Se Corrió la Cocinera<br />Panart 1960: Una rumba en la bodega/ El yambú de los barrios<br />Panart 1979: La chapalera / Que me critiquen<br />Panart 2017: Ya no tengo amigos / A mi no me tocan campana, no<br /><br /><br />These songs, along with two new recordings, "La China Linda" and "Era una gran señora" were later released on a 12" LP, "Guaguancó Afro-Cubano" (Panart 2055), probably in 1960 or 1961.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE40rHLRIuS-kbPPKUMqZH_hwk5xm9oPa4m_XxLR-u0tBU0B4zm5gBaKZnP1bnMUYlXWqLxDkvbLYoDIHPv7iYuet8umsYOsltgXRRKrVKP3IFLfHTx-wBHS3OTTqKpykAe9SZ/s1600/32475_121037237934937_100000859855888_123100_7264470_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 355px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE40rHLRIuS-kbPPKUMqZH_hwk5xm9oPa4m_XxLR-u0tBU0B4zm5gBaKZnP1bnMUYlXWqLxDkvbLYoDIHPv7iYuet8umsYOsltgXRRKrVKP3IFLfHTx-wBHS3OTTqKpykAe9SZ/s1600/32475_121037237934937_100000859855888_123100_7264470_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 2055</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3DUiDLO_CneACs27dRJeWTF69vKewTKggrriwVHbEabBnjnKqhFHVfG3FoisD9nF9sN2IVRBhmr476WaEo7wWXIXsl2nPn-V15b8B2ItjH0w5KZ54XOGnzjMJLqsIBI-Ze0Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-07+at+4.49.03+PM.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3DUiDLO_CneACs27dRJeWTF69vKewTKggrriwVHbEabBnjnKqhFHVfG3FoisD9nF9sN2IVRBhmr476WaEo7wWXIXsl2nPn-V15b8B2ItjH0w5KZ54XOGnzjMJLqsIBI-Ze0Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-07+at+4.49.03+PM.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Review in Billboard, May 8, 1961</span><br /></div><br />Díaz Ayala notes that all these recordings were released on 78 under the name "Grupo Afrocubano Lulu Yonkori de Rodríguez Zayas." However, the only original 78 we have been able to examine, Panart 2033, El edén de los Roncos/El guaguancó de los paises, contradicts this, listing the performers as "Roberto Maza y Carlos Embale, con Grupo Ritmico Afro-Cubano":<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqwi79ZTB8t2GfYKcKhYlMgyvkTujHceS4uuqdZIy904ctW4E59r87asiSWB0mgeIJWtwIAmpLFK49RKXuZmSoM7g-x2b4ZeB7mJtdKkl_CsrEczjvYbEF4UhiW-_F1NKea4Ixg/s1600/Panart+2033A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqwi79ZTB8t2GfYKcKhYlMgyvkTujHceS4uuqdZIy904ctW4E59r87asiSWB0mgeIJWtwIAmpLFK49RKXuZmSoM7g-x2b4ZeB7mJtdKkl_CsrEczjvYbEF4UhiW-_F1NKea4Ixg/s320/Panart+2033A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611993328287515266" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVfvZm3SK0uxdCBRSV9T_79qA_Fx9UEicjH5hBDVSblmZ52FL3W_C0KlW6RfUXhfAbE_DhomCqHx-4BiXQlmhnZNxxWWLpK8tGm-EOm9Y5s_-9q6pvthuIcmPCJ65hk32loQnAQ/s1600/Panart+2033B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVfvZm3SK0uxdCBRSV9T_79qA_Fx9UEicjH5hBDVSblmZ52FL3W_C0KlW6RfUXhfAbE_DhomCqHx-4BiXQlmhnZNxxWWLpK8tGm-EOm9Y5s_-9q6pvthuIcmPCJ65hk32loQnAQ/s320/Panart+2033B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612530101341257650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Panart 2033</span><br />Courtesy Matt Dillon</span></span><br /></div><br /><blockquote><p></p> </blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7Vru3gOmVW4ONIXwMFeuyYP06XCb_1AU8QrfRqr0FfGekfxQLtoJ9HC3-tzg953K4ACVcl0v-nX4J2DJ829APehBWgS2HJwm1_CwC9HdavPuTKvioLQxIvn8NDU3jx7tyuPIkQ/s1600/Anabiaka_Nocreo.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">1956 - (October 5) Arsenio Rodriguez records "Con flores del matadero" and "Adios Roncona" in Havana. (RCA Victor 23-7120).</span><br />Arsenio came very close to recording a traditional rumba with "Timbilla" (RCA Victor 23-0362-B) in 1945, which includes an arrangement for trumpets, but here he really did it. His sister Estela Rodríguez is featured on vocals. Also released as a 45 rpm on RCA Victor 51-7120:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd29K248_Cye5eUDvMiH5XY_pbLk_QJ1EswcjRyjtrOi_SPWZRgc2wzUiFKxWJBbuTE5QGhFF5DVRA8kHeousCQEHO7KhF92Wg91Axey7LX7sjcaEPsujPDKWRZvUtDvaqg-GXyA/s1600/RCA+Victor+51-7120.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd29K248_Cye5eUDvMiH5XY_pbLk_QJ1EswcjRyjtrOi_SPWZRgc2wzUiFKxWJBbuTE5QGhFF5DVRA8kHeousCQEHO7KhF92Wg91Axey7LX7sjcaEPsujPDKWRZvUtDvaqg-GXyA/s320/RCA+Victor+51-7120.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611979566850814546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 51-7120</span><br /><br /></div>These recordings were released on CD in 2007 (Tumbao CD 315).<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1956 - (October 16) Grupo Anabiaka records "No creo en los rubirosa" and "El destruido" in Havana. (RCA Victor 23-7121).</span><br />Very little is known about this group. From the label we can tell that the personnel includes Berta Villa and Horacio de la Lastra on vocals, and Juan Arrondo, listed as author or co-author on both numbers, is probably also on the recording in some capacity.<br /><br />We have found a reference to a "Horacio L'Lastra" who was an Abakuá ("Endibó Efó") and composer of the guaguancó "Pongan Atención," recorded by Beny Moré in 1957, so it is likely to be the same individual (Miller 2000).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKfbGa5K_pWuYestsgr7ks9VZj9gBd-_4sTMQWjGIn0fY6YTE6BS2O_b6gQY1dTFjBniVErK-vlDu_Vm1BT3foM_WIXJi64G7Mdx5x6bZeDTprXSY2OZQOcOathiQLsDXwe0qAQ/s1600/Anabiaka_Nocreo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKfbGa5K_pWuYestsgr7ks9VZj9gBd-_4sTMQWjGIn0fY6YTE6BS2O_b6gQY1dTFjBniVErK-vlDu_Vm1BT3foM_WIXJi64G7Mdx5x6bZeDTprXSY2OZQOcOathiQLsDXwe0qAQ/s320/Anabiaka_Nocreo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611899374906109570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 23-7121</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz56eUVS10qoMZe8ZbR7qH-gOFrXSUeqk6c0DKkgGu8uHtstj-N9HqFkG_cwt9EU9N9Y1oMfg-I9ik' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Click to hear "No creo en los rubirosa"</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">by Grupo Anabiaka</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 23-7121 (1956)</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">"No creo en los rubirosa" is a "contestación" or "reply" from a woman's perspective to the easy-living playboy (waiting for his "sopita en botella") of Zayas' "El Vive Bien," as Berta Villa sings:<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span></span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"No creo en las rubirosa" </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> (1956)<br />J. Arrondo - H. de la Lastra. </span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">Grupo Anabiaka</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">RCA Victor 23-7121</span><br /></span><span><br />¡Oigan</span><span>!<br />Oiga, amigo no se embulle<br />Que estás perdiendo su tiempo<br />Yo no soy de ese elemento<br />que usted costumbra tratar<br />No se vaya a equivocar<br />porque no se lo consiento<br /><br />Pero, no<br />No creo en los rubirosas<br />y no vivo de ilusiones<br />Me gustan los pantalones<br />con dinero en los bosillos<br />Y usted nació pa' cepillo<br />y no sirve pa' otra cosa<br /><br />A la la e, a<br /><br />Pero no<br />No soy pariente de aquellas<br />que tragan su postalita<br />No cargo sopa en botella<br />ni frijoles en latica<br />Pero mire<br />Le apañaba el argumento<br />y tienes que comprender<br />Que al hombre todos los tiempos<br />le derrota la mujer<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: No me conveces mujer</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span></span><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczxZZBunhyphenhyphen2wF1dPqPyB_IRNrieBfPhNTJziKFRn9I6kgErrzjZf4b7gEEEJf3-zW6sgERzwqrjNP2rXR7XLZczoUsGZU-bkg3SAMfK5_E2CBq2IuWQoMNg8fdpS55aM1Itg0Cw/s1600/Picture%252B13.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczxZZBunhyphenhyphen2wF1dPqPyB_IRNrieBfPhNTJziKFRn9I6kgErrzjZf4b7gEEEJf3-zW6sgERzwqrjNP2rXR7XLZczoUsGZU-bkg3SAMfK5_E2CBq2IuWQoMNg8fdpS55aM1Itg0Cw/s320/Picture%252B13.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611895695795397090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">RCA 75-376<br />Courtesy Matt Dillon</span></span><br /></div><br />These recordings were released in France, together with Arsenio's rumbas (RCA Victor 23-7120) as a 7" EP called "Guaguancó, Rythme de Virtuoses " (RCA 75.376), probably sometime in 1957.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1956 - Grupo Guaguancó Matancero records "Los Muñequitos" and "Los Beodos" for Puchito.<br /></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">(Puchito 298)</span></span><br />This record is well-known among rumba aficionados, the first recording by the group which would later become "Los Muñequitos de Matanzas." We are working on a comprehensive discography of Guaguancó Matancero and will have more to say about these at a later date.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8rOH-BPLF9gr74pIvn9eyA9hIycWhpIOHZofDZvQoBX6ljR6hqV74H1_Yi9o0cuEVm4zFbsVjkpwYkrqquc6ldvvR-Yw-1636DreH77_hvRPOYjcr-Ep16SY5As1KAWuab_EVg/s1600/puchito+298-LM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8rOH-BPLF9gr74pIvn9eyA9hIycWhpIOHZofDZvQoBX6ljR6hqV74H1_Yi9o0cuEVm4zFbsVjkpwYkrqquc6ldvvR-Yw-1636DreH77_hvRPOYjcr-Ep16SY5As1KAWuab_EVg/s320/puchito+298-LM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611838379479059890" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchB9T945L-A3GArPbicqQFDCLAouDHEI9NxSwkGl4ZE_Of7FRzULhYAdDygt7YJdzXVHxknsn7LDxN587xY3bVmfUdJcdz8FMR8O021n-NIuArLPrQXq5pWJluRLrPnLg3NDdEg/s1600/Puchito+298-LB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchB9T945L-A3GArPbicqQFDCLAouDHEI9NxSwkGl4ZE_Of7FRzULhYAdDygt7YJdzXVHxknsn7LDxN587xY3bVmfUdJcdz8FMR8O021n-NIuArLPrQXq5pWJluRLrPnLg3NDdEg/s320/Puchito+298-LB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611838273115687490" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Panart 298</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conclusions</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span>"Rumba," broadly defined, has been a part of recorded music in Cuba since 1899. Although many titles from the earliest years of the 20th century are suggestive of traditional rumba, rather than the rumba of the teátro vernáculo, we have been unable to access many of them for this study. A review of the available recordings confirms that the songs of traditional rumba began to appear in earnest in popular music at least as early as 1916.<br /><br />The earliest recordings of traditional rumba resulted from two factors. First, field recordings began to be collected by anthropologists, particularly those of Melville Herskovits' Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University, interested in the study of music as a source of Africanisms in the Americas. Although rumba, as a hybrid form sung (mostly) in Spanish and played on common household items such as spoons, tables, and boxes, received considerably less attention from those researchers than the more exotic and clearly African-derived styles such as the music of Santería and Abakuá, we are grateful for the few historic recordings that were made.<br /><br />Second, the advent of studio recordings of traditional rumba coincides with a process that Robin Moore refers to as the "gradual blackening of son and jazz-influenced musics" which began in the late 1940's, represented by "the increasing inclusion of percussive instruments and rhythmic patterns associated with the traditional rumba" (Moore 1995: 182-183). As popular musicians such as Arsenio Rodríguez, Celia Cruz, and Dizzy Gillespie began incorporating these elements into their recordings, the stage was set to produce recordings for more adventurous listeners ready for "the real thing."<br /><br />The discography of rumba is extensive and complex, and has been overlooked by scholars for too long. Most of the original participants in the early days have passed away. As a result, many mysteries are likely to remain unresolved. Field recordings seem to have languished unexamined in archives for over 60 years. Alejandro Fernández Calderón once wrote, “much has been said about rumba’s styles, instruments and compositions, but little about its history as a process...” (Fernández Calderón, 2005.). A detailed review of these early recordings would help to correct that. We hope that this study advances that project in some way.<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Bibliography</span><br /><br />Bascom, William. 1948. Field notes, Havana, Cuba. (Microfilm)<br />BANC FILM 3266; BNEG BOX 3421. The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, Berkeley.<br /><br />Beardmore, Katharine. 1947. Notes to Katharine Beardmore Collection, Library of Congress. AFS 8562-8567.<br /><br />Bilby, Kenneth. Email to author, March 9, 2011.<br /><br />Courlander, Harold. 1942. Musical Instruments of Cuba. The Musical Quarterly, Vol 28, No. 2 (April.) pp. 227-240.<br /><br />_____________. 1984. "Recording in Cuba in 1941." Resound, A Quarterly of the Archives of Traditional Music. Vol III No. 4. (October.) Bloomington, Ind.<br /><br />de Palacio, Gonzalo. 1988. "Tributo a la rumba" 17 April, publication unknown, Cristobal Díaz Ayala Collection, Florida International University, Miami.<br /><br />Díaz Ayala, Cristóbal. 1994. Cuba Canta y Baila: Discografía de la Música Cubana. Vol. 1 ,1898 a 1925. Fundación Musicália. Puerto Rico.<br /><br />_____________. 2006. Los Contrapuntos de la Música Cubana. Ediciones Callejón, Inc. San Juan, Puerto Rico.<br /><br />Dodge, Roger Pryor. 1958. The Jazz Review, December. Reprinted in Hot Jazz and Jazz Dance: Roger Pryor Dodge: Collected Writings 1929-1964. Oxford University Press, NY, Oxford, 1995.<br /><br />Fernández Calderón, Alejandro. 2005. "La rumba de aquella primera republica," in "Cubaliteraria.”<br /><h1 class="parseasinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle" style=""></span></h1>Gerard, Charley. 2001. Music from Cuba: Mongo Santamaría, Chocolate Armenteros, and Cuban Musicians in the United States. Prager Publications, Westport, CT.<br /><br />Hernández, Gregorio "El Goyo." (2011) Email to author, May 10.<br /><br />Herskovits, Melville J. (No date.) Melville J. Herskovits Papers, Series 35/6, Box 42, folder 7. Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, IL.<br /><br />Hughes, Langston. 1955. The First Book of Jazz. Franklin Watts, Inc., New York.<br /><br />Martré, Geraldo. 1997. "Rumberos de Ayer: Músicos cubanos en México" Instituto Veracruzano de Cultura. Veracruz, Mexico.<br /><br />Mestas, María del Carmen. N.d. "Pasión de Rumbero." Puvill Libros, S.A. Barcelona.<br /><br />Miller, Ivor. 2000. "A Secret Society goes Public: The relationship between Abakuá and Cuban Popular Culture." <span style="font-style: italic;">African Studies Review</span>, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp.161-88. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.afrocubaweb.com/ivormiller/secretsocietygoespublic.pdf">www.afrocubaweb.com/ivormiller/secretsocietygoespublic.pdf<br /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span>Moore, Robin. 1995. "The Commercial Rumba: Afrocuban Arts as International Popular Culture," in <span style="font-style: italic;">Latin American Music Review</span>, Vol 16, No 2, Fall/Winter.<br /><br />Pujol, Jordi. 2001. Liner notes to "El Tambor de Cuba" Tumbao CD 305, p. 134.<br /><br />Petinaud Martínez, Jorge. No date. "Abelardo Barroso, estrella de todos los tiempos."<br /><a href="http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?opc=mostrar_noticia&option=com_content&task=view&id=289659">http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?opc=mostrar_noticia&option=com_content&task=view&id=289659</a>, accessed on May 29, 2011.<br /><br />Reyes, José. 2000. <span style="font-style: italic;">50 años de rumba en la discografía cubana.</span> Revista Salsa Cubana 11, Havana.<br /><br />Reyes Fortún, José. 2007. Biobibliografía de Odilio Urfé. Ediciones Museu de la Música, Havana.<br /><br />Sánchez, Jr, Filiberto. 2011. Email to author, May 26.<br /><br />Waterman, Christopher. 1988. "Herskovits, Music, and Ethnomusicology." Paper presented at 31st Annual African Studies Association Conference, Chicago IL.<br /><br />Waterman, Richard A. 1963. Record Review, in <span style="font-style: italic;">Ethnomusicology</span>, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May), p. 146<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Acknowledgements</span><br />We are grateful to Myron Ort for sharing the Vidal Bolado SMC recordings; to Mark Sanders for first alerting us to the existence of the Waterman rumbas; to Marilyn Graf at the Archives of Traditional Music for her assistance with the field recordings; to Matt Dillon for access to his collection; to Cristóbal Díaz Ayala, Patrice Banchereau, Veronica González and Gregório Hernández for their comments and research assistance.<br /><br />Research for this article was made possible by a 2011 Díaz-Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection Travel Grant. We would like to thank the Latin American and Caribbean Center, the Cuban Research Institute, Florida International University Libraries and the U.S. Department of Education Title VI Grants for their support. Parts of this article were presented in slightly different form at FIU in May 2011.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-18068432513003400062011-02-19T17:36:00.000-08:002011-02-21T08:07:02.407-08:00Los Principales<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HTndZHfCDltMTy8bN93ST7YWKBeG17kN1kAcnQmMl3F1cooDD5YgR8FRtGvBpAHPsXb7X7Y7rM046r1CkQsu2M-Mbaw7GWVI07JQFk8sE2THqG0OIPgcFSfHFiQvRUfWrHZiCA/s1600/los+principales-fixed.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HTndZHfCDltMTy8bN93ST7YWKBeG17kN1kAcnQmMl3F1cooDD5YgR8FRtGvBpAHPsXb7X7Y7rM046r1CkQsu2M-Mbaw7GWVI07JQFk8sE2THqG0OIPgcFSfHFiQvRUfWrHZiCA/s400/los+principales-fixed.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576171815511746162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Los Principales"</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(c. 1960?)<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">From left to right: Cesar, Lázaro Massip "El Tao", "El Huevo",<br />Héctor de la Caridad Santos Gobel "El Áspero", "Papito, el Buman",<br />Hipólito Calderón, Francisco Calderón"<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Photo courtesy Raúl González Brito "Lali"</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >- retouching by Mark Sanders)</span><br /></div><br />"Los Principales" was a rumba group formed by Hector Santos, "El Áspero," composer of "Aleida va por la calle" and "Se pierde en esta vida." Our friend Lali gave us the picture above to share from his collection, and El Goyo and Loquillo helped us get the names of the members.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJHdJ2ObKFLvn1DusI6C4ziWxdgsSVZbVXe4iUP4v98P8KMPXWWfsHZoZ3BjjTaucuUVlpRzGNkbAY9jZf7JuEJc4rGVCprLdT_i-gzEVD9SPj5PewyN8xNg-jVZIgUdre1Am1g/s1600/image_preview.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJHdJ2ObKFLvn1DusI6C4ziWxdgsSVZbVXe4iUP4v98P8KMPXWWfsHZoZ3BjjTaucuUVlpRzGNkbAY9jZf7JuEJc4rGVCprLdT_i-gzEVD9SPj5PewyN8xNg-jVZIgUdre1Am1g/s400/image_preview.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575627997358316690" border="0" /></a>El Castillo del Príncipe<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is said that Los Principales was founded while some members were serving time in the prison "<a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_del_Pr%C3%ADncipe_%28La_Habana%29">El Castillo del Príncipe</a>," hence the name.<br /><br />There was a lot of turnover in this group ("El Áspero" evidently lived up to his nickname, which means "rough" or "sour" in Spanish, so members didn't last too long) and many well-known rumberos have played in it at one time or another, including, Ricardo Llorca "Chacho" (later with Los Muñequitos), Juan de Díos and El Goyo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7PxabHUHV988icNkixqJn3g6pCCcRZ1bbwcXnuetWPjgtMQT8C7VhfgOCp5ximyj45hmeou4pXPFiFbPx0LireXFIHNYERG46xvkCvdGjhPehHyKiOn4WLQ5j8g1TQVCu0IQyQ/s1600/celeste+mendoza.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7PxabHUHV988icNkixqJn3g6pCCcRZ1bbwcXnuetWPjgtMQT8C7VhfgOCp5ximyj45hmeou4pXPFiFbPx0LireXFIHNYERG46xvkCvdGjhPehHyKiOn4WLQ5j8g1TQVCu0IQyQ/s400/celeste+mendoza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575828493383069954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Celeste Mendoza</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">c. 1965<br /><br /></span></div>They are perhaps best known for backing up Celeste Mendoza on her earliest rumba recordings, but we're not aware of any recordings they made under their own name. These are the only two we could find, originally released on Egrem LP 1015 "Sabor a Cuba-Celeste Mendoza." If anyone knows of any others, let us know.<br /></div></div><br />They begin each number with the same little tune:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">"Los Principales queremos<br />invitarle a escucharnos<br />con Celeste Mendoza;<br />escucha el güiro, óye el mambo<br />¡y tu verás!"<br /><br /></div><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=f8ed660" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=c705cd7" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-9296717409010708952011-01-14T09:16:00.000-08:002011-01-15T08:43:21.976-08:00Jugando con "Mayeya"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTcc_28rw6H3zu_i5JF0xRbZoFH2FbHeId1yafaSJRA9WReo2C-iSwf4TGhYbDvlj4gBLp36ClIGy11iemE3ikqdrU7WKOM3Jsv7AuycH7pLtIYKd-gGFjNEqcWBrZrQ2whTOsw/s1600/Elekes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTcc_28rw6H3zu_i5JF0xRbZoFH2FbHeId1yafaSJRA9WReo2C-iSwf4TGhYbDvlj4gBLp36ClIGy11iemE3ikqdrU7WKOM3Jsv7AuycH7pLtIYKd-gGFjNEqcWBrZrQ2whTOsw/s400/Elekes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562141185407545698" border="0" /></a><br />A friend of ours wrote us about a tune in our previous <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2010/07/update-lost-munequitos-tracks.html">post</a>:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Mayeya on Rapsodia Rumbera sounds like a completely different song than this version. That one is credited to Agustin Pina Flor de Amor, not Jesus Alfonso. So it may be that Jesus did write this version of Mayeya."</span><br /></blockquote></div><br />This comment brought to mind several themes that I am always fascinated by, among them rumba arrangements, rumbas played as sones (or vice-versa) and questions of authorship, and all centered around one of my favorite rumbas of all time. So I thought rather than reply in the comments I would go off on a bit of a tangent about it.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The power of arrangements.</span><br />The version of Mayeya performed by Los Muñequitos posted below may sound like a different version of from the one on Rapsodia Rumbera sung by El Goyo and Juan de Dios, but they are in fact the same song.<br /><br />What might throw some listeners off is the arrangement. Today, with rumba recordings are widely available, it's natural to think of a rumba recording as a definitive version of the song. We can play it over and over and we get used to hearing it like that. Sometimes when it ends we may even already anticipate the song that comes next on the CD.<br /><br />But not all elements of what we consider to be a rumba song are fixed. The art of rumba, within its ingenious matrix of rules which to novices might seem rigidly structured, in fact provides for many areas of great musical creativity.<br /><br />Good rumba singers can be relied upon to subtly control and direct the energy of the rumba based on their choice of songs and coros. Another way they can do this is by spontaneously creating "arrangements" of songs.<br /><br />Leaving aside the <span style="font-style: italic;">diana</span>, which is nearly always improvised to some extent, the singer has a range of options at hand, beginning with simple things like the choice of décima (or whether to include one at all), repeating certain lines, or even changes to the melody.<br /><br />They may get more elaborate by making brief references to other songs which fit melodically and perhaps thematically with the one they began singing, or combining two (or more) songs into a medley. When several good singers are present they may each be jockeying to do any of these things and more, playing off each other. It's part of the art of rumba. Of course, within established rumba groups, arrangements can grow even more elaborate and can extend to the percussion and chorus, or the introduction of melodic instruments.<br /><br />In Los Muñequitos' version of Mayeya (actually recorded <span style="font-style: italic;">before</span> Juan de Dios and El Goyo's version) there is a different introduction than we are used to hearing, which is the "Iya mi ile..." song to Oshun, played over a batá style toque (I believe they are using their tumbadoras to play the parts, not batá) instead of the décima "Dicen que la santería está de moda en La Habana..." that Goyo sings on the Rapsodia Rumbera version. They also have different coros.<br /><br />There are also slight variations in the melody, and some lines are repeated. The text of the song however, remains essentially the same.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Muñequitos version from 1988 on LP Siboney 420 (beginning at 1:20):</span><br /><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=cc832b5" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Click above to play)</span></span><br /><br />Pero, no es cuento, no<br />Pero, no es cuento, no<br />Mayeya no trató de engañarme<br />Mayeya no trató de engañarme<br /><br />Okoro 0koro guara<br />Akaima ferifú Yalodde<br /><br />Iyalodde viste de amarillo<br />Iyalodde viste de amarillo<br />Yemaya viste de azul<br />Santa Bárbara, punzó<br />Y de distintos colores<br />Se viste Oyá<br /><br />Pero, no es cuento, no<br />Pero, no es cuento, no<br />Mayeya no trató de engañarme<br />Mayeya no trató de engañarme<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Kole guaye o</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">El Goyo and Juan de Dios' version from 1995 on Rapsodia Rumbera Egrem CD 0121 (beginning at 1:43:)</span><br /><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=0949d20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Click above to play)<br /><br /><br /></span></span>No es cuento, no<br />Mayeya no trató de engañarme<br />Habla Ifá<br /><br />Oboloko loguala<br />Akaifé ferifú Yalodde<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br />Yalodde viste de amarillo<br />Yemaya viste de azul<br />Santa Bárbara, punzó<br />Y de varios colores<br />Se viste Oyá<br />Y tú, que te tapas con lila<br />Hija de Ochosi borere<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Ala umba o, ala umba o cheche</span><br /><br />El Goyo once wrote me about this song:<br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ></span><blockquote><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >"Este guaguancó, me lo enseño en los años 50 Juan de Dios y el lo aprendió oyéndolo cantar a sus padres. Nosotros dos, por esos años cantábamos en el conjunto ¨Los Tercios Modernos¨y asi fue como se volvió a conocer este guaguancó, que se cantaba por los coros de guaguanco a principios del siglo XX."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"This song was taught to me in the 1950s by Juan de Dios, who learned it from hearing his parents sing it. We used to sing it in our group "Los Tercios Modernos" and that was how this guaguancó became known again. It was sung in the coros de guaguancó at the beginning of the 20th century."</span></span><br /><br /></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rumba as son, or son as rumba?</span><br />Adding credence to El Goyo's comment is the fact that there is one other version of this song, recorded as a son in 1929, called "No es cuento, no" by Sexteto Machín (available on the "Sextetos Cubanos" CD (Arhoolie 7003).<br /><br />This version is attributed to Carlos Anido, founder of "Sexteto Favorito." However, I've found very little information about Carlos Anido and so I am skeptical of this attribution. I find it hard to believe that such a beautiful song (one of my all-time favorites) is not the work of a more prolific songwriter.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXUgMv43LBh4CamJU4kKDuUlXPVISjXV0RuBZ9T1ER1DdlYtmJYGphjH8Kb_IUUwYy4IAdZot-Zg5UnZ1Hm6SE1rZd9OU-rd-7p69GHyr-kuUMSAPFlW-3GbqSEHaGARgvMxPnw/s1600/machin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXUgMv43LBh4CamJU4kKDuUlXPVISjXV0RuBZ9T1ER1DdlYtmJYGphjH8Kb_IUUwYy4IAdZot-Zg5UnZ1Hm6SE1rZd9OU-rd-7p69GHyr-kuUMSAPFlW-3GbqSEHaGARgvMxPnw/s400/machin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562144901742721170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Antonio Machín, 1920s)</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sexteto Machin's version as a son, from 1929:</span><br /><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=10a2c0f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Click above to play)</span></span><br /><br />No es cuento, no<br />No es cuento, no<br />Mayeya no trató de engañarte<br />Habla Ifá<br /><br />Oboloko loguala<br />Akaifé ferifú Yalodde<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />Yalodde viste de amarillo<br />Yemaya viste de azul<br />Santa Bárbara, punzó<br />Y de varios colores<br />Se viste Oyá<br />Y tú, que te tapas con lila<br />Hijo de Ochosi borere<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Ala la o lala, ala o, la o dide</span><br /><br />(I have to admit I owned and loved both the Machín and Rapsodia Rumbera versions of this song for years before it dawned on me they were the same song!)<br /><br />Another thing I've always found curious about this song: In May 1928 Sexteto Habanero recorded a number by Ignacio Piñeiro called "No jueges con los santos."<br /><br />The "cuento" (story) goes that Abelardo Barroso began toying around with elekes and santos which disturbed Piñeiro, who was a religious man:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">En 1927 [Barroso] regresa al Septeto Habanero, que seguía siendo el más reclamado, graban nuevos temas: Un meneíto suave, Aquella boca y otros números. Cuando se instituye el Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro Barroso es invitado a cantar con esta agrupación que, andando el tiempo, haría historia. Cuentan que se ponía a jugar con los collares y los santos, para molestar a Piñeiro que era muy religioso. Entonces Piñeiro le reprochaba: "No juegues con los santos" y de ahí sale aquella canción tan conocida: Mayeya, no juegues con los santos.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >—<a href="http://www.lailatina.com.ve/index.php/audiovideos/1531-abelardo-barroso-el-caruso-del-son-">Rafael Lam</a></span><br /></div></blockquote><br />This story doesn't quite ring true given that Barroso recorded the song with Sexteto Habanero. But whatever its origins, it's clear that "No es cuento, no" is a musical "response" to Piñeiro's "No juegues con los santos."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sexteto Habanero's version of "No juegues con los santos" from 1928:</span><br /><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=5ffe187" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Click above to play)<br /><br /></span></span>Mayeya,<br />no quiero que me engañes<br />respeta los collares<br />No juegues con los santos<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(bis)</span><br />No pretendes engañarme con este cuento<br />Porque todos en Cubita nos conocemos<br />El que no lleva amarillo,<br />se tapa con azul,<br />o punzó,<br />o lila también...<br /><br />Translated, the lyrics are:<br /><br />Mayeya,<br />I don't want you to deceive me<br />respect the <span style="font-style: italic;">collares</span> [beaded santería necklaces, also known as <span style="font-style: italic;">elekes</span>]<br />don't play around with the <span style="font-style: italic;">santos</span> [santería deities]<br />Don't try to trick me with that story<br />Because all of us in Cuba know each other<br />If one doesn't wear yellow<br />he wears blue,<br />or red,<br />or purple too...<br /><br />Sexteto Machín's version translates as:<br /><br />It's not a story, really<br />Mayeya didn't try to trick you,<br />Ifá said so<br />Yalodde dresses in yellow<br />Yemayá in blue<br />Santa Barbara in red<br />And Oyá dresses in many colors.<br />And you, wrapping yourself in lilac<br />are a son of Ochosi<br /><br />The rumba versions both say "Mayeya no trató de engañar<span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>," but Machín's much earlier version says "engañar<span style="font-weight: bold;">te,</span>" which makes it more clearly a reply to Piñeiro's song.<br /><br />Note that Piñeiro's song contains only the most oblique of santería references ("santos," translated as "saints" can have Catholic connotations), whereas "No es cuento, no" explicitly names the orishas associated with each color, even adding "son of Ochosi" at the end where Piñeiros song merely trails off a bit awkwardly.<br /><br />There are also some lines in Lucumí, the Yoruba-derived ritual language of santería. (I've often wondered if that odd instrumental chord progression in "No juegues con los santos" at around :55 is in fact where some original Lucumí lyrics remained unsung out of an excess of caution by the performers. Not sure why that would be though, there are numerous references to santería and abakuá from recordings of that time.)<br /><br />Curiously enough though, Piñeiro's song later became immensely famous, a standard of the son repetoire, while "No es cuento, no" seems to have faded into obscurity, remaining unrecorded again until 1988.<br /><br />It's possible that these songs date from the late 20's, but if, as El Goyo says, the version he sings dates from the days of the coros de guaguancó, these two songs could very well have been part of a <span style="font-style: italic;">controversía</span> between Piñeiro's <span style="font-style: italic;">Los Roncos</span> of Pueblo Nuevo and another group, possibly <span style="font-style: italic;">El Paso Franco</span> of Carraguao, and only later incorporated into the son repetoire.<br /><br />We'll probably never know. However, it's a testament to the power of Cuban music that a song dating from at least 1929 can turn up on recordings some 50 years later in different forms, at the same time modern and seemingly eternal.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-21164221736683523062011-01-09T10:29:00.000-08:002011-01-09T18:53:10.290-08:00Update: "Lost" Muñequitos tracks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHN5L83y7WawsDkLgQJj98jobPte30Qq0CacZ1iZrsD60-LZpEF_bzhEeENAb7hYgOCHbgRcLcbDqYec7NdJ8qEqQgySZ0KWgTP_-hJr6q2Oawl728m9VZ25bjR21MLls0F2BQA/s1600/muneqs+cover.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHN5L83y7WawsDkLgQJj98jobPte30Qq0CacZ1iZrsD60-LZpEF_bzhEeENAb7hYgOCHbgRcLcbDqYec7NdJ8qEqQgySZ0KWgTP_-hJr6q2Oawl728m9VZ25bjR21MLls0F2BQA/s400/muneqs+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560379251594887842" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jePHNuKPC6cX84GJM5fSpMy0nsGyl_voCYUop2uNCz1HCevhB34ghEu8qHwLCcPTHTIbfNsAbE9IhBEk3gqrcfWPPtlttwUBO7GfQ1xnmsW80pFXHbFRc4esjsn3bajMQeaBsA/s1600/muneqsback.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jePHNuKPC6cX84GJM5fSpMy0nsGyl_voCYUop2uNCz1HCevhB34ghEu8qHwLCcPTHTIbfNsAbE9IhBEk3gqrcfWPPtlttwUBO7GfQ1xnmsW80pFXHbFRc4esjsn3bajMQeaBsA/s400/muneqsback.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560379249533961250" border="0" /></a><br /></div>A while ago we made a <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2006/11/request-7-lost-muequitos-tracks.html">request</a> for 7 "lost" Muñequitos tracks that had never been released on CD.<br /><br />We soon found <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2007/01/request-update-4-of-7-lost-muequitos.html">4 of them</a>.<br /><br />The last three have finally been found.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">LP Siboney 420 "El guaguancó de Matanzas...Los Muñequitos"</span> grabado en Santiago de Cuba, 1988, from which the following tracks were left off the "Rumba Caliente 88/77" CD:<br /><br />Canto Para Ti (Guaguancó de Florencio Calle) <span style="font-style: italic;">(Earlier we uploaded a version of this one by Guaguancó Matancero.)</span><br />Ese Señor (Guaguancó de Gregorio Díaz). <span style="font-style: italic;">(This one was later recorded on the "Vacunao" CD.)</span><br />Mayeya (Guaguancó de Jesús Alfonso).<span style="font-style: italic;"> (This is a version of the same song from "Rapsodia Rumbera." The LP attributes it to Jesús Alfonso but with all due respect I am skeptical.)</span><br /><br />As far as I can tell we have now posted all vinyl tracks recorded by Los Muñequitos (or Guaguancó Matancero), which have never been released on CD, with the possible exception of their recording of "Xiomara" which plays in the closing credits of Oscar Valdes' "La Rumba" documentary. Also, our copy of "Ya están sonando los güiros" is incomplete.<br /><br />(Big thanks to Mark Sanders at <a href="http://fidelseyeglasses.blogspot.com/">Fidel's Eyeglasses</a> for digitizing and cleaning up the sound files and cover scans.) Download <a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/441730268/Siboney420.zip">here</a>.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-35280304038529247142010-08-16T10:19:00.000-07:002010-08-16T11:31:17.904-07:00Sara Gómez article on rumba: Cuba Vol 3, No. 2 1964<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9zPzEVtbzHdwUIpJz7Jd-zHZjEiG0J7M9uNukZUoemTlI_bXCMquZ9TUgA3AQGVsfjyBP1BYcxtKjAU9m5abiQq9xYGxY05Nf7O7jlenl3q2mwdvSkmR3TQEoySA3furfPH6cw/s1600/LaRumba_SaraGomezfront.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9zPzEVtbzHdwUIpJz7Jd-zHZjEiG0J7M9uNukZUoemTlI_bXCMquZ9TUgA3AQGVsfjyBP1BYcxtKjAU9m5abiQq9xYGxY05Nf7O7jlenl3q2mwdvSkmR3TQEoySA3furfPH6cw/s400/LaRumba_SaraGomezfront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506076565034367170" border="0" /></a><br />We came across this article by Sara Gómez (1943-1974) in the December 1964 issue of "Cuba," which seems to have been the Cuban equivalent of the USA's "Life" magazine.<br /><br />Sara Gómez is most known today for her films "...y tenemos sabor" and "De cierta manera." I am not aware of any other articles she has written. The article also contains historic photographs of the old "Clave y Guaguancó" by Mário García Joya, "Mayito," who also had a distinguished career in Cuban cinema and now lives in Los Angeles. Some of them we <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2007/01/old-school-rumbas-revisited.html">have seen before</a> in a book by Olavo Alén Rodríguez, but others are new, such as this one of Agustín "el Bongocero" Gutiérrez:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPGGp54AE0z6AqHtk65HC5u1_bIU5vbrNTHaSplmERTZSumU0t8f4BuRgJypcjqZ9yoiPpdlsDaLxdNx16mxF5xnue89HAMvqvS_bYCDNQQ5y-iZCD3Sua4Shj8Ohr8s4W6B8qQ/s1600/Picture+18.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPGGp54AE0z6AqHtk65HC5u1_bIU5vbrNTHaSplmERTZSumU0t8f4BuRgJypcjqZ9yoiPpdlsDaLxdNx16mxF5xnue89HAMvqvS_bYCDNQQ5y-iZCD3Sua4Shj8Ohr8s4W6B8qQ/s400/Picture+18.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506073569468164418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Agustín Gutiérrez, c. 1964</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo by "Mayito"</span><br /></div><br /><br />Sara Gómez would also <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpIrnv3fS6o">include this group</a> in her film "...y tenemos sabor."<br /><br />The text of the article takes a bit of an unusual form, with narrative information in small text alternating with quotations from Agustín Pina "Flor de Amor" in larger text.<br /><br /><a title="View LaRumba_SaraGomez on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/35965555/LaRumba-SaraGomez" style="margin: 12px auto 6px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">LaRumba_SaraGomez</a> <object id="doc_553805319626982" name="doc_553805319626982" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" style="outline-color: -moz-use-text-color; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium;" height="600" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=35965555&access_key=key-2hxjhssvl9cqu55xpj3c&page=1&viewMode=list"> <embed id="doc_553805319626982" name="doc_553805319626982" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=35965555&access_key=key-2hxjhssvl9cqu55xpj3c&page=1&viewMode=list" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff" height="600" width="100%"></embed> </object>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-33796389803426875962010-08-14T12:23:00.000-07:002010-08-14T18:09:30.802-07:00Carlos Embale: Todavía me queda voz. Egrem LD-4297<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7M2F7wXYWOG6g1nPEXGp_Bsx1qEM52WZwbiVgP8-N1dXC8qpmCQEMCPWSJMM4Cn4JQg1lkftRJCkyyl2hcx1MItGmQaBUHzf148-6OUQaOIZhEU8Z9r2qggu3RHuQfntj-7z_g/s1600/CE_TODAVIA.F.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7M2F7wXYWOG6g1nPEXGp_Bsx1qEM52WZwbiVgP8-N1dXC8qpmCQEMCPWSJMM4Cn4JQg1lkftRJCkyyl2hcx1MItGmQaBUHzf148-6OUQaOIZhEU8Z9r2qggu3RHuQfntj-7z_g/s400/CE_TODAVIA.F.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505348789448516610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br />This was one of the first Carlos Embale recordings I ever owned. I got it right as I was starting to get into rumba, around 1994.<br /><br />But I never really got into it. The occasional use of son clave contradicted what I was learning about rumba at the time, the songs are all pretty short and go right to the coro, the tres/dos and the tumbadora stay pretty constant throughout, and the energy just overall felt low compared to other things I was listening to at the time, like "Rumba Caliente 88/77" by Los Muñequitos.<br /><br />Listening to it now though, in the midst of the current "guarapachangueo" craze with percussionists seemingly in free-jazz style overdrive, and overproduced, auto-tuned coros dominating new releases, it's refreshing to hear something laid-back and unassuming like this.<br /><br />Although I still don't consider it one of his best albums, what my ears once heard as "low energy" now sounds "relaxed" - the quiet confidence of masters at work, secure in the fact that despite their years, they still "got it," or as Embale sings in the opening lines:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Todavía me queda voz, sentimiento y melodía..."</span><br /></div><br />And masters they are, too. The musicians are not mentioned in the notes, but from Embale's inspirations we can tell that they include:<br /><br />"Maximino," — most likely Maximino Duquesne "El Moro Quinto," now of "Rumberos de Cuba" and widely considered one of the best quinteros in Havana, — Julio Embale, Carlos' half-brother, on another drum, and Calixto Callava, Marina Sánchez, Rafael Ortíz, and Miguel Manzano in the coro.<br /><br />Download and enjoy <a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/412965382/EMBALE_TODAVIA.zip">here</a>.<br /><br />Todavía me queda voz.<br />Egrem LD-4297<br />Recorded 1985, released 1988.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Side 1:</span><br />1. Todavía me queda voz (Guaguancó - Emilio Cavahilón)<br />2. Rumba pa' gozar (Rumba - Yánez y Gómez)<br />3. Bueno y qué? (Yambú - Juan Almeida)<br />4. Préstame el quinto (Guaguancó - Floréncio Hernández y Mercedes Alvarez)<br />5. Mi puchunga de amor (Guaguancó - Calixto Callava)<br />6. Pim, Pam, Pum y Blem, Blem, Blem (Rumba - Chano Pozo)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Side 2:</span><br />1. Rumba de los rumberos (Rumba - Ricardo Díaz)<br />2. Hoy no es ayer (Guaguancó - Tomás R. Valdés)<br />3. Rumba de Inesita (Rumba - Carlos Embale)<br />4. La casa de mamita (Guaguancó - Carlos Embale)<br />5. ¿Por que me guardas rencor? (Rumba - Rafael Ortiz)<br />6. "1, 2 y 3" (Conga - Rafael Ortiz)<br /><br /><br />Thanks to Mark Sanders for the digital transfer.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-92165823093773113582010-08-05T08:58:00.000-07:002010-08-05T10:08:42.987-07:00Ibae: Ricardo Gomez Santa Cruz Ribeiro<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKOnyWmflFfmH0SfbjyuQQ_MR21bDbTavBBA2Dl6muMeHdS3StjUwNozcasNcFjgi4nYHv35XCGSXdEiI7D0auezULC0GtrYjayAyHbgLnepwZzwlAjRFa8VKJegQqStrU3rG7w/s1600/IMG_0328.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKOnyWmflFfmH0SfbjyuQQ_MR21bDbTavBBA2Dl6muMeHdS3StjUwNozcasNcFjgi4nYHv35XCGSXdEiI7D0auezULC0GtrYjayAyHbgLnepwZzwlAjRFa8VKJegQqStrU3rG7w/s400/IMG_0328.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501970448694747170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ricardo Gómez Santa Cruz<br /></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">undated photo, collection El Goyo</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Sad news from Havana: Ricardo Gómez Santa Cruz died Friday July 30 of prostate cancer.<br /><br />Born July 26 1932 in Havana, at Santiago 5, between Zanja and Salud, "Santa Cruz" was a member of the comparsas Los Marqueses, La Jardinera y Los Dandys de Belén. He was a founding member of the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional. He was known principally as a singer and dancer, and especially admired as a "columbia" specialist.<br /><br />His singing can be heard on the 'Homenaje a Jesús Pérez" LP, and on the unreleased album known as "Rapsodia Rumbera 2" <a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/4178312/rr2.zip">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qaEhkO26UJctqBfjHQKRMCT25dTMIKcdWOtvW2ShTZUy-447KT9ykoeKd4LrYgk_JVFqzs4p9c-1TLuS-kEqkNySii5aTG2zIv1ac6Fb542cE4s5A3uu5R7E6pPpalywAKi9-g/s1600/Ricardo+G%C3%B3mez+Santa+Cruz+CFN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qaEhkO26UJctqBfjHQKRMCT25dTMIKcdWOtvW2ShTZUy-447KT9ykoeKd4LrYgk_JVFqzs4p9c-1TLuS-kEqkNySii5aTG2zIv1ac6Fb542cE4s5A3uu5R7E6pPpalywAKi9-g/s400/Ricardo+G%C3%B3mez+Santa+Cruz+CFN.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501965588129585586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Santa Cruz</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">in the Conjunto Foklórico Nacional Catalog, 1963</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0V2gznXfPnYL3ssHPm66oxQ9tBELAGj0WcdkZODEolrp-YfHd8FcJ_Qox60uMFZnxdUiTAWdhuZhXtNsXEoSzFHb2Lf6RbSBAwhNRSbbDcHCzoa0MHsJIyJ_vUGdsTM4pm9y6Q/s1600-h/Go%CC%81mez+Santa+Cruz+Ricardo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0V2gznXfPnYL3ssHPm66oxQ9tBELAGj0WcdkZODEolrp-YfHd8FcJ_Qox60uMFZnxdUiTAWdhuZhXtNsXEoSzFHb2Lf6RbSBAwhNRSbbDcHCzoa0MHsJIyJ_vUGdsTM4pm9y6Q/s320/Go%CC%81mez+Santa+Cruz+Ricardo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242324514497193794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Santa Cruz in Atarés,<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">February 2008</span></div><br /><br />Here is some video of Santa Cruz singing guaguancó in 2008. Tremendo rumbero, que descanse en paz.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-fEf0JcrnM0&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-fEf0JcrnM0&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-62612424264154737682010-04-15T13:16:00.001-07:002010-05-21T08:30:15.235-07:00Earliest known folkloric rumba recordings, 1948<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb74Mjt_dR3IpJbKd3dVIVhUANWm-b3CtjZtGFWh35n9MS0m2aSUM9A0Hfo2kcllfEEDErdNSiho8iZNSOpo48dUz-11NMdY7SVo8GTmmN7x97Yu9xvAyswxwreD765F1wwaFPGw/s1600/8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb74Mjt_dR3IpJbKd3dVIVhUANWm-b3CtjZtGFWh35n9MS0m2aSUM9A0Hfo2kcllfEEDErdNSiho8iZNSOpo48dUz-11NMdY7SVo8GTmmN7x97Yu9xvAyswxwreD765F1wwaFPGw/s400/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460461246654923714" border="0" /></a><br />Our friend Berta Jottar just alerted us to Zeno Okeanos's site, where he has published sound files of the earliest known recordings of folkloric rumba, check it out:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zeno-okeanos.com/rumba-1947.html">http://www.zeno-okeanos.com/rumba-1947.html</a><br /><br />Besides the guaguancó, there is also a columbia, a "santo" and an especially fine Abakuá.<br /><br />Enjoy!Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-30177888833660853992010-02-16T08:58:00.000-08:002010-02-28T05:59:24.323-08:00Eulogio "El Amaliano"Eulogio El Amaliano is one of those legendary but elusive old-school rumberos that one often hears <span style="font-style: italic;">about</span> but rarely hears.<br /><br />I first heard him mentioned in Yoruba Andabo's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Callej%C3%B3n-los-Rumberos-Yoruba-Andabo/dp/B00008WI84/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1266341558&sr=1-2">2003 version</a> of Calixto Callava's song "Chano en Belén:"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; font-style: italic;"><blockquote>Y los rumberos más nombrados de La Habana, allá en Belén...Rumbeaba Justiniani, Eulogio El Amaliano, Roberto El Carpintero..."<br /></blockquote></div><br />I was finally able to hear Eulogio himself on El Goyo's 2006 CD "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rumba-Es-Cubana-Su-Historia/dp/B0002N97N6">La Rumba es Cubana</a>" where he sings the title track, which didn't dissappoint. The song reveals a rumbero with a singular, inimitable voice and an unstoppable décimista:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vamos a ver </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">quien pudiera con un llanto, maye</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">recobrar un bien perdido</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">o no haberte conocido</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">para no quererte tanto</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Y va girando la tierra</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Va dando vueltas la esfera</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mis inspiraciones rumberas</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">por el aire van vagando</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">ellas van averiguando</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">los misterios de la rumba</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">así van hasta ultratumba</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">en un sueño delirando</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">mientras que yo digo así</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sabe Dios a donde irán</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">que aventuras tendrán</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Que lejos están de mi</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Se irán mis inspiraciones</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">nunca serán de eternidad</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">como la Liga de las Naciones</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">que nunca fueron vencidas</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">* * *</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Vamos a ver, vamos a ver</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ahora que estamos reunidos</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo te haré la narración</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Como yo pude poner</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">los astros a revolución</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Un día empezé a cantar</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ahora te contaré</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">hice los astros virar</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">al espacio estremecer</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Estaban los astros soñando</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Disfrutando santa calma</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Y con mi canto les digaba:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"todos les voy ahora virar"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">la luna que estaba muy alto</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">le decía al sol bajito:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Oí cantando el chiquito</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Él vivirá en mi planeta</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">En eso tú no te metas"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Y el sol le contestaba:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Yo lo oí cantar primero</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tu vivirás como rey"</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Así me decía el lucero</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">La rumba es cubana,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">la rumba es cubana</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sentimiento me apure',</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">La rumba es cubana</span><br /></div><br />(You have to really hear it to believe it.) El Goyo has said that it took him years to get Eulogio in the studio, that the man simply didn't like making records. He passed away soon after the recording was released.<br /><br />I had thought then that that was the end of that, yet another case of a brilliant rumbero leaving a scant recorded legacy for the rest of us who never had a chance to enjoy their artistry in person.<br /><br />Fortunately for all of us, one October day back in the late 1980's at Amado's old house on Calle Concordia 57 e/ Galeano y Águila, our friend <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2009/06/saludando-raul-gonzalez-brito-lali.html">Lali (Raúl González Brito)</a> got together with Amado, Eulogio (at the time in his 50's), Guillermo "El Negro" Triana, Palillo, Amadito and Lázaro Riso, and let the tape recorder roll.<br /><br />Amado had the cassette stored for many years, forgotten in his collection until recently, and now we're happy to share here.<br /><br />It's short, just about a half-hour long, with three guaguancó medleys and a columbia. The recording quality is not optimal, the percussion is the traditional two cajón and palito setup, pero "qué sentimiento!" From the first notes, after a brief introduction from Lali, and Eulogio starts in with his diana, you know you are in for something special. The repetoire includes a few well-known classics, as well as some lesser-known tunes, and lots of Eulogio's unique décimas.<br /><br />El Negro, Amado, Lázaro and Lali can be heard singing at various times too, and the occasional horn from a passing car adds to the general ambiente.<br /><br />Eulogio's distinctive voice reminds me of the singers from Harry Smith's "<a href="http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=2426">Anthology of American Folk Music,</a>" collected from performers who developed their art in the relative isolation of the pre-radio era, before mass communication and the demands of the record industry began to influence performers, favoring those with a more homogenous style and broader appeal at the expense of those with regional, or in some cases wholly individual idiosyncratic styles.<br /><br />Once again our thanks to Laly and Amado for sharing these historic recordings with us.<br /><br />Download <a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/351472505/Eulogio_El_Amaliano.zip">here</a> and enjoy.<br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2Fsecuencia-guaguanco-1"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2Fsecuencia-guaguanco-1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="81" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63/secuencia-guaguanco-1">Secuencia Guaguancó 1 con Eulogio el Amaliano</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63">guarachon63</a></span><br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2Fsecuencia-guaguanco-2"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2Fsecuencia-guaguanco-2" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="81" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63/secuencia-guaguanco-2">Secuencia Guaguancó 2 con Eulogio el Amaliano</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63">guarachon63</a></span><br /><br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2Fsecuencia-guaguanco-3"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2Fsecuencia-guaguanco-3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="81" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63/secuencia-guaguanco-3">Secuencia Guaguancó 3 con Eulogio el Amaliano</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63">guarachon63</a></span><br /><br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2F04-columbia"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguarachon63%2F04-columbia" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="81" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63/04-columbia">Columbia con Eulogio el Amaliano</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/guarachon63">guarachon63</a></span>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-69395496822744644012010-01-30T13:11:00.000-08:002010-03-14T12:22:46.707-07:00Ibae: Manuel Martínez Olivera, "El Llanero"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pgKF7fUIcBhCPy9fffaYMEd-cq6puU3V20ukRfsyQyz8Z8M0pM8UKQ-oSlcOF-knUL7A899vNUTRvCU4Ipju0RsihlRpPzi4_B-D9znexQlpjBs17sh_rPtrb5NxyJxkd4b59w/s1600-h/ManueLookCU.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pgKF7fUIcBhCPy9fffaYMEd-cq6puU3V20ukRfsyQyz8Z8M0pM8UKQ-oSlcOF-knUL7A899vNUTRvCU4Ipju0RsihlRpPzi4_B-D9znexQlpjBs17sh_rPtrb5NxyJxkd4b59w/s400/ManueLookCU.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432726141517940338" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'Lucida Grande',serif;font-size:100%;" ><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><b>Manuel Martínez Olivera, “El Llanero”</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><i>January 1, 1930 - January 29, 2010</i></span></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-size:small;" >Photo courtesy Berta Jottar</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;"><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></p></span><span><span>"El Llanero," a beloved and revered figure in New York's Central Park rumba scene, passed away on Friday January 29th, around 10pm.
<br />
<br />Funeral Services will be held Monday, February 1st from 3 to 10pm at Funeraria San Francisco, at 1st Ave & 115th Street in El Barrio.</span></span><div><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br />Berta Jottar writes:</span></i></span><i>
<br /></i><div><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:16;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></span></span></span></p><span><span></span></span></blockquote><span><span><blockquote><i>“El Llanero” was born in Havana, Cuba on January 1st 1930, and grew up in Cocosolo, Marianao.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>He was raised in a traditional rumba family in Los Pocitos, Marianao; his sister had a virtuoso rumba voice, his cousin Patato Valdés was an internationally known rumbero already living in NYC since the 1940s; and his cousins Los Chinitos from the Korea neighborhood in San Miguel del Padrón remember him as the one who coined the name "<i>guarapanchanguero</i>" for the rumba style they invented which eventually became the distinctive sound of contemporary rumba in Havana.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>El Llanero was a <i>rumbero complet</i>o — the highest rank of rumbero, one who knows every facet of rumba singing, dance and percussion. He traveled to Matanzas to study rumba with the elders, and was particularly known for the cadence of his guaguancó, his privileged melodic voice, and his improvisational skills.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Upon his arrival to New York City with the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, a community of young, mostly Newyorican musicians quickly embraced him. Felix Sanabria, Abe Rodriguez, Eliot "Yeyito" Flores, and the Jewish-American folklorist Paula Ballan would collaborate with him for the rest of his life.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Later the same year after arriving in New York, El Llanero co-founded the rumba ensemble Chevere Makun Chevere with Juan "Bambu," and a pair of brothers with eminent <i>rumbero</i> pedigrees: recent <i>marielito</i> arrival Enrique “Kike” Dreke, and Juan "Curva" Dreke, who had been living in New York for some time already and had already worked on the legendary rumba LP "Patato y Totico" (1968). (Both were brothers of the famous rumbero Mario "Chavalonga" Dreke.)
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<br /></i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rz9ZA2wH8imJoPZcPQ3frxIQd1RF4ojsoC-bzn_K1sTm7wHO4z62ilgxTjWNKw4hifm77YNZBcn4JGkaicX8FcdXMIs8DJxNITIONOUlmXBATlZ_JOrJcj1lbC1BXSmbbG0_Ow/s1600-h/chevere.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rz9ZA2wH8imJoPZcPQ3frxIQd1RF4ojsoC-bzn_K1sTm7wHO4z62ilgxTjWNKw4hifm77YNZBcn4JGkaicX8FcdXMIs8DJxNITIONOUlmXBATlZ_JOrJcj1lbC1BXSmbbG0_Ow/s400/chevere.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433307938361022642" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>Chévere Macun Chévere</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b> at Soundscape, Winter, 1981
<br /></b></span></span></i></div><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><i>(Left to right: Juan Vega "Bambu", Yeyito Flores, Felix D. Sanabria,
<br />Manuel Martinez, Yah Yah Maldonado, Abraham Rodriguez)</i></span></div><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Photo courtesy Felix Sanabria</span></i></i></span></p></blockquote><blockquote><i>El Llanero also performed several times as a guest artist with the prestigious folklore ensemble of Orlando "Puntilla" Rios y su Nueva Generación.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>However, El Llanero was a major player in Los Afortunados, a folkloric group specializing in Afro-Cuban and Afro-Puertorican traditions founded in 1985 by his dear friend Paula Ballan, along with Felix Sanabria and Abraham Rodriguez.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Together they performed in the Natural History Museum, Philadelphia Folk Festival, at Nassau Community College with the sponsorship of the NEA, NYFA, the Arts Connection, Community Works, and the Brooklyn Arts Council.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Los Afortunados performed often at important grass roots cultural venues such as Galeria Blanco y Negro in the Bronx, founded by Renny Molenaar and famous for its effervescent Cuban cultural nights.</i></blockquote></span></span><blockquote><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT,sans-serif;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:16;" ><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>
<br /></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFcx6op_OFvme8qMCohL3n0ILWCaF84MucHYxAj3uZSiXWwDGBmhZ2_bZK8tCGJUgINDa89ZBzXlImuZzpsLggTOQ8cP60Bq5FPyWcH2upHYo986h349g7yDvicw8hcFGE52HAg/s1600-h/afortunados.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 340px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFcx6op_OFvme8qMCohL3n0ILWCaF84MucHYxAj3uZSiXWwDGBmhZ2_bZK8tCGJUgINDa89ZBzXlImuZzpsLggTOQ8cP60Bq5FPyWcH2upHYo986h349g7yDvicw8hcFGE52HAg/s400/afortunados.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433307367017879362" border="0" /></a></i></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><b>Los Afortunados </b></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><b>at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, </b></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><b>August 1986</b></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>(Manuel 5th from left)</i></span><i><b>
<br /></b></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Photo courtesy Felix Sanabria</span></i></i></span></p></blockquote><span><span><blockquote><i>Los Afortunados recorded two collectable cassettes, “Los Afortunados" (January 1985) and a second edition (September 1989). Manuel toured with them natioanlly until 1989, when his health worsened. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Although El Llanero was illiterate, he composed songs based on his everyday experiences. For Alfredo Díaz “Pescao,” he was a <i>jilguero</i> (songbird) who combined different phrases to compose a theme, and his voice had the classic tonality of Afrocuban folklore. El Llanero would ask Abe Rodriguez and Felix Sanabria—both of whom were his rumba disciples—to write down his songs.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Abe Rodriguez, (El Llanero’s singing partner <i>par excellence</i>) remembers in particular El Llanero’s gift of improvising a response to any given situation on the spot. For example, "caminando por la calle yo la vi" was a response to "Ay, nena."
<br /></i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Abe also admired El Llanero’s way of combining stories to create a song. “He would sing <i>santo</i> and would merge one canto to another, and it would be always in tune. El tenia <i>í</i><i>biono mendo, </i>(he had feeling).”</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>El Llanero would link each song; for instance, the beginning of one song with the end of the last song, and to do that, Abe asserts, one must have an innate sense of tonality and range. Abe’s ability to sing songs “back to back” is rooted in El Llanero’s practice.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Another secret that El Llanero passed along to Abe was that the singer must be able to sing with the guagua, because the clave is in the guagua. If you cannot do it that means that you don’t have clave. Abe said, “El Llanero was like Tío Tom (Gonzalo Ascencio), él cogia cosas y creaba, así, simple y en tiempo de rumba.” ("He was like Tío Tom, he took things and created, simple and with rumba feeling.")</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Perhaps one of El Llanero’s biggest contributions to the New York City rumba community was his teaching to several generations of musicians who frequented the internationally acclaimed rumba scene of Central Park. Every summer since 1981, El Llanero would arrive and organize the rumba musically; indeed, he would lock the rumba circle.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>As soon as he approached the rumba circle, people quickly congregated, knowing that <i>ya la rumba se formó!</i> —that now the rumba was <i>really</i> going to start! </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>The amplitude of his tranquil voice would extend to the upper side of the rumba area, allowing everybody to hear him. Since the late 1960s, Central Park has been a laboratory and workshop for rumba practitioners, and it was there where El Llanero, with the joy of his voice made our lives possible in this harsh city.</i></blockquote></span></span><blockquote><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;" ><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>
<br /></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:16;" ><i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UvhO7us1Ip_sDU4rkpZAiPOtxvCAR5f0l75I0a89SWR0SHTTi43-mgMixzAxYPV3bjsyJDFKE8jjECFFcKqRSogI4ZnfrzJnhffBIyJ8MrSGq1vcIwYipc91H2f6ZQbH5Fy4cg/s1600-h/ManuelCicle.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UvhO7us1Ip_sDU4rkpZAiPOtxvCAR5f0l75I0a89SWR0SHTTi43-mgMixzAxYPV3bjsyJDFKE8jjECFFcKqRSogI4ZnfrzJnhffBIyJ8MrSGq1vcIwYipc91H2f6ZQbH5Fy4cg/s400/ManuelCicle.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432725995793026834" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" border="0" /></a></i></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><i> </i></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><b>El Llanero, exhuberant in Central Park</b></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Photo courtesy Berta Jottar</span></i></i></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>
<br /></i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i> </i></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><span><span><i>May Manuel Martínez Olivera, El Llanero, rest in peace. His voice and musical candor will always resonate in our hearts.</i></span></span></p></blockquote></div><span><span><i>His friend Paula Ballan, who played a crucial if underacknowledged role in the early years of the Central Park rumba, posted this to her Facebook Profile:</i></span></span></div><div><span><span><blockquote><i>Manuel Martinez, el Llanero Solitatio (the Lone Ranger) died last night. He was 80 years old. He came to New York via an internment camp in Wisconsin, where he had had been sent after getting off the boat that brought him from Havana’s Mariel harbor.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>He was, as his Lone Ranger title would suggest, one of a kind. He left home at age 9 to pursue the rumba and he traveled throughout Cuba surviving as a street musician by his talents, charm and guile. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>He studied with elder musicians, both urban and rural; and became a master of the rumba and its traditions. He was not easily manageable in the scope and demands of Fidel’s Revolution. He could sign his name and read and write numbers, but was otherwise non-literate.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>His life style and personality made him a nuisance to the new order. When the boat lift began, he, like many others, was rounded up and dropped off at the harbor. He was recognized by other musicians at the internment camp and received a sponsorship from some Cuban musicians who had already made their way to New York.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>He joined them here, and became the King of the Central Park Rumba: an anarchistic gathering on warm, sunny Sundays at the southwest corner of the rowboat lake. Manuel’s voice did not need amplification. His songs and choruses transformed dozens of participants into a wall of syncopated, harmonized music. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>His energy and charisma was astonishing and his songs were infectious, humorous, political, heartbreaking and unforgettable. For more than 20 years he brought joy and music to musicians hungry for the authenticity of the roots he so generously shared.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>We were fortunate to have shared his music and unique personality and will sing his songs and tell stories of the times we shared. Many American folk musicians, in deference to Woody Guthrie’s influence, are referred to as Woody’s Children.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Those of us who learned the rumba from Manuel, gladly embrace the title el Llanero’s Children.</i></blockquote></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><i>*<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>*<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>*</i></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>
<br /></i></span></div><div><i>We are happy to share with you today the 1985 recordings by Los Afortunados, courtesy of Félix Sanabria.</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i>Produced by Paula Ballan</i></div><div><i>Recorded by Gene Heimlich, New York City, January 1985.</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i><i>Personnel:</i></i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i>Manuel Martínez</i></div><div><i>Abe Rodríguez</i></div><div><i>Felix Sanabria</i></div><div><i>Rocky Causcut</i></div><div><i>Ricky Soler</i></div><div><i>Mirta Masonet</i></div><div><i>Susan Sanabria</i></div><div><i>Paula Ballan</i></div><div><i>Junito Martínez</i></div><div><i>Reiko</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i><i>Track list:</i></i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i>Los Afortunados (Tema)</i></div><div><i>La Habana</i></div><div><i>Illabó ("Leguleya no")</i></div><div><i>El amor es siempre joven (by Manuel?)</i></div><div><i>Pero ya no hay sol</i></div><div><i>Ay, nena (by Manuel)</i></div><div><i>A la loma de Belén</i></div><div><i>Beny Moré</i></div><div><i>A mi manera</i></div><div><i>Columbia 1</i></div><div><i>Alma Libre (a capella)</i></div><div><i>Columbia 2</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i>Download <a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/343658216/Los_Afortunados_1985.zip">here</a>.</i></div><div><i>
<br /></i></div><div><i>Gene Golden and others have put up some video of Los Afortunados on youtube, here is one good example, click on the video to see more.</i></div><div><i>
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<br /></i></div>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-3641785107112105432010-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:002010-01-04T09:48:46.011-08:00Recent academic research on rumbaHappy New Year! Now that the holiday festivities are over you may be ready to dig in to some recent research on rumba, especially as it relates to the diaspora and New York's Central Park.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Berta Jottar<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>"Zero Tolerance and Central Park Rumba Cabildo Politics." Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies Vol. 5, No. 4, November 2009<span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span><a href="http://liminalities.net/5-4/rumba.pdf">http://liminalities.net/5-4/rumba.pdf<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>The Acoustic Body: Rumba Guarapachanguera and Abakuá Sociality in Central Park" in Latin American Music Review, Volume 30, Number 1, Spring/Summer 2009<span style="font-weight: bold;">. </span><a href="http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/journals/jlamr.html#301">http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/journals/jlamr.html#301</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>(Also available <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/24765883?secret_password=4i45s21bj07yxqwkhs2">here</a>.)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br />Lisa Maya Knauer</span><br /><br />"Audiovisual Remittances and Transnational Subjectivities" in <i>Cuba in the Special Period</i> edited by Ariana-Hernandez Reguant (Palgrave, 2009). <a href="http://www.palgrave-usa.com/catalog/product.aspx?isbn=0230606547" target="_blank">http://www.palgrave-usa.com/<wbr>catalog/product.aspx?isbn=<wbr>0230606547</a><br /><br />"Racialized Culture and Translocal Counterpublics: Rumba and Social Disorder in New York and Havana." In <i>Caribbean Migrations to Western Europe and the United States</i> edited by Margarita Cervantes Rodriguez, Ramon Grosfoguel and Eric Mielants, Temple University Press. <a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/2004_reg.html" target="_blank">http://www.temple.edu/<wbr>tempress/titles/2004_reg.html</a><br /><br />"The Politics of Afrocuban Cultural Expression in New York City." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 34, Issue 8.<br /><a href="http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title%7Edb=all%7Econtent=g902376195" target="_blank">http://www.informaworld.com/<wbr>smpp/title~db=all~content=<wbr>g902376195</a><br /><br />If you know of any more articles, let us know.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-38260370534767782762009-12-01T08:48:00.000-08:002010-03-14T12:24:03.927-07:00"Son Rumbe'ao" and "Changó ta vení"A fascinating characteristic of rumba is that songs of many different styles can easily be arranged as a guaguancó. Mexican Rancheras, American Pop tunes, Argentine Tangos, Brazilan Sambas, even <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2008/10/saludando-un-rumbero-virgilio-mart.html">Peruvian Waltzes</a> have all been turned into great rumbas.<br /><br />Yet I'm still always a bit surprised when I find out that a song I normally think of as a son or a mambo actually started out as guaguancó.<br /><br />When the son craze swept Havana in the 1920s, many rumberos began joining sextetos where they could hope to get a steady income from playing music.<br /><br />Maria Teresa Linares has written that as the demand for son recordings and competition from other son groups began increasing, the soneros were searching for new songs and naturally the rumberos began adapting the rumbas they knew into son arrangements.<br /><br />Ned Sublette and Cristobal Diaz Ayala once had a conversation (<a href="http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/62">here</a>) about what happened next:<br /><br /><p> </p><blockquote><p>NS: (...) When the son arrived in Havana, I say it became a son "rumbeao," a rumba-ized son. Coming to Havana, it takes on a different character. The people who play bongó are the same people who play rumba, who play batá. They also play arará, maybe. I say that, although they didn't record the rumba of the solar [tenement] at that time, if you want to know how it sounded, listen to the son records. And although they didn't record the coros de clave, if you want to know how they sounded, it's there. You know that what always caught my attention about the Septeto Habanero is -- those records are weird! They sound strange! </p><p> CDA: It's an acquired taste, the Habanero. What you're saying is true. It all comes together in the emblematic figure of Ignacio Piñeiro, who gets rid of the four monotonous verses of the original son and replaces them with décima; who mixes the son with the guajiro style, et cetera. And also Ignacio Piñeiro was Abakuá, Ignacio Piñeiro was in the coros de clave. That is, the son kept evolving. </p></blockquote><p></p><br />There are many examples in old son recordings of songs that are actually rumbas. (There are quite a few very interesting ones on the Tumbao CD of María Teresa Linares and Rafael Zequeira, "<span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legendario-Duo-Trova-Cubana-Grabaciones/dp/B0000252P0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1259690447&sr=1-2">El Legendario Duo De La Trova Cubana: Grabaciones Historicas 1916-1924.</a>")</span><h1 style="font-weight: normal;" class="parseasinTitle"></h1>Here we have a nice versión of the classic "Changó ta vení" by Orquesta Riverside. There's also the added bonus of the great Gonzalo Asencio, "Tío Tom" introducing his composition, which is normally attributed to Justi Barreto, another great rumbero and prolific composer.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1l2DBa8gXqY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1l2DBa8gXqY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Now here's El Goyo singing "Changó ta vení" as a traditional guaguancó. He includes an extra verse I hadn't heard before:<br /><br /><br />E, Changó ta vení<br />Changó ta vení<br />Changó ta vení<br /><br />Ya empezó el bembé<br />Oye la tambó ta soná<br />Ya empezó el bembé<br />Oye la tambó va soná<br /><br />Si Sarabanda mayombe<br />mundo va acabá<br />Con un machete en la mano<br />tierra va a temblar<br /><br />E, a<br /><br />Changó ta vení<br />Changó ta vení<br />Changó ta vení<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Coro: Sarabanda Changó ta vení</span>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-9261473408757685972009-07-09T19:03:00.000-07:002009-07-09T19:30:56.742-07:00María la O, ¿quién es?<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwcrFsJDpqAxAAKkYv_uVlupG3vmhThoiO6ugbP5TtruWG-c0pwBUUH3o610vhNUjMKLlZSGZRF2M8' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /></div>Rumba lyrics are filled with allusions to colorful and evocative characters, mostly anonymous: Pregoneros, gossips, chinos, la china con diente de oro, to name just a few.<br /><br />Then there are some who have names: Poor Severa and her godmother Latuá, José Nasario who doesn't know where the sun comes up, Maria las Nieves with her strange fear, our friend Arturo and his watch.<br /><br />But there is one name that appears more than all the others: that of María la O.<br /><br />Has there ever been a rumba at which her name hasn't come up at least once? Despite the many references, there is scarcely a hint of any personality behind the name. No guaguancó dedicated to her, no details of her life, nothing but a name.<br /><br />She was destined to be given an honored place in rumba, in one of those "never fails" coros; later in the montuno, whenever the energy starts to drag a little bit, someone will inevitably call out:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">¡María la O, kuenda</span><span style="font-style: italic;">!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">¡Kuenda, María!</span><br /></div><br />And time after time, the rumba obeys the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_languages">bantú</a> command <span style="font-style: italic;">"kuenda"</span> (to go, get a move on, <span style="font-style: italic;">¡camina!</span>), and suddenly the spirit lifts, the tempo picks up again, and the rumba continues even stronger than before.<br /><br />There is another refrain heard once in a while, as in the song that goes<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Era un domingo</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">cuando yo la ví</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Iba coqueta</span><span style="font-style: italic;">, i</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ba por allí</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Iba cantando bajito</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Un dulce canto que decía así:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">María de la O,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">María de la O,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">María de la O...</span><br /></div><br />But none of these tell us anything about a particular person with that name. <span>So who was she? Is it possible to know?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Story of (de la) O</span><br /><br />"Maria la O" is a shortened form of "Maria de la O," is a surname, <a href="http://apellido.enfemenino.com/w/apellidos/apellido-de-la-o.html">not uncommon in Spain</a>.<br /><br />The origins of the surname are somewhat obscure. There are basically two theories, that it came from the Catholic feast <span style="font-style: italic;">S. Maria de la O or </span><span>is a Spanish corruption of the French, "de l'eau."</span><br /><br />In a discussion on the blog <span class="comments-post">languagehat.com, </span>commenter Roger Depledge writes:<span class="comments-post"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">The Catholic Encyclopedia, under Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, says </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> "The feast of 18 December was commonly called, even in the liturgical books, "S. Maria de la O", because on that day the clerics in the choir after Vespers used to utter a loud and protracted "O", to express the longing of the universe for the coming of the Redeemer (Tamayo, Mart. Hisp., VI, 485). The Roman "O" antiphons have nothing to do with this term, because they are unknown in the Mozarabic Rite. This feast and its octave were very popular in Spain, where the people still call it "Nuestra Señora de la O".</span> [Juan Tamayo de Salazar, <i>Martyrologium Hispanum</i> (Lyon, 1651-59)]</blockquote><br />Daniel de la O, writing at <a href="http://cafedelao.blogspot.com/">http://cafedelao.blogspot.com/</a> says:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Finally, my research has pointed one of the origins of the surname in France, in the region of la Vierge <b>de l'eau</b>. Which means Virgin of the Water, this place is famous because the Virgin Mary apeared over a water spring. Someone took the surname <b>De l'eau</b>, -probably happened around the 1485 by orders of the Vatican (long story)- and consequently when he or she moved to Spain the name changed from eau to O, because the word eau is pronounced exactly like the letter "O" in spanish. I'm sure that the ones of you who speak spanish will understand it better. After one or two generations the name became <b>De La O</b>, hiding it's relation to the virgin. This may be the origin of <b>De La O</b> and it would say that your surname actually means: of the Water...</blockquote><br />Our resident francophile Patrice finds this last explanation a bit dubious, and I do as well, mostly because I haven't been able to turn up a single person with the last name "de L'eau."<br /><br />But none of this probably matters anyway. Although "de la O" is a surname, there is some evidence to suggest that when combined with "María" it's always a given name.<br /><br />An immigration database at BYU has a link to a document (downloadable <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimmigrants.byu.edu%2FDownloads%2FSpanish_Extraction_Guide%2FSpanish_Extraction_Guide-Appendix_A_-_Given_Names.pdf&ei=nRRJSszzEYiQ8wSIweCTDQ&usg=AFQjCNFdhDZBYUs_XTaz991C2xt6kbjZdw&sig2=oTlFLBPhAPmdoDN_t_zOdQ">here</a>) on Spanish combined given names (such as Juan de la Cruz, Miguel Angel, María (del) Carmen and María de la O) and states:<br /><blockquote>"Extensive research and study of naming customs indicate that when any of the combinations of names on this list appear in a record they are given names. Some of the names, such as de la Cruz are also used as surnames but not in the combinations listed here."</blockquote><br />So it seems safe to assume that whoever our subject was, "María la O" was merely her given name and not her full name.<br /><br />MUSICAL REFERENCES<br /><br />The name "María de la O," so strange to anglo ears, is not as uncommon as it seems, and has appeared in Cuban music, particularly in references to blacks or mulatas, since probably well before the 1860's. María Teresa Linares <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.cenart.gob.mx/centros/cenidim/archivos/clases_musica.pdf">writes</a>:<br /><blockquote>The composer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebasti%C3%A1n_Iradier">Sebastián Iradier</a> [(January 20, 1809 – December 6, 1865) ] made the Habanera universally famous when he wrote La Paloma, and many others, among them La Nenguita, which has as its refrain an old Cuban guaracha:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"> “Me llaman María La O<br />y no hay negra como yo<br />más bonita sí la habrá<br />pero más graciosa no."</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><br /></div>The name also appears in a song by Rosendo Ruiz called "El Maine," a line from which was picked up by the Sevilliano cantaor Pepe de la Matrona who spent time in Cuba around 1914, for his song "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7TN2AbSAMw">Recuerdos de La Habana</a>."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Allá en el muelle</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Está mi china que me espera.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Se llama María la O</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Ay no, ay no.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Y esta china tiene rabia, por Dios.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Esta china tiene miedo</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Que yo al muelle la llevara</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Y la metiera en el barco</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Y en el barco la dejara</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">Y esta es la china</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">De quien te hablo</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">A mí me gusta</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">El anís del diablo."</span><br /></div><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span>Researcher <a href="http://home.scarlet.be/%7Etsd17276/overcuba/cubaset.html">Huib Buillet</a> provides more detail on the origins of the reference:<br /><blockquote>The source: “Rosendo Ruiz Suárez”, in the magazine Música, Serie Nuestros Autores, n° 3, Biblioteca Nacional José Martí, La Habana (1985).<br /><br />The article has an interview with Rosendo Ruiz, here is the excerpt: </blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Sí, el Cangrejito es una rumbita mía que yo no inscribí y que luego este músico respetable, Alejandro García Catarla, hizo un danzón con él y lo inscribió a su nombre… Enumerar todas mis composiciones sería muy difícil porque tengo más de trescientas. Esas rumbitas yo las hacía por embullo, pero no soy sonero, ni guarachero, soy trovador. El Maine sí fue un son muy popular:</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Allá en el Maine<br />Hay una china que me espera,<br />se llama María la O<br />Ay Dios!<br />esa china tiene rabia por Dios…<br /></div><br /><br />Los Papines recorded a guaguancó called "María la O," but that song, a Spanish zambra written in the 1930's by Salvador Valverde, Rafael de León y Manuel López Quiroga enjoyed great popularity, having inspired at least two film versions in Spain by the time Los Papines recorded it, and still quite popular in the repertoire there.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uHoSBMuBk6w&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uHoSBMuBk6w&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">María de la O<br />Que desgraciaíta, gitana, tu eres<br />teniéndolo tó’<br />Tu quieres reir<br />hasta los ojitos los tienes morados de tanto sufrir<br />Maldito parné<br />que por su culpita dejaste al gitano<br />que fue tu querer ¡Castigo de Dios!<br />¡Castigo de Dios!<br />Es la crucecita que llevas a cuestas<br />María de la O</div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lecuona's María la O</span><br /><br />Probably the most famous María la O is that of Ernesto Lecuona's zarzuela, which premiered in Havana on March 1, 1930.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G9-_rdLF1DdN2-cY368dLNVbu0Z5z5h-xj5igA_N6cCLcQs3HvFDgjz2HMIVgH19V5MEpRDO1iaAh4sywP9Unz4DIejrmDsp7MnRygNmelR4IQjw-rthKQbOLqPpc71dgGEtPg/s1600-h/maria+poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G9-_rdLF1DdN2-cY368dLNVbu0Z5z5h-xj5igA_N6cCLcQs3HvFDgjz2HMIVgH19V5MEpRDO1iaAh4sywP9Unz4DIejrmDsp7MnRygNmelR4IQjw-rthKQbOLqPpc71dgGEtPg/s400/maria+poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352374134937808306" border="0" /></a>In his thesis on the zarzuela, Henry MaCarthy writes:<br /><blockquote>There are two sources for the libretto of María La O. The first is based on a real<br />mulata that allegedly lived in Santiago de Cuba sometime during the mid nineteenth<br />century. Edwin Tolón, a theater impresario and close friend of Lecuona, who presented the original production in La Habana, relates an anecdote, in turn taken from oral narratives collected in the Annals of Santiago de Cuba:<br /><br />[…] en esos años residía en esa ciudad un notable músico catalán llamado Juan Casamitjana. Estaba él recostado en la baranda de la ventana de la casa en que vivía cuando vio venir una numerosa comparsa que dirigían dos famosas mulatas de rumbo, una era María La O y la otra María de la Luz, que cantaban y bailaban una música electrizante. Impresionado el compositor por su baile fue al piano y repitió de memoria los compases de dicha música anónima pasándolos después al papel pautado (49).<br /><br />[…] around those years in that city, there lived a Catalan musician named Juan Casamitjana. While leaning in the window of his house, he saw a large comparsa directed by two famous mulatas de rumbo, María La O and María de la Luz, singing and dancing an electrifying music. The composer was impressed by the dance and repeated the anonymous melody by memory in his piano, later transcribing it to music paper.</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">— </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"Cuban Zarzuela And The (Neo)Colonial Imagination: A Subaltern Historiography Of </span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Music Theater In The Caribbean"</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> by Henry W. MacCarthy</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The second source was the Cuban novel "Cecilia Valdés" by Cirilo Villaverde. Lecuona had in fact set out to write his zarzuela based on this book, but when the Villaverde family <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=y14qjl6XHtgC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=%22maria+la+o%22+villaverde+rights&source=bl&ots=Pb64m3w_da&sig=12puIjASyuxgzPnvgDfOGqxv4xY&hl=en&ei=-E1WSvS5DZOKNMf4rJ0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3">refused to grant him the rights to the work</a>, he and his librettist began revising the work.<br /><br />Yet despite this tantalizing reference to a real-life Mariá la O, given that Casamitjana was writing the music for himself and that the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=_Czn7pGSZZIC&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=%22juan+casamitjana%22&source=bl&ots=UJ0mVkO12a&sig=rxPFz243ajMOSRUgwutDvRdyQp0&hl=en&ei=cVRWSqvrKYeyNtnIkJ0I&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7">incident occurred in 1836</a>, 59 years before Lecuona was born, and nearly one hundred years before his operetta's premiere, it seems likely that the only definite "inspiration" the María la O from Santiago provided was in the use of her name for Lecuona's leading lady.<br /><br />I also found one other <a href="http://www.opushabana.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=659">curious reference</a> by colonial music scholar Zolia Lapique. Speaking about the recurring popularity of the conga santiaguera, she says:<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Algo similar a este fenómeno contemporáneo de la conga santiaguera ocurrió en 1852 cuando vino a La Habana la comparsa del Cocoyé con sus dos guías, las mulatas </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">María de la O Soguendo</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> y María de la Luz, junto al enanito Manuel que bailaba con el Anaquillé, muñeco de carnaval.</span><br /><br /></blockquote>"Soguendo" is indeed a surname, if rather uncommon. Further research is needed to determine if the the surname of María la O from Santiago is known or has been lost to history. If it turns out to be Soguendo, I think a case could be made that the chorus "María la O, kuenda" is a corruption of her name. Until then though I believe the reverse is more likely to be true, as seen <a href="http://www.soydelcaribe.com/edicion/ed23/habana-esp.asp">here</a>.)<br /><br /><span>This article was inspired when I was trying to confirm the words to the coro in the video clip at the beginning, which contains another occurence of María la O that I was unfamiliar with, sung by Juan de Dios:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">María la O</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">María la O</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Banderillero africano</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">María la O, ¿quién es?</span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><span>During the course of the discussion, a Cuban friend of ours, José Luís Gomez, made a great remark, which we will use to close for now (since topics like this are never truly finished):</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span>"In the folklore and general music world in Cuba it has been a tradition to get inspired by personalities and characters that gave and still give color to our way of living... So maybe </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text_exposed_show">she existed or not and at the end of the day I don't think that it's that important. The rumba María la O is a killer, the coro is fantastic and Juan really brings it in con chambo y mucho ibiano and that is what counts</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>"<br /></div> </div>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-74687954587130291362009-07-07T10:15:00.000-07:002009-07-07T12:13:50.987-07:00Martha Galarraga about to be expelled from France by the French State: an absurd cultural scandal…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieJqp_ySc1O4cRqpLygDKNkwI8jtOhMj5SosgFsLtBZIkoNCteSB_MWALxbmiPZr5bub9_88sKikw1t0C8cQ90lJJhmLYDULkb9jt3upKTd6_EQyiCwEotizvSq_NgssI2TmM/s1600-h/Martha+55.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieJqp_ySc1O4cRqpLygDKNkwI8jtOhMj5SosgFsLtBZIkoNCteSB_MWALxbmiPZr5bub9_88sKikw1t0C8cQ90lJJhmLYDULkb9jt3upKTd6_EQyiCwEotizvSq_NgssI2TmM/s400/Martha+55.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354180549281534098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Martha Galarraga</span> is no ordinary artist: she's the daughter of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lázaro Galarraga</span>, one of Cuba's greatest akpwones, reknowned as a major <span style="font-weight: bold;">artist in the USA</span>.<br />Considering her career and talent, Martha is <span style="font-weight: bold;">one of the most famous afro-cuban akpwonas</span>, like Amelita Pedroso, Caridad La Bembona or Teresa Polledo.<br />Martha went to live in Europe in <span style="font-weight: bold;">1998</span>, first in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Germany</span>, without any problems on a <span style="font-weight: bold;">permanent residence permit</span>. Then she came to live in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Paris</span> in 2002, where she did not have any problems until 2008.<br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Préfecture de Paris</span> (French local authorities) then transferred her case for inquiry to the French <span style="font-weight: bold;">DDTEFP</span> (Direction Départementale du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle, Authority for labour and employment), which is part of the French Ministry of Work, Social Relationship, Family, Solidarity (what a nice word!!) and Town.<br />On <span style="font-weight: bold;">September 29th 2008</span> they refused to renew her work permit. The DDTEFP demanded <span style="font-weight: bold;">a permanent work contract for at least three months</span> by one single employer. Martha did find one (we believe it was from French association Odduara) that guaranteed 43 gigs in 12 months, which the DDTEFP refused to validate. They put the limit even higher, demanding <span style="font-weight: bold;">a minimum six months contract</span>, that Martha also obtained: and was denied again. What zealous state servant can be dull-witted enough to ignore that a musician in France only very seldom obtains such a contract, unless he works with a major artist or a theater or dance company able to tour for six full months??<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"On the 26th of May Martha's resident card has been seized by the 6th bureau of sous-direction for foreigners of the Préfecture de Paris. Martha no longer </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">has </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">any right to work"</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtguIYJ7Ky-iYySrrNUDFGhOF8NVWltk-FPT6P6KtljnkXX2Rvxvxuiis-JAN2VM9lq8wtjTf2XOoEUBpLItYHPQuyAPQHRQxrM2FBWIrdwAAnR29begs8M4ySzMmreZsvZW2p/s1600-h/Martha+000011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtguIYJ7Ky-iYySrrNUDFGhOF8NVWltk-FPT6P6KtljnkXX2Rvxvxuiis-JAN2VM9lq8wtjTf2XOoEUBpLItYHPQuyAPQHRQxrM2FBWIrdwAAnR29begs8M4ySzMmreZsvZW2p/s400/Martha+000011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354253515121248082" border="0" /></a><br />Here are the disastrous consequences in sequence:<br /><br />-1° Martha becomes a "paperless" worker<br />-2° She won't get any money from French ASSEDIC (unemployment insurance)<br />-3° She can't leave French territory: farewell to the London Lukumí Choir of which she's the director.<br />-4° She lost every job in France, including her job in Paris ISAAC where she was a teacher.<br />-5° She lost her job with the Ensemble Nord-Sud that had a tour in Brazil<br />-6° She has to wait 1 or 2 years a decision from French Tribunal Administratif<br />-7° She can be sent off back to Cuba at any time: return to point zero.<br />-etc, etc…<br /><br />What is Martha suspected for? How can such a right, sane, human, joyful and serious person be disliked to such a degree by (supposedly) competent authorities?<br />Some sources say Martha would <span style="font-weight: bold;">"change too often her employers"</span>. What kind of crime is this? Others say Martha <span style="font-weight: bold;">"wouldn't pay enough taxes"</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">"wouldn't have a sufficient professional activity"</span>.<br /><br />Who could have the right to crush so absurdly the international career of any foreign artist whoever s/he is? Martha has not got any problem with anyone, not with the Cuban state - is she accused of communism? Would the French state prefer she asked for political asylum? Martha does not want any arranged wedding, nor does she want any scheming to obtain a resident card. She's a right and honest person, and she's tired of so many fights with absurd authorities which decided to make her an outlaw.<br /><br />Martha has nothing to fight back with other than cultural weapons. Her case has to make enough noise to reach French new Ministre de la Culture, Mr Frédéric Miterrand, for he alone can save her.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SO LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE!!.</span><br />Journalists, writers, scholars: it's up to you!! Martha's lawyer needs media stuff to consolidate her defense.<br /><br />Let's remember a big petition in Europe <span style="font-weight: bold;">signed by 1300 people</span> did not sway the French institution one single second.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPmQdTsrGuGAirLjdSwC8WlqJAEMldAqA_hwFHyFUPyeaNkp6EVqJBubZi-6l_u04NLoE5z4hn0Om13m__W3ADIQh9VH4d1xextZJO04ng0YHjqw6HnvTy03t8CyYdkvH1ECT/s1600-h/flashlight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPmQdTsrGuGAirLjdSwC8WlqJAEMldAqA_hwFHyFUPyeaNkp6EVqJBubZi-6l_u04NLoE5z4hn0Om13m__W3ADIQh9VH4d1xextZJO04ng0YHjqw6HnvTy03t8CyYdkvH1ECT/s400/flashlight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354180563305078674" border="0" /></a><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Martha with Mark Lotz in Holland)</span></div><p>Let's now try to answer to the argument saying:<br />"Martha Galarraga wouldn't have a sufficient professional activity":<br /><br /></p><ul><li>just try "Martha Galarraga" in a Youtube search and you'll get 18 results. Martha can be watched there in many different contexts (which proves she's a polyvalent artist not being locked up in one single musical style), in France, in Cuba, in Mexico, in Martinique…</li></ul><ul><li>try "Martica Galarraga" or "London Lucumí Choir" (11 answers), or 'Galarumba".</li></ul><ul><li>try "Martha Galarraga" in Google and you'll get… 18,100 results!!</li></ul><ul><li>try "image search" and you'll get… 6 470 results.</li></ul><p><br />Here are some discographic elements in Martha's career (there are many others):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVWVQzUPgk8Z8tjFCNkKyCafYFjyuooRg0AEHhfgSrPWQLZpTIv7TJ5vWXcQRNRRbCDwiUA3bwpbDvCA9mJX1qBNh3-RCBuI7NAkkXOyYMNBuy3UqbUohPZacyDLihWpfwBDc/s1600-h/LRos+Olorun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVWVQzUPgk8Z8tjFCNkKyCafYFjyuooRg0AEHhfgSrPWQLZpTIv7TJ5vWXcQRNRRbCDwiUA3bwpbDvCA9mJX1qBNh3-RCBuI7NAkkXOyYMNBuy3UqbUohPZacyDLihWpfwBDc/s200/LRos+Olorun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354242671643016546" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Cuba: Lázaro Ros - Olorun)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAG0BstYRjJOwMDCCNhqUnyJYnxxqpLjFLLfa1Y4ArJIo92PycltJFOPiQNMZidQQxfwLfzZwrnzMQRs4dT5y2EAS-gx4CW53ICIL-k-7CLQNvy3wTxevAS3UzV3bOYnHPZ38/s1600-h/Oba+ilu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAG0BstYRjJOwMDCCNhqUnyJYnxxqpLjFLLfa1Y4ArJIo92PycltJFOPiQNMZidQQxfwLfzZwrnzMQRs4dT5y2EAS-gx4CW53ICIL-k-7CLQNvy3wTxevAS3UzV3bOYnHPZ38/s200/Oba+ilu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354243043097226546" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Cuba: Oba-Ilú - Santeria)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BdK3lfYV-8HV8sNXmF1krpFEiGclAqT1fb_gYN-AJ_fxPVnERhnaAijIirVgF4IBknHVBPgfQBH1mfSJt1x8b9yxNeIq5J1PjGnh5AEzaLPXjSfJwGZTEZtld7JT40v5Tz6-/s1600-h/GYA+delYalS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BdK3lfYV-8HV8sNXmF1krpFEiGclAqT1fb_gYN-AJ_fxPVnERhnaAijIirVgF4IBknHVBPgfQBH1mfSJt1x8b9yxNeIq5J1PjGnh5AEzaLPXjSfJwGZTEZtld7JT40v5Tz6-/s200/GYA+delYalS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354243545271437794" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Cuba: Yoruba Andabo - Del Yoruba al Son)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk0KxNVPs4Yh9ctHLQRywI3MTDKv6yqf0a3zumZJHrVFK-90fG9XP222AYb_gYAWeLCkxBuWahaPfuQqjr04mioWkcUH-si51hZNjmuZpdwcUlv27if3xP8D77JkUfoDQZDbI/s1600-h/Afrekete+2078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk0KxNVPs4Yh9ctHLQRywI3MTDKv6yqf0a3zumZJHrVFK-90fG9XP222AYb_gYAWeLCkxBuWahaPfuQqjr04mioWkcUH-si51hZNjmuZpdwcUlv27if3xP8D77JkUfoDQZDbI/s200/Afrekete+2078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354243974936317442" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Cuba: Afrekete - Iyabakuá)</span></div><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9AM_KYbJRaKkg7HLuJRYn2j8uhxqhELCsuA2Txa-JbOfRdV09O7CNErn94_-6WtYIG_u5Y46Yv1iYwOo80Fh5INNGoto17CLVXSrg8Hfqskb_JPjsixKtUkM5QxD9bcQLft1/s1600-h/MLotz+cubanfishes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9AM_KYbJRaKkg7HLuJRYn2j8uhxqhELCsuA2Txa-JbOfRdV09O7CNErn94_-6WtYIG_u5Y46Yv1iYwOo80Fh5INNGoto17CLVXSrg8Hfqskb_JPjsixKtUkM5QxD9bcQLft1/s200/MLotz+cubanfishes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354244544053483938" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Holland: Mark Lotz - Cuban Fishes Make Good Dishes)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KBtRJD0bNXTmBQvLea0YuavNjRNQ1MZdLjbDuF1yhbID3vbqsE3fsRaqVpS0_l3cToSVLE4eIoWtd2QwySYepEOzQ3Ip6BZNqq46rznd6B-T8FJhRU62H3XB6GDiBov62HBt/s1600-h/Cheba.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KBtRJD0bNXTmBQvLea0YuavNjRNQ1MZdLjbDuF1yhbID3vbqsE3fsRaqVpS0_l3cToSVLE4eIoWtd2QwySYepEOzQ3Ip6BZNqq46rznd6B-T8FJhRU62H3XB6GDiBov62HBt/s200/Cheba.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354245078866513474" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Germany: Bayuba Cante - Cheba)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjmThV91DhxiZjt7HqLgMNTRvNKr1c25FOxvAoUB7Ak96fY4dOCJmvrXMKeUxkFlndnnO4Dyxdk2oA4WeT6rowV6DOQc1-5QnXOFze3jwnc82qmY038k3btnT0J7fKEcCTFuo/s1600-h/bayub+oru2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjmThV91DhxiZjt7HqLgMNTRvNKr1c25FOxvAoUB7Ak96fY4dOCJmvrXMKeUxkFlndnnO4Dyxdk2oA4WeT6rowV6DOQc1-5QnXOFze3jwnc82qmY038k3btnT0J7fKEcCTFuo/s200/bayub+oru2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354246756384573442" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Germany: Bayuba Cante - Orunmila's Dance)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUTuKL5VSA7zGuJPrySIPbdpIfVgTXHECzWS0o0PwFYGWQcLSlqvzZgrTlZVP5xQJshyphenhyphen1Q500oHRLA1KIUKGkBr6i1zNjrA_OvTIeBs7ddLFlmFt1gjXdUqKttjQgv9-f3dcZ/s1600-h/omarsentir.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUTuKL5VSA7zGuJPrySIPbdpIfVgTXHECzWS0o0PwFYGWQcLSlqvzZgrTlZVP5xQJshyphenhyphen1Q500oHRLA1KIUKGkBr6i1zNjrA_OvTIeBs7ddLFlmFt1gjXdUqKttjQgv9-f3dcZ/s200/omarsentir.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354247176933200658" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(USA: Omar Sosa - Sentir)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6CPo7CMs82Iq-B3wxhMILdw5K8iSloL8eKSIgd2cCZDgF0NQnjVxj3fJALNgp6lKfZ7_ZYzXwlyqPeJjSuKGIiMBkigvQloFs75j7d9jVZezpcJNSwB3TYS2X0uunqWVfq4m/s1600-h/omar_medium.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6CPo7CMs82Iq-B3wxhMILdw5K8iSloL8eKSIgd2cCZDgF0NQnjVxj3fJALNgp6lKfZ7_ZYzXwlyqPeJjSuKGIiMBkigvQloFs75j7d9jVZezpcJNSwB3TYS2X0uunqWVfq4m/s200/omar_medium.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354247170672079122" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(USA: Omar Sosa - Prietos)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNjdhBEXu83fOmbSbHz33IcZD1aL6ClOILooQ8MxsNMti0WQEpfM5DJD30QZn0JgB1p7G5ORgGrPjMsmar3qxWPa9SexhbvO5bXyTJE0RuIsGjSa-9B3qXYYITwqSTsobdRk1/s1600-h/John+Santos+laguerrano.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNjdhBEXu83fOmbSbHz33IcZD1aL6ClOILooQ8MxsNMti0WQEpfM5DJD30QZn0JgB1p7G5ORgGrPjMsmar3qxWPa9SexhbvO5bXyTJE0RuIsGjSa-9B3qXYYITwqSTsobdRk1/s400/John+Santos+laguerrano.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354241794330462546" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(USA: John Santos - La Guerra No)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtQPFg5AQEFRuIXwOa75rK3uoZ4FQgXoIpDpRazuL9kZaohSq-9QGIEzfWAZX4z_AJcDYRPg11HhOAl5jCNUvdJ1bGfcrwCnNnE0uvcnt9Z1aMetrm23FhNnlGtExD1vUwpdk/s1600-h/Madomko+cover-300.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtQPFg5AQEFRuIXwOa75rK3uoZ4FQgXoIpDpRazuL9kZaohSq-9QGIEzfWAZX4z_AJcDYRPg11HhOAl5jCNUvdJ1bGfcrwCnNnE0uvcnt9Z1aMetrm23FhNnlGtExD1vUwpdk/s200/Madomko+cover-300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354248072793930882" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(France: Madomko - d'Ouest en Ouest)</span></div><p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HER CURRICULUM VITAE:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU0ILv7BLHTOYDWq29fFLKPuylVBRgrQ_aMuCon2rgl4bDCiUahkGFc_ZeiQu_V_zzovSOehMsWVRyyO2_SfH4Boptv_R9c_DVcxZGnUZZqVfmtTFzG8uiZEESzTsMxhEQO9Z/s1600-h/BC2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU0ILv7BLHTOYDWq29fFLKPuylVBRgrQ_aMuCon2rgl4bDCiUahkGFc_ZeiQu_V_zzovSOehMsWVRyyO2_SfH4Boptv_R9c_DVcxZGnUZZqVfmtTFzG8uiZEESzTsMxhEQO9Z/s400/BC2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354254369158266834" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(With Bayuba Cante in Germany)</span></div><p><br />-Martha was born in 1969 in the barrio of Luyanó, Havana.<br />She's the daughter of master drummer and singer Lázaro Galarraga, co-founder of Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba, one of the greatest akpwones of all time.<br />-In 1990, aged 21, she entered Conjunto Folklórico Nacional, for eight years, as a dancer, then solist-singer.<br />-At the same time, she sings in many Yoruba rituals in Havana.<br />-In the late 1990s she came to Europe. First in Germany where she worked in her first musical productions in Europe, together with the Rotterdam Conservatory, and in a salsa group « Macumbachè » in Frankfurt. Then she came to Paris, teaching at the ISAAC (Institut Supérieur des Arts Afro-Cubains).<br />-She entered Omar Sosa's group, one of the world's main Latin-Jazz artists, playing one concert at Carnegie Hall. In 2000, her meeting with Omar Sosa will carry her to USA, Japan, Morocco, Puerto Rico, and Brazil, for 4 years.<br />-She formed her own group in 2003: Martha y su Galarumba.<br />-Since she came to Europe, Martha has taught in many masterclasses in singing and dancing in Germany, England, Holland and France.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDF9uRVvILcrAs6QxA2hb0F_TrCJ3WrlL23W2zq0AwgkpA7BYQnUrushjEDiQSF9ZantLznlZ49fjSYGiUyGVrtupAGXB6yqPTUL7yHlMvWmh07RXxih1KIN5-SBe09zcceQp/s1600-h/CFN+Martha+17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDF9uRVvILcrAs6QxA2hb0F_TrCJ3WrlL23W2zq0AwgkpA7BYQnUrushjEDiQSF9ZantLznlZ49fjSYGiUyGVrtupAGXB6yqPTUL7yHlMvWmh07RXxih1KIN5-SBe09zcceQp/s400/CFN+Martha+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354180559202860098" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(with Conjunto Folklórico Nacional<br />in the film "In Cuba they're still Dancing")</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDmh71cK_s9J8W3wfg-fCuVumwEXua_ZzVoxCqZ_5h57sxucyw98LFXwrJaMxtYtHAJtrW4hMm7nTr8N6y0XXwBvvrQBDj5wlp7yY3jJ05aE9BU_9q_0oVTvgoU5JRz1BHG9j/s1600-h/Martha+y+Lucum%C3%AD.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDmh71cK_s9J8W3wfg-fCuVumwEXua_ZzVoxCqZ_5h57sxucyw98LFXwrJaMxtYtHAJtrW4hMm7nTr8N6y0XXwBvvrQBDj5wlp7yY3jJ05aE9BU_9q_0oVTvgoU5JRz1BHG9j/s400/Martha+y+Lucum%C3%AD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354180553184313858" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(with Lucumí in Tony Gatlif's film)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOlvu7o_y8locJOU7hP-cJUkFc3tbQj9iwvETjqNc_-issXMw6yu8s7FkbKqwcKJINe2oJgXJHMtoV_4HHyZUN44154Y44IYLnuVAuCwmqa8yo05aMj9gWB3aVN5e3cT9tM08/s1600-h/Martha.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOlvu7o_y8locJOU7hP-cJUkFc3tbQj9iwvETjqNc_-issXMw6yu8s7FkbKqwcKJINe2oJgXJHMtoV_4HHyZUN44154Y44IYLnuVAuCwmqa8yo05aMj9gWB3aVN5e3cT9tM08/s400/Martha.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354180567890370594" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(in Havana with Rumberos de Cuba)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXp9CcxWPKfYoHpY178y7TZrxDJkNd4OpY8zt7G_WOA8omQq4Q7mKbo6DWSrSLCxzC2wx4l9O1bgss15Yt-E9H7n-0iJSpvj8n3Rw09xs4S224yujw5Ccr6q0SvbMhcg0fFlB/s1600-h/Martha+Darmstadt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXp9CcxWPKfYoHpY178y7TZrxDJkNd4OpY8zt7G_WOA8omQq4Q7mKbo6DWSrSLCxzC2wx4l9O1bgss15Yt-E9H7n-0iJSpvj8n3Rw09xs4S224yujw5Ccr6q0SvbMhcg0fFlB/s400/Martha+Darmstadt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354257004746068018" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(In Darmstadt, Germany)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqOMqm-jJhRazXzrKGmcXuZYGbSQ-QZYZ67LSW4imPhGlKTpTn-tlxKImaXgg-uKmTPIyRvM8t5aH1NoB9_YQf3z1GfeFgUmkogK-iHyt-ORLEgLnVpP67TYuzXRmMqP-8s3p/s1600-h/Martha+Allemagne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqOMqm-jJhRazXzrKGmcXuZYGbSQ-QZYZ67LSW4imPhGlKTpTn-tlxKImaXgg-uKmTPIyRvM8t5aH1NoB9_YQf3z1GfeFgUmkogK-iHyt-ORLEgLnVpP67TYuzXRmMqP-8s3p/s400/Martha+Allemagne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354257000964939938" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(in Germany again)</span></div><p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mZnl70EzJBQi1968lR0-mNzBSbWWqISNwFoAYpXigOpIpeV26HzrzGWYJEu1xFxJofXOJi0NxmtXLkSLVkorZQo7DwMHJfI8pxU1UqhEXQUh1uTdq5YurRlufGF01WF3ujlo/s1600-h/BC1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mZnl70EzJBQi1968lR0-mNzBSbWWqISNwFoAYpXigOpIpeV26HzrzGWYJEu1xFxJofXOJi0NxmtXLkSLVkorZQo7DwMHJfI8pxU1UqhEXQUh1uTdq5YurRlufGF01WF3ujlo/s400/BC1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354256997961396786" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(with Bayuba Cante)</span></div><p></p>patriciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03995495607030894630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-83454921536060475992009-06-29T08:33:00.001-07:002021-03-12T06:35:08.290-08:00Saludando: Raúl González Brito "Lali"<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBlv1W_fOgPRZCcdjlDlsO3LFPjG4ksjyN2-3O4xLDRvHbUwM4hgVkxxfaSu2q2gJKtxqZcY-Ilb8-kRmLrXtiR6-Yz02gTJxnAocCHDouwSTizgGPzDMReL2ooeG8NCw6uLoJQ/s1600-h/Lali.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBlv1W_fOgPRZCcdjlDlsO3LFPjG4ksjyN2-3O4xLDRvHbUwM4hgVkxxfaSu2q2gJKtxqZcY-Ilb8-kRmLrXtiR6-Yz02gTJxnAocCHDouwSTizgGPzDMReL2ooeG8NCw6uLoJQ/s400/Lali.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349774793525981442" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 344px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Lali" in Madrid, June 2009</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(photo: Barry Cox)</span></span></div>
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On a recent trip to Spain we had the great fortune to meet Raúl de la Caridad González Brito, known as "Lali" to his friends and legions of students around the world.<br />
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We hung out for a bit and had a great time, listening and talking about rumba over some jamón, queso, olives, and a couple of cold "Mahou" beers. He patiently helped us resolve quite a few long-standing doubts we had about some <a href="http://cancionerorumbero.blogspot.com/">rumba lyrics</a>,<span style="color: black;"> </span>for which we are extremely grateful! <span style="color: black;"><br /></span><br />
Here's a bit of his background.<br />
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Lali was born on January 14, 1949 on Calle San Gabriel between Magnolia and Florence in the Cerro barrio of Havana. Later he moved to the Calzada de Buenos Aires # 419 between Paz and San Julio, where he has lived (and held rumbas) for years:<br />
<blockquote>
Verdaderamente es una peña de la rumba en el Cerro de hace muchos años inclusive de ensayos de comparsas, rumbas con Los Papines, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Yoruba Andabo, Los Chinitos de Jacomino, Chucho Valdes, Chavalonga, Los Aspirina, Juan de Dios, El Goyo, Pancho Quinto, Rumberos de Cuba y por supuesto Clave y Guaguancó y muchos más que no tendriamos tiempo para enumerarlos. Mi casa es la casa donde se ha hecho mas rumba en toda Cuba! </blockquote>
Lali currently lives in Madrid with his wife who is there working for a Cuban company.<br />
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Lali's main inspiration in Cuban percussion was his cousin Alejandro Brito Publes, with whom he began playing tumbadora at 14, and then batá drums, becoming Omo-Añá during a tambor fundamento at which Alejandro played.<br />
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In 1970 he founded a group of rumberos in El Cerro, called the Estrellas de Guaguancó. They played the Cabaret Parisien at the Hotel Nacional, along with several groups like Pello El Afrokán, Los Papines and Changuito.<br />
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Lali was a co-founder of Juan de Dios' "Raices Profundas," and was with them for three years.<br />
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After that he entered the group of "Tato de Atarés" with Puntilla, and then the group Wemilere Jonas Bombarlé, and Luis Chacón Mendivel's group Alafia. He also was director of the group Ero Ayé.<br />
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Since 1970 he's had his own group to play religious events (batá and cajón espiritual, guiro and even violín a los Orichas) and rumba, called: la Fundación Babalú Ayé.<br />
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He traveled to Italy with the group of Omo de Akokán.<br />
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He worked with one group Aché where the director was the poet Olga Navarro, and in another group Aché directed by "Sarita" Reyes.<br />
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He worked with the Orquesta América under the direction of bassist Jorge Machado, the saxophonist "El Chino" Lang's group, in several cabarets, and in the group Caracol directed by "Nacho."<br />
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Laly graduated in Cuban Percussion (medium level) and in 1980 was evaluated in the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional, then with Danza Nacional and in Música Popular with Orquesta América.<br />
For three years he taught technical classes at the ENA.<br />
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He joined Conjunto de Clave y Guaguancó in 1988 (along with Alejandro Publes) where he remained as percussionist, singer and administrator until 1992. There he recorded the group's first album, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Dances-Clave-y-Guaguanc%C3%B3/dp/B000001L53">Cantaremos y Bailaremos</a>," released in the states as "Songs and Dances." The disc is a true classic containing the first "official" recording of the style known as "guarapachangueo."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7WHmoXG5CgBMVM0qsv6IY-v5VyfKEl2SLRMZme4oaxB1KHlyaNc68ukHj6afDh16dyx8diWhiLWcHQ03H0mFjwl_GOJKGpoiN0oaYcnDIZtMKby-oD_vcFXEUKsj2a4Msf0ccw/s1600-h/d4ec810ae7a0013520ec8110.L.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7WHmoXG5CgBMVM0qsv6IY-v5VyfKEl2SLRMZme4oaxB1KHlyaNc68ukHj6afDh16dyx8diWhiLWcHQ03H0mFjwl_GOJKGpoiN0oaYcnDIZtMKby-oD_vcFXEUKsj2a4Msf0ccw/s400/d4ec810ae7a0013520ec8110.L.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352797415844941666" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 386px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
While in Clave y Guaguancó, Lali was involved in a quick side project called "Rhythm and Smoke" that resulted in three killer and never-released tracks that we are happy to share with you here. About those sessions Lali tells us:<br />
<blockquote>
"Eso fue en el año 1990 , con un proyecto que se llamó "Ritmo y Humo" financiado por unos japoneses y <a href="http://www.chucksilverman.com/">Chuck Silverman</a> "Palito" que vive en California, profesor de percusión y muy amigo mio estaba a cargo de este proyecto, se grabó música en formato de "charanga", son, changüí, música campesina, batá y por supuesto rumba. Palito se me presentó en la casa un jueves y me dijo, "El sábado estas en los estudios de "Sono Caribe" para que grabes lo que tú quieras." [<span style="font-style: italic;">Laly cuenta un poco de su vida a Palito <a href="http://www.chucksilverman.com/lalyhavana.html">aquí</a>. — Ed.</span>]<br />
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Pués sólo tuve tiempo de buscar la gente y pensar ¿qué? iba a grabar ya que quería hacer algo fuera de lo que siempre se hace y recopilé fragmentos de algunas rumbas callejeras de autores anónimos; aunque algunos pedacitos son conocidos, y sin ensayar fuimos para el estudio ya que no podía perder la oportunidad de grabar algo ideado por mí.<br />
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La muchacha que canta se llama Inés Carbonell, ella cantaba en Danza Nacional de Cuba y después Carlos Embale la buscaba para que le hiciera la voz tercera en sus grabaciones. "Cotó" está tocando el trés, a pura improvisación, "El Chispa" en el bajo, improvisando igualmente,"El Chino" en la percusión y Regino el que canta rumba conmigo y yo tocando y reforzando las voces."<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">"That was in 1990 with a project called "Rhythm and Smoke" funded by some Japanese and <a href="http://www.chucksilverman.com/">Chuck Silverman</a> "Palito" who lives in California, a professor of percussion and a good friend of mine, was in charge of this project. They recorded music like charanga, changüí, música campesina, batá and of course rumba. Palito came by my house on Thursday and told me, "Saturday you are booked in the "Sono Caribe" studios to record whatever you want!" [Laly tells Palito a bit more about his life <a href="http://www.chucksilverman.com/lalyhavana.html">here</a>. —Ed.]</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;"> So I only had a short time to get some people together and think about what I was going to record. I wanted to do something different than what is normally done and so I collected fragments of some "rumbas callejeras" by anonymous authors, although some pieces are known, and with no rehearsal we went into the studio, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to record my ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">The woman who sings is Inés Carbonell, she sang in "Danza Nacional de Cuba" and then Carlos Embale sought her out to do the "voz tercera" (high harmony) on his recordings. "Cotó" is playing the tres, pure improvisation, "El Chispa" is on bass, improvising too,"El Chino" on percussion and Regino is singing and I am playing and singing to reinforce the voices."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>These really are some great examples of rumba mixed with tres and bass, among the finest I have heard. So here for your enjoyment, with special thanks to Lali and Chuck Silverman, are the three tracks from Lali's All-Stars:<br />
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Se vende un corazón<br />
<object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=37fc12d" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br />
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El Trovador y su musa<br />
<object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=cfc0830" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br />
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La rumba es cubana<b><br /><object height="132" width="353"><embed src="http://www.goear.com/files/external.swf?file=e6fe1e4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" quality="high" height="132" width="353"></embed></object><br /></b>Download them all <a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/250018808/Lali_All-Stars.zip">here</a>.<b><br /></b>If you'd like to get in touch with Lali his contact is: nereraul2004 (at) yahoo (dot) es<br />
<b><br /><br />Lali's Groups:</b><br />
-Estrellas de Guaguancó<br />
-Raices Profundas<br />
-Wemilere de Jonas Bombarlé<br />
-Alafia de Luis Chacón Mendivel<br />
-Ero Ayé<br />
-Fundación Babalú Ayé<br />
-Omo de Akokán<br />
-grupo Aché de Olga Navarro<br />
-grupo Aché de "Sarita" Reyes<br />
-Orquesta América<br />
-grupo del Chino Lang<br />
-grupo Caracol<br />
-Conjunto de Clave y Guaguancó<br />
-Alejo y sus muchachos<br />
-Tripulación Salsera<br />
-Cuarteto Adagio<br />
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<b>Lali's Compositions:</b><br />
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1-LA RUMBA NO ES COMO AYER<br />
2-EL TIEMPO SERA TESTIGO<br />
3-ELEGIA PARA ALFREDO<br />
4-EL DINERO NO TIENE AMIGOS<br />
5- EL LALI RUMBA BATA CA CHE<br />
6-DEJA LA GUARA<br />
7-PUBLICO OYENTE<br />
8-TUMBAITO<br />
9-EL REFRANERO<br />
10-RASCATE SI TE PICA<br />
11-PONME A GOZAR<br />
12-REFRANEANDO<br />
13-ME COGISTE PA ESO<br />
14-EL DICHO QUE NO HE DICHO<br />
15-PARA SER UN BUEN SONERO<br />
16-LA SERPIENTE Y LA LIMA<br />
17-PELOTICA DE PING PON<br />
18-MI CANCION PREFERIDA<br />
19-DIME YA QUE SI<br />
20-LA ENVIDIA Y EL ENVIDIOSO<br />
21-LAS COSAS DE LA VIDA<br />
22-EL SAPITO CANTOR<br />
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<b>Lali's Discography:</b><br />
-Conjunto de Clave y Guaguancó "Cantaremos y Bailaremos" (Xenophile GLCD 4023, 1990)<br />
-Orquesta América (números del autor colombiano Hernando Vasquez), re-editado en "Las Leyendas de la Música Cubana - Orquesta América with Cuban All-Stars" (Tumi Gold)<br />
-Lalí All-Stars<br />
-Ensalada Musical<br />
-Ritmo y Humo<br />
-un disco de Conga premiada (dir. Pello el Afrokán)<br />
-Popurrit Picaresco (Homenaje al Pícaro Evaristo Aparicio)<br />
-Quiero ser yo (con Marlin Ramazzini)<br />
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<b>Lali's Filmography:</b><br />
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1-DOCUMENTARY "<a href="http://www.directoproducciones.com/es/distribucion/gaiteros.html"><strong>LOS ULTIMOS GAITEROS DE LA HABANA</strong></a>".</div>
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2-DOCUMENTARY: <strong>"A TRAVES DE LOS AÑOS</strong>" CON EL "<strong>GRUPO LAYE" Y "CLAVE Y GUAGUANCO".<br /></strong></div>
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3-DOCUMENTARY "<strong>MUSICA IRAKERE</strong>" DE <a href="http://www.cubacine.cult.cu/realizad/mcasals.html">MELCHOR CASALS</a></div>
Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-8852781725094392292009-06-27T12:33:00.000-07:002009-06-28T18:55:59.144-07:00Viva Amalia, viva Italia<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Amalia e,</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Yo soy de Amalia</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Amalia, Amalia e</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">I've often wondered about the words Amalia, and Amaliano, and why they come up so often in rumba lyrics.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Amalia, este su nombre</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Qué lindo nombre de mujer...<br /></span></div><br />As the song tells us, Amalia is a feminine given name. It seems it was never extremely popular but not uncommon either, especially among the Dutch, Germans, Finns, Spanish and Italians. It seems to have been most popular in the 1800's, declining rapidly after that.<br /></div></div><span><br />A <a href="http://www.nisnews.nl/dossiers/royal_house/101203_1321.htm">report from the Netherlands</a> gives us some background:<br /></span><blockquote><span><br /></span>The name Amalia goes back to Amalia van Solms (1602-1675), the wife of Frederik Hendrik and mother of King Willem II. According to historians, she was a strong woman who did not shun political influence. Amalia in ancient Germanic cultures stood for exertion, particularly in battle.</blockquote><span><br /></span><a href="http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Amalia.html">It is said</a> to derive "from the Germanic 'amal' meaning 'work, labor, effort, strain', and also "may be taken as a variant of the Hebrew Amalya, meaning "work of the Lord"."<br /><span><br /></span>So how does an ancient Germanic or Hebrew name become so common in rumba?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Dicen que en Jesús María<br />Hay una comparsa<br />Que tocan tambores<br />Cantamos, tocamos tambores<br />Para que la gente baile<br />¿Bueno y qué?<br />¿Bueno y qué?<br />¿Qué les hacemos a esos?<br /><br />Nosotros los Amalianos señores<br />Sabemos divertirnos<br />Por eso los invitamos<br />Para que vengan a gozar<br />A mi Amalia<br /><br /></div>So it seems Amalia is linked to the barrio of Jesús María. But why?<br /><br />It's probably impossible to know for certain, but Yamira Rodríguez Marcano tells us one version of the story <a href="http://www.habanaradio.cu/singlefile/?secc=13&subsecc=40&id_art=2007010110887">here</a>:<br /><div class="texto1" align="justify"><blockquote>Poblado hacia la segunda década del siglo XVIII, con el nombre de San José del Astillero, debido al establecimiento de este último, el barrio de Jesús María, en La Habana antigua de extramuros, continua siendo hoy uno de sus términos más populares.<br /><br />En 1753 en la Calle Real de Jesús María, hoy Revillagigedo, fue levantada una ermita a Jesús María y José que le dio nuevo nombre a la barriada.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-is-P618DQON8xSqKXJ_go-yW5VC4Phz0UvGEIElACC-k6LZlwKfneX7uuAICVvoeix4SZOEmFEtYWpFOXa581T-KdIa6-WTt-o6be2nlDitnCyu-PvCd9tb5_NObTt_RFZjBQ/s1600-h/jesusmaria.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 367px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-is-P618DQON8xSqKXJ_go-yW5VC4Phz0UvGEIElACC-k6LZlwKfneX7uuAICVvoeix4SZOEmFEtYWpFOXa581T-KdIa6-WTt-o6be2nlDitnCyu-PvCd9tb5_NObTt_RFZjBQ/s400/jesusmaria.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352147855992932082" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Con esta calle se asocia una de las leyendas más vivas de Jesús María.<br /><br />Cuentan que en ella vivió una negra llamada Amalia, protectora de revolucionarios y esclavos perseguidos por las autoridades coloniales, los escondía y les facilitaba la salida como polizontes hacia Haití u otras tierras, era además la Madrina de los centros ñáñigos del barrio, lo que hizo que los humildes habitantes ayudados por ella, se autonombraran, hijos de Amalia.<br /><br />Así se conocían en el siglo XIX y de ahí que se derive que a los de Jesús María, se les llame amalianos.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In the second decade of the 18th century, a barrio known as San José del Astillero began to grow up around the extramural shipyards of Havana. In 1753, an hermitage called Jesús María y José was built on the Calle Real de Jesús María (today Revillagigedo), thus giving the neighborhood a new name, "Jesús María."<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">This street is linked to one of the barrio's most vivid legends.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">They say that a black woman named Amalia lived there, who protected revolucionaries and fugitive slaves, hiding them and helping them escape as cops (?) to Haiti or other countries. She was also the madrina of the Ñañigo centers in the barrio. The humble inhabitants whom she had helped began calling themselves "hijos de Amalia" (children of Amalia).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">That's how they were known in the 19th century and that's why those from Jesús María are called amalianos.</span></blockquote><br /></div>So phrases like "yo soy de Amalia," "yo soy amaliano" are just the rumberos' way of saying they are from the barrio of Jesús María, and paying tribute to their own "strong woman" who in her own way was doing "the Lord's work," helping the oppressed find their way to freedom.<br /><br />About another frequent and curious occurrence of Amalia in rumba, El Goyo adds:<br /><blockquote>La frontera entre Jesús Maria y Los Sitios La avenida Italia, que actualmente se llama Monte. Los rumberos de Los Sitios dijeron: si los rumberos de Jesus María dicen que son de Amalia, entonces nosotros somos de Italia. Es por eso que cuando un rumbero dice "Viva Amalia, viva ITALIA", esta diciendo: "Viva Jesús Maria, viva Los Sitios".<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The border between Jesús María and Los Sitios was Avenida Italia (today known as Monte). The rumberos of Los Sitios said: If the rumberos of Jesús María say they are from Amalia, then we are from Italia. That's why, when a rumbero says "Viva Amalia, viva ITALIA, he's saying, "Viva Jesús María, viva Los Sitios."</span></blockquote>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-59019892476012242612009-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:002009-06-15T13:23:12.259-07:00Conjunto Folklórico Nacional: Début Program on Scribd.comJust wanted to let you know that the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional début program <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2007/07/conjunto-folklrico-nacional-dbut.html">we posted in July of 2007</a> is now available for viewing and downloading through scribd.com:<br /><br /><a title="View cfncatalog on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/16366220/cfncatalog" style="margin: 12px auto 6px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">cfncatalog</a> <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" id="doc_932097240935236" name="doc_932097240935236" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" rel="media:document" resource="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=16366220&access_key=key-1z7lc0qnzrvpo90z9qxl&page=1&version=1&viewMode=" media="http://search.yahoo.com/searchmonkey/media/" dc="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" align="middle" height="500" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=16366220&access_key=key-1z7lc0qnzrvpo90z9qxl&page=1&version=1&viewMode="> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <embed src="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=16366220&access_key=key-1z7lc0qnzrvpo90z9qxl&page=1&version=1&viewMode=" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_932097240935236_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="500" width="100%"></embed> <span rel="media:thumbnail" href="http://i.scribd.com/public/images/uploaded/37720733/pSGBLKbPs0ZeG_thumbnail.jpeg"> <span property="media:title">cfncatalog</span> <span property="dc:creator">guarachon63</span> <span property="dc:description">Catalog for Conjunto Folklorico Nacional debut performance.</span> <span property="dc:type" content="Text"> </span></span></object> <div style="margin: 6px auto 3px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block;"> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/upload" style="text-decoration: underline;">Publish at Scribd</a> or <a href="http://www.scribd.com/browse" style="text-decoration: underline;">explore</a> others: <a href="http://www.scribd.com/explore/Brochures-Catalogs/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Brochures & Catalogs</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tag/cuba" style="text-decoration: underline;">cuba</a> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/tag/drum" style="text-decoration: underline;">drum</a> </div><br /><br />We hope to be uploading more rare documents relating to rumba at this site in the future.Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-20242236598021527652009-06-08T12:51:00.000-07:002009-06-08T13:18:40.769-07:00Ibbae: Jesus Alfonso MiróI guess by now everyone has heard the sad news, so I will just post this here for the record, along with a video showing the man and his art at its best.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ADq070n9qvY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ADq070n9qvY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Comunicado:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A las 6 y 45 minutos del día de hoy, 3 de junio de 2009, a los 60 años de edad, falleció en su ciudad natal, Jesús Alfonso Miró, director musical de Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, compositor y percusionista excepcional.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hijo de padres matanceros, único varón de la familia Alfonso Miró y padre de 8 hijos, todos dedicados a la rumba como músicos o bailarines. Dos de ellos han sido parte de esta agrupación y en la actualidad Freddy Jesús Alfonso Borges, dotado también de la destreza de su padre, es el quinto del grupo y ya comienza a seguir también su camino como autor de sentidas rumbas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Como músico de Los Muñequitos Jesús conoció casi todos los continentes; donde quiera que estuvo sembró amigos, discípulos, brilló en cada escenario, pero nunca olvidó su raíz y vivió toda una vida orgulloso de su estirpe rumbera, saboreando cada esquina de su barrio: la Marina.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Desde los siete años hasta la fecha, participó como músico y bailarín en la Comparsa La</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Imaliana, fundada por su padre y por Félix Vinagera. Por un tiempo fue integrante de la Orquesta de Música Moderna de su ciudad y el grupo de Papa Goza. Desde 1967 es Director Musical y quinto del grupo Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, agrupación a la que amó profundamente y dedicó la mayor parte de su vida.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Como compositor fue imprescindible en el repertorio de esa agrupación, siendo conocidas sus obras en el mundo entero, como autor de Congo Yambumba, la Llave, Chino Guaguao, Lengua de Obbara, Saludo a Nueva York, y muchas otras que ya son clásicos de la rumba cubana. Muchos intérpretes prestigiosos como Eddy Palmieri dan cuenta de la sabrosura y popularidad de sus obras, incluyéndolas en sus discos y mencionándolo como un imprescindible en la música de nuestro continente.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Siendo aún muy pequeño de edad, junto a otro de los grandes de Los Muñequitos: Ricardo Cané, Jesús Alfonso partió a las montañas de Cuba para alfabetizar a los campesinos, graduándose más tarde como joven maestro revolucionario. Por sus grandes aportes a la música y a su pueblo, le fue conferida la condición de Hijo Ilustre de la Ciudad de Matanzas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jesús Alfonso, perteneciente a la sociedad matancera Efí Irondó Itá Ibekó, respetuoso portador de la regla de Osha, será recordado por todo su pueblo y muy especialmente por los rumberos de todo el mundo. Su nombre nunca será olvidado, su recia voz indicando cómo tenía que vibrar la música y el sonido de sus manos en el cuero, perdurarán en la memoria de todos los que le</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">conocimos y le reconocemos como uno de los más insignes músicos de todos los tiempos, porque Jesús fue a la rumba como Cuní o Chapottín al son. Jesús le dio a la rumba su vida toda. Su nombre está sin lugar a dudas, junto a Chano, Tata, Papín y todos los grandes de la música cubana.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Su cuerpo se encuentra expuesto en el lugar donde cada día ensayan Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, en la calle del mismo nombre de la ciudad, número 7906, entre Contrera y Milanés. Se le honrará como merece hasta que sea sepultado en horas tempranas del día de mañana.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A su esposa Dulce María Galup, a sus hijos y demás familiares, a Diosdado Ramos y todos sus compañeros de rumba que tanto le han admirado y hoy están sintiendo profundamente su pérdida, les expresamos nuestras más sentidas condolencias.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">CARY DIEZ</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">* * *</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">For immediate release:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">At 6:45 a.m. today, June 3 2009, at 60 years of age, Jesús Alfonso Miró, musical director of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, exceptional composer and percussionist, died in his home town of Matanzas, Cuba. The only son of the Alfonso Miró family, he was the father of 8 children, all dedicated to the rumba as musicians or dancers. Two of them have been members of the</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Muñequitos and at present, Freddy Jesús Alfonso Borges, a practitioner of his father’s art, plays the quinto of the group and has begun to follow as well in his path as the composer of heartfelt rumbas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As a musician of Los Muñequitos Jesús traveled to almost all the continents. Wherever he went he left friends and disciples. He shone on every stage he played on, but he never forgot his roots and lived a full life, proud of his lineage as a rumbero, enjoying the flavor of every corner of his barrio, la Marina. Beginning at the age of seven, he participated as a musician and dancer in the Comparsa La Imaliana, founded by his father and by Félix Vinagera. For a time he was a member of the Orquesta de Música Moderna of his city and of the Papa Goza group. From 1967 he was musical director and quinto of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, a group which he profoundly loved and to which he dedicated the greatest part of his life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As a composer he was indispensable to the repertoire of the group, with his works known worldwide. He was the author of “Congo Yambumba,” “La Llave,” “Chino Guaguao,” “Lengua de Obbara,” “Saludo a Nueva York,” and many others that are now classics of Cuban rumba. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Prestigious interpreters including Eddie Palmieri took note of his sabrosura and the popularity of his works, including them on their records and mentioning him as indispensable to the</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">music of our continent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When Jesús Alfonso was still very young, together with another of the great figures of Los Muñequitos, Ricardo Cané, he went to the mountains of Cuba to teach literacy to the people of the countryside, graduating later as a young revolutionary teacher. For his great contributions to music and to his community, he received the title of Hijo Ilustre (Illustrious Son) of Matanzas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jesús Alfonso, member of the Matanzas society Efí Irondó Itá Ibekó and respectful observer of the regla de Osha, will be remembered by all his community and especially by rumberos around the world. His name will never be forgotten. His strong voice and the sound of his hands on the skins will remain in the memory of those who knew him and recognize him as one of the most celebrated musicians of all time, because Jesús was to the rumba as was Cuní or Chapottín to the son. Jesús gave his entire life to the rumba. His name is next to Chano, Tata, Papín, and all the greats of Cuban music.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Viewing will be in the place where Los Muñequitos de Matanzas rehearse every day, at 7906 Matanzas Street, between Contrera and Milanés. After respects are paid, he will be buried in the early hours tomorrow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To his wife Dulce María Galup, to his children and other family members, to Diosdado Ramos and all his compañeros in the rumba who have so much admired him and are today feeling his loss, we send our heartfelt condolences.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">CARY DIEZ</span>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-83594119002861336022009-04-09T06:48:00.000-07:002010-04-26T18:41:25.600-07:00The Story of "Cajones Bullangueros"<span style="font-style: italic;">(Versión en español <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2009/04/la-historia-de-cajones-bullangueros.html">aquí</a>.)<br /><br />My very first <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2006/07/yoruba-andabo-cajones-bullangeros-on.html">post</a> when I started this blog was a link to some recordings by Yoruba Andabo I call "Cajones Bullangueros." A friend gave me a cassette copy of the recordings a few years earlier and it quickly became one of my favorite rumba records.<br /><br />I digitized the tape, put the tracks on a CD and designed a little cover, calling the whole thing "Cajones Bullangueros," which I thought was an apt title, considering the instrumentation used and the inclusion of a standout track by that name. (Most of the other songs were later released (in different versions) on their classic "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Callej%C3%B3n-los-Rumberos-Yoruba-Andabo/dp/B00008WI84">El callejón de los rumberos.</a>")<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OROhJUHu_WPw84B5h9ULGYOe3B1sGKeXd53fm3Co7Dt352XW9xq0_bFj6BgeCV1PoMxJCmxMaObS_4k2jMzBJw7lVapRmvwXGVA4pOr2nZ8QWt5aUl_pqyYll93x27n-bnBJsg/s1600-h/coverya-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OROhJUHu_WPw84B5h9ULGYOe3B1sGKeXd53fm3Co7Dt352XW9xq0_bFj6BgeCV1PoMxJCmxMaObS_4k2jMzBJw7lVapRmvwXGVA4pOr2nZ8QWt5aUl_pqyYll93x27n-bnBJsg/s320/coverya-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321613118244825330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The homemade cover</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">But as great as the recordings were, there was surprisingly little information about them out there. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Although they appeared to have been professionally recorded, they didn't appear in any discography I could find.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">There were only a couple of clues to go on: I noticed that parts of some of the tracks had been used in the films "Quién Baila Aquí" and "En El País de Los Orichas,"</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and the fact that the engineer's voice could be heard announcing the track names suggeste</span><span style="font-style: italic;">d</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> that these were tapes for a recording that had never been released.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Then a few years ago I was introduced to Elio Ruiz, the director of </span><span style="font-style: italic;">"Quién Baila Aquí" and "En El País de Los Orichas,"</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> who had just moved to New York. I learned that it was he who had made these recordings, specifically to use on the soundtracks of those films.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">He was surprised to find that the recordings had somehow made their way out of Cuba and were now circulating around the world.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">So the mystery was solved but as time passes these recordings just keep getting better. They offer an all-too-rare glimpse of a moment, a group, and a style that have passed into history but remain as a touchstone for current and future generations.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Compared to many of the latest rumba releases, so obsessed with percussion pyrotechnics and "guarapachangueo" (which in my opinion has now come to mean "a license to overplay" more often than not) the playing here is more straightforward.<br /><br />Although the performances are all strong, energetic and confident, and the cajones are indeed "bullangueros," there is a feeling of relaxed understatement throughout. Truly this is "rumba sin alarde" — no showing off from anyone.<br /><br />The production quality is refreshingly natural, with none of the over-produced, cast-of-thousands coros like in recent recordings, which lose in "sentimiento" whatever they may gain in harmonic perfection.<br /><br />Another thing it has going for it is a great repetoire. There are no weak songs here, all of them are first-rate, and in a variety of styles: besides guaguancó and columbia, there is Protesta Carabalí with its Abakuá section, and the first recording as a guaguancó of Pedro Flores' bolero "Perdón," a true stroke of genius, presumably on the part of Malanga, the group's vocal director.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />And finally, to me it's important for remaining the most complete documentation we have of the voice of Calixto Callava, one of the great rumberos of all time.<br /><br />I recently spoke with Elio. </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I was happy to hear that he is planning a 20th anniversary DVD edition of "Quién Baila Aquí," and plans to release a remastered edition of these historic recordings as a bonus CD.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I asked him to tell me the story behind "Cajones Bullangueros," and here is his reply:</span><br /><span><br />Dear Barry,</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>I wanted to reply briefly to your request to tell the history of the recording you've called "Cajones Bullanqueros." Here's how it happened.<br /><br />In the summer of 1989 we were involved in the production of a documentary (later to be known as "Quién Baila Aquí: La rumba sin lentejuelas") with the Cuban "rumba de cajón" group Yoruba Andabo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv9S3ni0kM9eKi2aXAUH1dePtt17IGcGnsUvAU4svej1HKY9bPms5HLLT9bUsmIy7-zVxehqihmNDA2xFtnxmpVWvM0spZtXd8nzo_1o_Ihh2ioomZwWSIquvO9wVB2URtbaizA/s1600-h/quienbaila.front.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv9S3ni0kM9eKi2aXAUH1dePtt17IGcGnsUvAU4svej1HKY9bPms5HLLT9bUsmIy7-zVxehqihmNDA2xFtnxmpVWvM0spZtXd8nzo_1o_Ihh2ioomZwWSIquvO9wVB2URtbaizA/s400/quienbaila.front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321609501533813762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Cover of VHS edition of<br />"Quién Baila Aquí"</span></span><br /></div><br />This effort, being without a budget and against the tide, without a doubt demanded all the love and altruistic willpower possible from the visual and musical production team.<br /><br />Only one civil servant aware of the cultural importance of the topic, Mr. R. D., helped us with the teams that were under his administration, over the objections of the others who followed orders only reluctantly.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqw0LduDnihbhgH6xvaMVEjDn0hpCwjxTybSdBXK-tS9Pyju56vCIpyhneAEapCJu1hme7wvfSLLcEB3giCM1W9FOZkntJmuEmOgDjonBMtJ3ZOz6oukwecCpxr4TLOxNwPGiA/s1600/elio+001.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqw0LduDnihbhgH6xvaMVEjDn0hpCwjxTybSdBXK-tS9Pyju56vCIpyhneAEapCJu1hme7wvfSLLcEB3giCM1W9FOZkntJmuEmOgDjonBMtJ3ZOz6oukwecCpxr4TLOxNwPGiA/s200/elio+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464625475046476898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Elio Ruiz, during the filming of the<br />"rumba de solar" sequence in "Quien baila aquí"<br />Solar "La Madama." Cayo Hueso, Havana, 1989.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Foto: Courtesy Elio Ruiz</span><br /><br /></div>Even so, every day of recording was a battle and a conquest, exactly what is now called, in the jargon of independent cinema production, a "guerilla production."<br /><br />One of my difficulties as producer of this project was to find a free studio where we could adequately record Yoruba Andabo.<br /><br />Suddenly, the solution arrived thanks to one of our friends at the <a href="http://www.eictv.org/view/index.jsf">Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de San Antonio de los Baños</a>, in Havana Province. A Mexican named <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0489086/">Samuel Larson Guerra</a>, at the time a student and now a distinguished professional of sound design and cinema post-production in Mexico.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj118_HjmRuuysU18IPm-gPgts_hMPS9lX2rXQSdJjlutYu-ObBh9SGp_5qxOttFywXPUfob9ef-yWvNfvS0fH_WnK5V6Wc0uBcyPnemXbSqX1mxRUc7cgwOvS4q98tALYnJCOzTQ/s1600-h/EICTV.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj118_HjmRuuysU18IPm-gPgts_hMPS9lX2rXQSdJjlutYu-ObBh9SGp_5qxOttFywXPUfob9ef-yWvNfvS0fH_WnK5V6Wc0uBcyPnemXbSqX1mxRUc7cgwOvS4q98tALYnJCOzTQ/s400/EICTV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320487987001503170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión<br />de San António de los Baños</span><br /><br /></div>This friend had the idea to make an "unauthorized incursion," that is, "guerilla-like," into the facilities of the school to make a clandestine recording of the soundtrack.<br /><br />We feared that if we followed the more correct route of making a formal request, we would be rejected, the project dealing as it did with the "rowdy" rumba, made by "marginals."<br /><br />In those days, national folklore was not so politically palatable as it was later, when the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union unleashed a real frenzy of afrocuban mysticism in the supposedly atheo-communist island.<br /><br />Consuequently, the voice we hear identifying the tracks of this historic first musical production of Yoruba Andabo (which, by the way, will turn 20 this year) is that of "Sammy" Larson, as he was known by his friends in San Tranquilino, home of the EICTV.<br /><br />The members of Yoruba Andabo called him "El Azteca." They had faith that he would make them famous. In a certain way this happened, but it was because they insisted in perfecting their work.<br /><br />SAMMY WRITES:<br /><br /><blockquote>"When I arrived in Cuba in December of 1986, as part of the first generation of students of the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión, I had a pretty vague idea of what was Cuban.<br /><br />Back then, as a "chilango" (Mexico City native), my favorite popular music was rock. From Cuba I heard mostly Nueva Trova and as a classical guitar student I was a big admirer of Leo Brouwer.<br /><br />On the other hand, it was common back then at parties in Mexico to dance to Los Van Van's "Ven y Muévete." But outside of that, I must confess I was mostly ignorant of the richness and variety of cuban popular music.<br /><br />I didn't know for sure what a guaguancó was, much less a "rumba de cajón." In those times, for me, the Caribbean was still something to be discovered, because although I liked reggae a lot and Bob Marley was one of my idols, the notion of the importance of Africa in Caribbean music and culture was not yet substantiated by direct, daily knowledge.<br /><br />Towards the end of my first year in Cuba, I had the pleasure to meet Elio Ruíz, and after finding we had many common interests we quickly became close friends.<br /><br />And so it was that we began our incursions of the streets and solares of Centro Habana and Cayo Hueso, places of ill repute, which some warned us to stay away from as places infested with anti-social and marginal types.<br /><br />Nevertheless, for a group of students of EICTV, our stay in Cuba was spent in good measure between the school (an hour from Havana) and those Habanero neighborhoods where on any corner or in the patio of any solar one could run into a rumba de cajón, a vital and powerful expression of Cuban music in it's most African form.<br /><br />In those solares and rumbas, I learned to appreciate and understand the clave and the tumbao, the vitality of the cultural sincretism of African tradition, the love of dance and the party, anyway, what ended up being for me, the heart of "cuban-ness."<br /><br />It was in this context that I met Yoruba Andabo. When Elio suggested we record them in the sound studios of EICTV, where I was taking my first steps as a soundman, I immediately agreed.<br /><br />The original recording was made onto 1" tape using a Studer 8-track machine.<br /><br />Microphones were mostly Beyer M80, and probably some other lapel or tie-clip mics were used as well. As best I can remember no effects of any sort were used in the recording nor in the mixing. We sought to record the group in the most natural manner possible, which fortunately we were able to do. Nevertheless there was no mastering of the mix.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1ZCVUJmUO001u9Rnqi-D5xtsmVzLQZksV7f_9PY9lOi969U3ZuoWoO0OddKDhDg4EEnmAJ6fO9GT-dBoncLdGvbAc0T0TNKScEneKWgrhCVAD7cfFaILr_O5xADdnum_gyL69w/s1600-h/A80-MK2+8+Track.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1ZCVUJmUO001u9Rnqi-D5xtsmVzLQZksV7f_9PY9lOi969U3ZuoWoO0OddKDhDg4EEnmAJ6fO9GT-dBoncLdGvbAc0T0TNKScEneKWgrhCVAD7cfFaILr_O5xADdnum_gyL69w/s400/A80-MK2+8+Track.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320490010642684738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Studer 8-track machine</span></div><br />The original 1" tape was lost in the shuffle of school life and I have to say that when I looked for it and couldn't find it, I was very sorry not to have taken better care of it. The recording that remains is the stereo mix.<br /><br />Given my limited experience, I think the result was surprisingly good, largely due to the high musical quality of all the members of the group, since everything was accomplished in a single session in single takes. And later, in the mixdown, thanks to the strict supervision of Giovanni and Malanga.<br /><br />Back then I didn't give to much importance to the subject, I was just happily helping out my friend Elio, since the music was for "Quién baila aquí," the documentary he was making at the time, and also helping Yoruba Andabo, a group which for me represented all the wonderful things I had discovered in the streets and solares of Centro Habana."</blockquote><br /><br />ELIO CONTINUES:<br /><br />Today many people know this recording—there are even those who have taken economic advantage of it, exerting no more effort than making pirated copies—without knowing the whole story, and what this friend Sammy risked to make it happen. When the directors of the school found out, they threatened to take disciplinary action against him.<br /><br />Luckily these were no more than threats. As for me, I was prohibited from returning to the facilities of the school. Being able to put a name on the "black" list would be sufficient to soothe their "white" bureaucratic consciences.<br /><br />The original group Yoruba Andado was formed by workers from the port of Havana, many now passed away.<br /><br />They were:<br /><br />Chan [Juan Campos Cárdenas]<br />Giovanni [del Pino]<br />[Pedro Celestino] Fariñas<br />†"Pancho Kinto"<br />†"El Chori" [Jacinto Scull Castillo]<br />†Callabas [Calixto Callava]<br />†Marino [Justo Marino Garcia]<br />"El Chiqui" [Ricardo Campos Lastra]<br />"Palito" [Orlando Lage Bouza]<br /><br />and the musical director at the time was †"Malanga" [Rolando Rodriguez Oliva] (the other one, that is, the percussionist of the Orquesta Jorrín, and not the legendary rumbero from Matanzas [<a href="http://www.cubanow.net/pages/loader.php?sec=4&t=2&item=2447">José Rosário Oviedo</a>]).<br /><br />The session at San Tranquilino was pure jazz, pure swing, that smooth "sentimiento manana," although still showing a few "defects" of a group which was not quite professional.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />Listening to it today, I can evoke those times...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FmFm-HIiGo30uG_NJzLTSAF0euJ6eOjq4kGBBcjK6MrNNKdiI9zpMRHRla4R-S4bRtK21DRFOt3stsM04I6iCmnI7vojQkknjj9LKFcGKZAILriWy7PxS-Aylq5HJmpPA62dEw/s1600-h/Pancho+Quinto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FmFm-HIiGo30uG_NJzLTSAF0euJ6eOjq4kGBBcjK6MrNNKdiI9zpMRHRla4R-S4bRtK21DRFOt3stsM04I6iCmnI7vojQkknjj9LKFcGKZAILriWy7PxS-Aylq5HJmpPA62dEw/s200/Pancho+Quinto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322718318153805858" border="0" /></a>I can see Pancho Kinto with the only tooth left in his depopulated jaws, striking the cajón, the floor, and a bell, all with a spoon, a utensil I had never seen or heard used before in such a magical way.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-PclsxgfN2Jp5DGae5Hh5GWJNBs6Gq0LbE62bIDWuEKTGM6DAFx5n3IWLWQSrMqnGWIWRg1yxMTZZqlszU690TSY7H5OSensPLog2tEmK42SrKa-cZnNLMkmGx0qPpnUMVMqyg/s1600-h/Chor%C3%AD.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-PclsxgfN2Jp5DGae5Hh5GWJNBs6Gq0LbE62bIDWuEKTGM6DAFx5n3IWLWQSrMqnGWIWRg1yxMTZZqlszU690TSY7H5OSensPLog2tEmK42SrKa-cZnNLMkmGx0qPpnUMVMqyg/s200/Chor%C3%AD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322718540112468978" border="0" /></a>I can see "El Chori," with his eyes closed, deep into the fabric of the rhythm, searching for the exact spot to place the drum stroke which, followed by more, make the quinto an instrument similar to the drumset in jazz, when performing a solo in the tiny space of 15 square centimeters. (After all, the rumba is the authentic Cuban Jazz, and it wasn't in vain that a Cuban rumbero like Chano Pozo made that relationship obvious.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusrcjIg1NkuMuS986CqW52BhfOULEwEbUkf-EIhhexVBJMrHDLlwARNH_-sLq4rC2PM3-jmSN2Y5z35tSu0gm80aNdIgWcOUyN4sCo5RhY-LiaJi5-QZvnmpdRHIYI28rQ6TDWg/s1600-h/giovanni.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusrcjIg1NkuMuS986CqW52BhfOULEwEbUkf-EIhhexVBJMrHDLlwARNH_-sLq4rC2PM3-jmSN2Y5z35tSu0gm80aNdIgWcOUyN4sCo5RhY-LiaJi5-QZvnmpdRHIYI28rQ6TDWg/s200/giovanni.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322720106418903026" border="0" /></a>Giovanni, the leader of the group, I can see him too, raising the voices and playing the claves with impeccable time.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lwBl-Lc5AqKJiv4KG9SiMBdlawX49RXjr4sN6pybHGGBSE1oj06MjwM4oJvXmo9DtnphH1qGZoYhYr9YzoW2NVRmNnyyXAtbN9sQO_-u_tD6Y3NsYuJ7YQulpy39-sxRYtCJYA/s1600-h/chan.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lwBl-Lc5AqKJiv4KG9SiMBdlawX49RXjr4sN6pybHGGBSE1oj06MjwM4oJvXmo9DtnphH1qGZoYhYr9YzoW2NVRmNnyyXAtbN9sQO_-u_tD6Y3NsYuJ7YQulpy39-sxRYtCJYA/s200/chan.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322719388850808930" border="0" /></a>Chan, putting the flavor of aguardiente on his floreos, at times even surrealistic.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEK2srUIthvDSoKFUpF62cTYlK8yo4D9bnUg2q9giUrNKDmkJ97vV67hP4UYta4la8YIwowV9H3zJDktRHj-untO2uzUEMY2yIYuXbQY8ODPBmZQK84BTbYEm8AALFavgHUfIAg/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEK2srUIthvDSoKFUpF62cTYlK8yo4D9bnUg2q9giUrNKDmkJ97vV67hP4UYta4la8YIwowV9H3zJDktRHj-untO2uzUEMY2yIYuXbQY8ODPBmZQK84BTbYEm8AALFavgHUfIAg/s200/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322726451912778562" border="0" /></a>The smiling Fariñas, always smiling the same if he was singing a solo or in the coro.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeb_TSIcBeEkpF7OdWyTSkL1nxJ8uvGYtap5znJ_cy-mAuJ-C2yUamaECT1TU1QdYXuu44iZp0kj5f9GdagsKBkh7IcuNU2ceSIpPG0WhoyBXACb9jJ7tNpo3y_z3SnPMSnaOOw/s1600-h/Callava+Calixto+2a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeb_TSIcBeEkpF7OdWyTSkL1nxJ8uvGYtap5znJ_cy-mAuJ-C2yUamaECT1TU1QdYXuu44iZp0kj5f9GdagsKBkh7IcuNU2ceSIpPG0WhoyBXACb9jJ7tNpo3y_z3SnPMSnaOOw/s200/Callava+Calixto+2a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322726809975040658" border="0" /></a>And the unforgettable Calixto Callava, himself a classic, for his elegance and his composition of boleros and rumbas, with an unmistakable voice, yet in which one can hear the weakness form the lung cancer with which he was suffering. [<span style="font-style: italic;">Calixto Callava died a year and a half later, on December 19, 1990. — Ed.</span>]<br /><br />The real beauty of this tape perhaps is that it represents a style of rumba very close to that which these rumberos played themselves almost daily after getting off work at the docks, either on the counter of the bar at "Two Brothers," or with the drawers of a piece of furniture found in a solar where one of them lived.<br /><br />Due to the clandestine circumstances of production, there was no opportunity to repeat takes. All the tracks are "Take one." The unrivaled distinctive characteristic of rumba de cajón is that it can be started up with anything that makes a sound when it is struck. The hood of a car will do, as will an empty pot. The cajón was, in its time, a substitute for the drum—when the drum was banned but the spanish authorities—and ended up being a unique form of its own.<br /><br />So, in honor of the departed (Ibaé) who are present on this tape, I think it's very good that you make it available to all those lovers of rumba who want to download it from your page. It is the least we can do to avert the unscrupulous pirating of whoever thinks they have more rights than the others. Let it be for the enjoyment and benefit for all.<br /><br />Thanks for your effort in spreading the rumba and helping rumberos cubanos on the island. They need it. It's encouraging to me to see the love that you have for this genre of cuban music.<br /><br />Sincerely,<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>Elio Ruiz<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw11CAhSugB0foyWOzrZjQXIfN6V4Ej1YfkM2gG4E9YrHVyiSiUChh66WlNQYp14LWheqX04ijN-XwASpSFu_ZLxjUnziOlrqfbu-kDXMR4GyGY2hdQ2MiQ74bmtUKXryYDOJRA/s1600-h/elio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw11CAhSugB0foyWOzrZjQXIfN6V4Ej1YfkM2gG4E9YrHVyiSiUChh66WlNQYp14LWheqX04ijN-XwASpSFu_ZLxjUnziOlrqfbu-kDXMR4GyGY2hdQ2MiQ74bmtUKXryYDOJRA/s200/elio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323575232168697026" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.myspace.com/eliobernardo"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Elio Ruiz </span></a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="text">is a Cuban filmmaker living in the United States. He has written for theater, television, movies and the print media. He has participated in productions in Cuba, Germany, Mexico and United States. In addition, he has taught drama, screenwriting workshops, and has been an acting coach for several institutions, including Cuba’s International School of Cinema and Television, the Universidad Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (known as C.C.C.), the Lumière Institute, the Cuauhtémoc University of Puebla, and Cinecipac, Mexico.<br /><br />As screenwriter, filmmaker, and producer, he was recognized with several national and international awards and honorable mentions in the categories of Documentary and Documentary Mini Series, including the “Caracol” Award from Cuba’s Writer and Artist Union (UNEAC). In 1989 and 1990, he received the “Coral” Award at Havana’s International Film Festival for Miniseries Documentary and Documentary, respectively. Besides, he has received the “Pitirre” Award from Cine San Juan, Puerto Rico Film Festival, for best producer and documentary director for “Quien Baila Aquí (la rumba sin lentejuelas)”, “Who Dances Here (rumba without spangles)”.<br /><br />His creative and journalistic writing has been published in Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Argentina and United States. Currently, he is working on several new projects. He is preparing a documentary movie about the Diaspora of Cuba’s professional boxers and former World Boxing Champion Sugar Ramos (member of the International Boxing Hall of the Fame in Canastota, New York State).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The 20th Anniversary bilingual version of </span><span style="font-style: italic;">"Quién Baila Aquí" </span><span style="font-style: italic;">will be available soon. The soundtrack will be included as a bonus CD.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNhSJxNoOd-P5_z7ETtk7Ucos0CD4aOA_bsusazBMgriMWZ1Oo_Amg6WnQPXHHntCJf1g6Std97IIcm6bu3wo0uI9_EpgtYkIsGm4dTuCc6U1GTJNIPaXXEUyeJEr5JWpSsdbHw/s1600-h/8-Samuel-Larson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNhSJxNoOd-P5_z7ETtk7Ucos0CD4aOA_bsusazBMgriMWZ1Oo_Amg6WnQPXHHntCJf1g6Std97IIcm6bu3wo0uI9_EpgtYkIsGm4dTuCc6U1GTJNIPaXXEUyeJEr5JWpSsdbHw/s200/8-Samuel-Larson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321630732290507154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Samuel Larson Guerra</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> was born in Mexico City in 1963. In 1982 he enrolled in the Escuela Nacional de Música. From 1984 to 1986 he worked in the Cineteca Nacional in the Departamento de Documentación e Investigación. From 1987 to 1990 he studied cinematography at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV) in Cuba.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Since 1991 he has worked professionally in film as Sound Designer and Editor, and also scored original music for films.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He worked as an Editor on the television documentary series "Mujeres y Poder" which won a National Journalism Award in 2000 for best television documentary series. Since 1991 up to the present he has taught classes and workshops in sound and editing for filmboth in Mexico and abroad. He is an active member of the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas since August 2008.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31811825.post-21395932150854725912009-04-09T05:57:00.000-07:002010-04-26T18:44:12.258-07:00La historia de "CAJONES BULLANGUEROS"(English version <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2009/03/story-of-cajones-bullangueros.html">here</a>.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mi primer <a href="http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2006/07/yoruba-andabo-cajones-bullangeros-on.html">puesto</a> cuando empecé este blog fue un enlace a algunas grabaciones de Yoruba Andabo que las llamo colectivamente "Cajones Bullangueros". Unos pocos años antes, un amigo me dio un cassette con estas grabaciones y lograron rápidamente un lugar entre mis favoritos.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Convertí la cinta en un formato digital, quemé las pistas en un CD y diseñe una carátula, bautizando todo con el nombre "Cajones Bullangueros", que me pareció un título apropiado, teniendo en cuenta los instrumentos utilizados y la inclusión de una destacada canción con ese mismo nombre. (La mayoría de las otras canciones fueron lanzadas posteriormente (en versiones distintas) en su clásico "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R02QK0/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1239133614&sr=8-1">El callejón de los rumberos</a>" de 1996.)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OROhJUHu_WPw84B5h9ULGYOe3B1sGKeXd53fm3Co7Dt352XW9xq0_bFj6BgeCV1PoMxJCmxMaObS_4k2jMzBJw7lVapRmvwXGVA4pOr2nZ8QWt5aUl_pqyYll93x27n-bnBJsg/s1600-h/coverya-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OROhJUHu_WPw84B5h9ULGYOe3B1sGKeXd53fm3Co7Dt352XW9xq0_bFj6BgeCV1PoMxJCmxMaObS_4k2jMzBJw7lVapRmvwXGVA4pOr2nZ8QWt5aUl_pqyYll93x27n-bnBJsg/s320/coverya-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321613118244825330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">La carátula casera</span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tremendas fueron las grabaciones, pero sorprendentemente había poca información sobre ellas. A pesar de que parecían haber sido grabadas profesionalmente, no aparecieron en ninguna discografía que pude encontrar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sólo había un par de pistas para seguir: me di cuenta de que las partes de algunas de las canciones se habían utilizado en las películas "Quién Baila Aquí" y "En el país de los Orichas"; y el hecho de que el ingeniero anunciaba los nombres de los temas sugirió que se trataba de cintas de grabación que nunca habían sido lanzadas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Unos pocos años más tarde me presentaron a Elio Ruiz, el director de "Quién Baila Aquí" y "En el país de los Orichas", que acaba de trasladarse a Nueva York. Me enteré de que era él quien había hecho estas grabaciones, específicamente para su uso en las bandas sonoras de las películas mencionadas. Él se sorprendió al enterarse que las grabaciones habían salido de Cuba y ahora circulaban en todo el mundo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Por lo tanto, el misterio se resolvió, pero con el paso del tiempo estas grabaciones siguen mejorando. Ofrecen una vista única de un momento, un grupo y un estilo que han pasado a la historia, pero siguen siendo una excelente referencia con mucho valor para las generaciones actuales y futuras.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">En comparación con muchas de las últimas versiones de rumba, tan obsesionadas con la percusión de pirotecnia y "Guarapachangueo" (que ultimamente, en mi opinión, ha llegado a significar "una licencia para exagerar" en la mayoría de los casos) la manera de tocar aquí es más sencilla.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Aunque las actuaciones son fuertes, con energía y confianza, y los cajones son de hecho "bullangueros", hay un sentimiento de relajada moderación. Verdaderamente, ésta es "rumba sin alarde".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">La calidad de la producción es refrescantemente natural, sin estos coros exageradamente producidos de hoy en día, que pierden en sentimiento lo que pueden ganar en la perfección armónica.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Otra cosa que tiene a su favor es un gran repertorio. No hay canciones débiles aquí, todas son de primera calidad, y en una variedad de estilos: además de guaguancó y columbia, hay Protesta Carabalí, con su sección en ritmo abakuá, y la primera grabación como un guaguancó del bolero "Perdón", de Pedro Flores - un verdadero golpe de genio, presumiblemente por parte de Malanga, el director de las voces del grupo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Y, por último, es importante por ser la documentación más completa que tenemos de la voz de Calixto Callava, uno de los grandes rumberos de todos los tiempos.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hace poco hablé con Elio. Yo estaba feliz de saber que él está planeando una edición en DVD del 20 aniversario de "Quién Baila Aquí", con una edición remasterizada de estas grabaciones históricas en un CD extra. Le pedí que me diga la historia detrás de "Cajones Bullangueros", y aquí está su respuesta:</span><br /><br />Estimado Barry:<br /><br />Quisiera responder brevemente a tu pedido de hacer un poco la historia de la grabación que has titulado ¨Cajones Bullangueros¨. Los hechos ocurrieron como sigue.<br /><br />En el verano de 1989 estábamos avocados a la producción de un documental con el conjunto cubano de rumba de cajón ¨Yoruba Andabo¨.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv9S3ni0kM9eKi2aXAUH1dePtt17IGcGnsUvAU4svej1HKY9bPms5HLLT9bUsmIy7-zVxehqihmNDA2xFtnxmpVWvM0spZtXd8nzo_1o_Ihh2ioomZwWSIquvO9wVB2URtbaizA/s1600-h/quienbaila.front.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv9S3ni0kM9eKi2aXAUH1dePtt17IGcGnsUvAU4svej1HKY9bPms5HLLT9bUsmIy7-zVxehqihmNDA2xFtnxmpVWvM0spZtXd8nzo_1o_Ihh2ioomZwWSIquvO9wVB2URtbaizA/s400/quienbaila.front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321609501533813762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Imagen de la edición VHS de</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"Quién Baila Aquí"</span></span><br /></div><br />El mismo, al final de la producción fue titulado “Quien Baila Aquí (la Rumba sin lentejuelas)”.<br /><br />Sin duda este esfuerzo demandó del equipo de producción visual y musical todo el amor y la buena voluntad altruista posibles, porque aquella era una producción sin presupuesto y contra marea.<br /><br />Sólo un funcionario consciente de la importancia cultural del tema, el Sr. R. D., nos apoyó con los equipos que estaban bajo su administración, por sobre las objeciones de otros que acataban sus órdenes a regañadientes.<br /><br />Aun así, cada día de grabación fue una lucha y una conquista, exactamente lo que se conoce en la jerga de la producción cinematográfica independiente como ¨guerrilla production¨.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqw0LduDnihbhgH6xvaMVEjDn0hpCwjxTybSdBXK-tS9Pyju56vCIpyhneAEapCJu1hme7wvfSLLcEB3giCM1W9FOZkntJmuEmOgDjonBMtJ3ZOz6oukwecCpxr4TLOxNwPGiA/s1600/elio+001.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpqw0LduDnihbhgH6xvaMVEjDn0hpCwjxTybSdBXK-tS9Pyju56vCIpyhneAEapCJu1hme7wvfSLLcEB3giCM1W9FOZkntJmuEmOgDjonBMtJ3ZOz6oukwecCpxr4TLOxNwPGiA/s200/elio+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464625475046476898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Elio Ruiz, durante la filmación<br />de la rumba de solar de Quien Baila Aqui.<br />Año 1989 en el solar de La Madama, Cayo Hueso.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Foto: Cortesia Elio Ruiz</span></span><br /><br /></div>Una de las dificultades mías como productor de dicha aventura fue encontrar un estudio donde pudiésemos grabar gratis y adecuadamente al mencionado y singular grupo musical.<br /><br />De repente, la solución llegó gracias a uno de nuestros amigos en la Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de San Antonio de los Baños, en la provincia Habana, el mexicano y entonces estudiante –un destacado profesional del diseño sonoro y la postproducción cinematográfica de México en la actualidad - Samuel Larson Guerra.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj118_HjmRuuysU18IPm-gPgts_hMPS9lX2rXQSdJjlutYu-ObBh9SGp_5qxOttFywXPUfob9ef-yWvNfvS0fH_WnK5V6Wc0uBcyPnemXbSqX1mxRUc7cgwOvS4q98tALYnJCOzTQ/s1600-h/EICTV.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj118_HjmRuuysU18IPm-gPgts_hMPS9lX2rXQSdJjlutYu-ObBh9SGp_5qxOttFywXPUfob9ef-yWvNfvS0fH_WnK5V6Wc0uBcyPnemXbSqX1mxRUc7cgwOvS4q98tALYnJCOzTQ/s400/EICTV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320487987001503170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >de San António de los Baños</span><br /></div><br />A este amigo se le ocurrió hacer una incursión desautorizada, es decir guerrillera, a las instalaciones de la escuela para grabar el sound track de forma clandestina.<br /><br />Temíamos que, por tratarse de rumba ¨bullanguera¨, hecha por marginales, los administradores del plantel no lo permitirían, en caso de pedir un formal permiso de admisión, como habría sido lo correcto.<br /><br />En aquellos tiempos, lo folclórico nacional no era tan políticamente potable como resultó ser después de la caída del Muro de Berlín y la disolución de la Unión Soviética, tras lo cual se desató en la Isla supuestamente ateo-comunista un verdadero frenesí de misticismo afrocubano.<br /><br />Por consiguiente, la voz que escuchamos identificando los tracks de esta histórica primera producción musical de ¨Yoruba Andabo¨ que, por cierto, el año 2009 cumpliría veinte años nada menos—que no es lo mismo que decir nada más—es la de ¨Sammy¨ Larson, como le llamaban sus amigos de San Tranquilino, nombre de la antigua hacienda donde está enclavada la EICTV.<br /><br />La gente del grupo musical lo llamaba a él ¨El Azteca¨. Creían con fe que los haría famosos. De algún modo esto ocurrió, pero porque ellos insistieron en perfeccionar su trabajo.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>DICE SAMMY:<br /><br />Cuando llegué a Cuba en diciembre de 1986, como parte de la primera generación de estudiantes de la Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión, tenía una idea bastante vaga y mistificada de lo que era lo cubano.<br /><br />En ese entonces, como chilango (oriundo de la ciudad de México) mi música popular favorita era el rock. De Cuba escuchaba sobre todo a la Nueva Trova y como estudiante de guitarra clásica era un ferviente admirador de Leo Brouwer.Por otro lado, era de rigor en las fiestas en México bailar “Ven y Muévete” con los Van Van.<br /><br />Pero fuera de esto, debo confesar que era bastante ignorante de la riqueza y variedad de la música popular cubana.No sabía bien a bien lo que era un guaguancó y mucho menos una rumba de cajón.<br /><br />En aquellos años, para mí, el caribe era todavía algo por descubrir, pues aunque gustaba mucho del reggae y ya tenía a Bob Marley como uno de mis ídolos, la noción de la importancia de lo africano en la música y la cultura caribeñas todavía no estaba sustentada en un conocimiento directo, cotidiano, de dicha influencia.<br /><br />Hacia el final de mi primer año en Cuba, tuve el gusto de conocer a Elio Ruíz, con quien pronto surgió una profunda amistad enmarcada en una serie de intereses y aficiones comunes.<br /><br />Y fue así que comenzaron las incursiones por las calles y los solares de Centro Habana y Cayo Hueso, lugares de mala fama de los cuales algunas personas nos advertían mantenernos alejados por estar infestados de antisociales y marginales.<br /><br />Sin embargo, para un grupo de estudiantes de la EICTV, nuestra estancia en Cuba se dividió en buena medida entre la escuela (a una hora de La Habana) y estos barrios habaneros en los que a la vuelta de cualquier esquina o en el patio de cualquier solar se podía uno topar con una rumba de cajón, expresión vital y poderosa de la música cubana en su más africana manifestación.<br /><br />En esos solares y en esas rumbas, aprendí a apreciar y entender la clave y el tumbao, la vitalidad del sincretismo cultural de tradición africana, el amor por el baile y la gozadera, en fin, lo que para mí fue, a partir de esos momentos, el corazón de lo cubano. Fue en este contexto que conocí a Yoruba Andabo.<br /><br />Cuando Elio me propuso que los grabáramos en el estudio de sonido de la EICTV, en el cual yo daba mis primeros pasos como sonidista, accedí de inmediato.<br /><br />Se grabó originalmente en cinta de una pulgada en una multipista Studer de 8 tracks.<br /><br />Se usaron fundamentalmente micrófonos dinámicos Beyer m80 y probablemente algunos otros micrófonos tipo corbatero o lavalier. Hasta donde recuerdo no se usaron efectos de ningún tipo ni durante la grabación ni durante la mezcla. Se buscó registrar de la manera más natural posible al conjunto, aspecto afortunadamente logrado. Sin embargo no hubo una masterización de la mezcla.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1ZCVUJmUO001u9Rnqi-D5xtsmVzLQZksV7f_9PY9lOi969U3ZuoWoO0OddKDhDg4EEnmAJ6fO9GT-dBoncLdGvbAc0T0TNKScEneKWgrhCVAD7cfFaILr_O5xADdnum_gyL69w/s1600-h/A80-MK2+8+Track.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1ZCVUJmUO001u9Rnqi-D5xtsmVzLQZksV7f_9PY9lOi969U3ZuoWoO0OddKDhDg4EEnmAJ6fO9GT-dBoncLdGvbAc0T0TNKScEneKWgrhCVAD7cfFaILr_O5xADdnum_gyL69w/s400/A80-MK2+8+Track.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320490010642684738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Multipista Studer de 8 tracks</span></span><br /><br /></div>La cinta original de 1 pulgada se perdió en los trajines de la vida escolar y debo decir que cuando la busqué y no la encontré, lamenté muchísimo no haberla asegurado antes. La grabación que se conserva es la mezcla estereo.<br /><br />Dada mi poca experiencia, creo que el resultado fue sorprendentemente bueno, debido en buena medida a la gran calidad musical de todos los integrantes del grupo, ya que todo se llevó a cabo en una sola sesión y con tomas únicas. Y después, en la mezcla, gracias a la puntual supervisión de Giovanni y de Malanga.<br /><br />En esos momentos no le dí demasiada importancia al asunto, se trataba simplemente de apoyar con mucho gusto a Elio, pues la música era para “Quién baila aquí”, el documental que estaba realizando en ese momento, y a Yoruba Andabo, es decir, a un grupo que representaba para mi todo aquello de maravilloso que había encontrado en las calles y los solares de Centro Habana. </blockquote><br />SIGUE ELIO:<br /><br />Hoy mucha gente conoce esta grabación—hay quien incluso le ha sacado provecho económico no habiendo invertido en esto otro esfuerzo que el de hacer muchas copias piratas—sin conocer en cambio su historia y lo que este amigo arriesgó por conseguirla, ya que cuando la dirección de la escuela supo de su osadía quiso tomar represalias disciplinarias contra él.<br /><br />Por suerte todo quedó en amenazas. En cuanto a mí, me prohibieron volver entrar a las instalaciones de la escuela. Con un nombre en la lista negra, o más bien en la relación de negros indeseables, sería suficiente para tranquilizar sus conciencias burocráticas blancas.<br /><br />Aquel original grupo ¨Yoruba Andabo¨ estaba formado por obreros del puerto de La Habana, la mayoría de los cuales ya están fallecidos.<br /><br />Lo integraban:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Chan [Juan Campos Cárdenas]<br /></div>Giovanni [del Pino]<br />[Pedro Celestino] Fariñas<br />"Pancho Kinto"†<br />"El Chori" [Jacinto Scull Castillo]†<br />Callabas [Calixto Callava]†<br />Marino [Justo Marino Garcia]†<br />"El Chiqui" [Ricardo Campos Lastra]<br />"Palito" [Orlando Lage Bouza]<br /><br />y el director musical era entonces "Malanga" [Rolando Rodriguez Oliva]†, el otro, es decir, el percusionista de la orquesta Jorrín, no el legendario rumbero de Matanzas [José Rosario Oviedo], que en paz descansen los dos.<br /><br />Fue aquello puro jazz, puro swing, suave sentimiento "manana" la sesión en el estudio de San Tranquilino, aun con los notables "defectos" propios de un grupo aun no era profesional.<br /><br />Escuchándolo hoy día, puedo evocar aquellos momentos....<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FmFm-HIiGo30uG_NJzLTSAF0euJ6eOjq4kGBBcjK6MrNNKdiI9zpMRHRla4R-S4bRtK21DRFOt3stsM04I6iCmnI7vojQkknjj9LKFcGKZAILriWy7PxS-Aylq5HJmpPA62dEw/s1600-h/Pancho+Quinto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FmFm-HIiGo30uG_NJzLTSAF0euJ6eOjq4kGBBcjK6MrNNKdiI9zpMRHRla4R-S4bRtK21DRFOt3stsM04I6iCmnI7vojQkknjj9LKFcGKZAILriWy7PxS-Aylq5HJmpPA62dEw/s200/Pancho+Quinto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322718318153805858" border="0" /></a>Veo a Pancho Kinto con el único diente que reinaba en sus despobladas encías, pegando lo mismo el cajón, que el suelo, que un cencerro, con una cuchara, utensilio éste que nunca otra vez vi y escuché utilizar de forma tan mágica.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-PclsxgfN2Jp5DGae5Hh5GWJNBs6Gq0LbE62bIDWuEKTGM6DAFx5n3IWLWQSrMqnGWIWRg1yxMTZZqlszU690TSY7H5OSensPLog2tEmK42SrKa-cZnNLMkmGx0qPpnUMVMqyg/s1600-h/Chor%C3%AD.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-PclsxgfN2Jp5DGae5Hh5GWJNBs6Gq0LbE62bIDWuEKTGM6DAFx5n3IWLWQSrMqnGWIWRg1yxMTZZqlszU690TSY7H5OSensPLog2tEmK42SrKa-cZnNLMkmGx0qPpnUMVMqyg/s200/Chor%C3%AD.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322718540112468978" border="0" /></a>A "El Chori", con los ojos cerrados, metido en el entretejido del ritmo, buscando el lugar donde colocar exacto el toque que, seguido de otros, hacen del kinto un instrumento semejante al drums en el jazz, al momento de interpretar los solos en una reducida superficie de quince centímetros cuadrados (porque a fin de cuentas la rumba es el auténtico jazz cubano y no en balde fue un rumbero cubano como Chano Pozo quien hizo patente dicho parentesco).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusrcjIg1NkuMuS986CqW52BhfOULEwEbUkf-EIhhexVBJMrHDLlwARNH_-sLq4rC2PM3-jmSN2Y5z35tSu0gm80aNdIgWcOUyN4sCo5RhY-LiaJi5-QZvnmpdRHIYI28rQ6TDWg/s1600-h/giovanni.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusrcjIg1NkuMuS986CqW52BhfOULEwEbUkf-EIhhexVBJMrHDLlwARNH_-sLq4rC2PM3-jmSN2Y5z35tSu0gm80aNdIgWcOUyN4sCo5RhY-LiaJi5-QZvnmpdRHIYI28rQ6TDWg/s200/giovanni.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322720106418903026" border="0" /></a>A Giovanni, líder del grupo, lo veo también, haciendo las voces y llevando las claves con métrica implacable.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lwBl-Lc5AqKJiv4KG9SiMBdlawX49RXjr4sN6pybHGGBSE1oj06MjwM4oJvXmo9DtnphH1qGZoYhYr9YzoW2NVRmNnyyXAtbN9sQO_-u_tD6Y3NsYuJ7YQulpy39-sxRYtCJYA/s1600-h/chan.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lwBl-Lc5AqKJiv4KG9SiMBdlawX49RXjr4sN6pybHGGBSE1oj06MjwM4oJvXmo9DtnphH1qGZoYhYr9YzoW2NVRmNnyyXAtbN9sQO_-u_tD6Y3NsYuJ7YQulpy39-sxRYtCJYA/s200/chan.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322719388850808930" border="0" /></a>A Chan, poniendo un tono aguardientoso a sus intervenciones vocales, por momentos surrealistas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEK2srUIthvDSoKFUpF62cTYlK8yo4D9bnUg2q9giUrNKDmkJ97vV67hP4UYta4la8YIwowV9H3zJDktRHj-untO2uzUEMY2yIYuXbQY8ODPBmZQK84BTbYEm8AALFavgHUfIAg/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEK2srUIthvDSoKFUpF62cTYlK8yo4D9bnUg2q9giUrNKDmkJ97vV67hP4UYta4la8YIwowV9H3zJDktRHj-untO2uzUEMY2yIYuXbQY8ODPBmZQK84BTbYEm8AALFavgHUfIAg/s200/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322726451912778562" border="0" /></a>Al sonriente Fariñas, lo mismo si hacía un solo de voz que si participaba en el coro.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeb_TSIcBeEkpF7OdWyTSkL1nxJ8uvGYtap5znJ_cy-mAuJ-C2yUamaECT1TU1QdYXuu44iZp0kj5f9GdagsKBkh7IcuNU2ceSIpPG0WhoyBXACb9jJ7tNpo3y_z3SnPMSnaOOw/s1600-h/Callava+Calixto+2a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeb_TSIcBeEkpF7OdWyTSkL1nxJ8uvGYtap5znJ_cy-mAuJ-C2yUamaECT1TU1QdYXuu44iZp0kj5f9GdagsKBkh7IcuNU2ceSIpPG0WhoyBXACb9jJ7tNpo3y_z3SnPMSnaOOw/s200/Callava+Calixto+2a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322726809975040658" border="0" /></a>Al inolvidable Calixto Callabas, un clásico él mismo, de la elegancia y de la composición de boleros y rumbas, con una voz inconfundible, en la que se percibe la debilidad que en la misma le provocaba el cáncer de pulmón que ya padecía. <span style="font-style: italic;">[Calixto Callava falleció un año y medio despues, 19 de diciembre 1990. - Ed.]</span><br /><br />Lo bonito que tiene esta cinta quizá es que se trata de una rumba muy cercana a la que estos rumberos tocaban casi a diario a la salida del trabajo en el puerto, ya fuese sobre el mostrador de la barra del ¨Two Brothers¨, o con las gavetas de algún mueble del cuarto del solar donde cualquiera de ellos vivía.<br /><br />Debido a las circunstancias clandestinas de esta producción, no hubo oportunidad de repetir tomas. Todos los tracks son "Toma 1". La inigualable particularidad que tiene la rumba de cajón es que se puede armar con cualquier cosa que suene si se le pega. El capot de un coche podría servir, lo mismo que una cazuela vacía. El cajón fue, en su momento, un sustituto del tambor – cuando este fue prohibido por las autoridades españolas – y terminó siendo una modalidad en sí mismo.<br /><br />Así pues, que en honor a los caídos (Ibaé) que están presentes en esa cinta, me parece muy bien que la pongas a disposición de todos aquellos amantes de la rumba que la quieran bajar de tu página y coleccionar gratis. Es lo menos que podemos hacer para conjurar la inescrupulosa piratería de cualquiera que crea tener más derecho que los demás. Que sea para disfrute y beneficio de todos.<br /><br />Gracias por tu esfuerzo en divulgar la rumba y apoyar a los rumberos cubanos dentro de la isla. Lo necesitan. Es estimulante para mi percibir el amor que le tienes a este género de la música cubana.<br /><br />Sinceramente,<br /><br /><span>Elio Ruiz</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw11CAhSugB0foyWOzrZjQXIfN6V4Ej1YfkM2gG4E9YrHVyiSiUChh66WlNQYp14LWheqX04ijN-XwASpSFu_ZLxjUnziOlrqfbu-kDXMR4GyGY2hdQ2MiQ74bmtUKXryYDOJRA/s1600-h/elio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiw11CAhSugB0foyWOzrZjQXIfN6V4Ej1YfkM2gG4E9YrHVyiSiUChh66WlNQYp14LWheqX04ijN-XwASpSFu_ZLxjUnziOlrqfbu-kDXMR4GyGY2hdQ2MiQ74bmtUKXryYDOJRA/s200/elio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323575232168697026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/eliobernardo">Elio Ruiz</a> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">es un cineasta cubano que vive en los Estados Unidos. Ha escrito para el teatro, la televisión, el cine y los medios de comunicación impresos. Ha participado en producciones de Alemania, Cuba, Mexico y Estados Unidos. Además, él ha enseñado el teatro, talleres de escritura de guiones, y ha sido un entrenador que actúa para varias instituciones, incluida la de Cuba Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión, la Universidad Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC conocido como) , el Instituto Lumière, la Universidad Cuauhtémoc de Puebla, y Cinecipac, Mexico. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Como guionista, cineasta y productor, fue reconocido con varios premios nacionales e internacionales y menciones honoríficas en las categorías de Documental y Documental Mini Series, incluyendo el "Caracol" Premio de Cuba de la Escritora y Artista Unión (UNEAC). En 1989 y 1990, recibió el "Coral" en La Habana el Premio Festival Internacional de Cine Documental de Miniserie y Documental, respectivamente. Además, ha recibido el "Pitirre" Premio de Cine de San Juan, Puerto Rico Film Festival, para el mejor productor y director de documentales "Quien Baila Aquí (la rumba sin lentejuelas)", "¿Quién Baila Aquí (la rumba sin spangles)". </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Su escritura creativa y periodística se ha publicado en Cuba, Mexico, España, Argentina y Estados Unidos. Actualmente, está trabajando en varios proyectos nuevos.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Se está preparando una película documental sobre la diáspora de los boxeadores profesionales de Cuba y ex Campeón Mundial de Boxeo Azúcar Ramos (miembro de la Internacional de Boxeo Salón de la Fama en Canastota, el Estado de Nueva York). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 20 º aniversario de la versión bilingüe de "Quién Baila Aquí" estará disponible en breve. La banda sonora se incluirán como bonus CD.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNhSJxNoOd-P5_z7ETtk7Ucos0CD4aOA_bsusazBMgriMWZ1Oo_Amg6WnQPXHHntCJf1g6Std97IIcm6bu3wo0uI9_EpgtYkIsGm4dTuCc6U1GTJNIPaXXEUyeJEr5JWpSsdbHw/s1600-h/8-Samuel-Larson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNhSJxNoOd-P5_z7ETtk7Ucos0CD4aOA_bsusazBMgriMWZ1Oo_Amg6WnQPXHHntCJf1g6Std97IIcm6bu3wo0uI9_EpgtYkIsGm4dTuCc6U1GTJNIPaXXEUyeJEr5JWpSsdbHw/s200/8-Samuel-Larson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321630732290507154" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0489086/"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Samuel Larson Guerra</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> nace en la Ciudad de México en 1963. En 1982 ingresa a la Escuela Nacional de Música. De 1984 a 1986 trabaja en la Cineteca Nacional en el Departamento de Documentación e Investigación. De 1987 a 1990 realiza estudios cinematográficos en la Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV) en Cuba.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Desde 1991 trabaja profesionalmente en cine como Diseñador de Sonido y como Editor. También ha incursionado en la composición de música original para cine.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Trabajó como Editor de la serie documental para televisión Mujeres y Poder - Premio Nacional de Periodismo 2000 a mejor serie documental televisiva.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Ha impartido cursos y talleres de sonido y montaje cinematográficos en diversas escuelas e instituciones de México y el extranjero desde 1991 a la fecha.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Es Miembro Activo de la Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas desde agosto de 2008.</span>Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090523419649982826noreply@blogger.com5