Owner: Cubanocast URL:http://www.nelsonguirado.com/index.php/cubanocast Join Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 20:01:28 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Classic Cuban music is qualitatively competitive with any music from the previous century, yet few outlets exist to hear it. Well, here's one. Site statistics:Click here
Rita Montaner 2007-05-13 07:49:14 The quickest way to make my wife leave (if I ever wanted to do such a thing) would be to play a Rita Montaner
song. Annoying, chirpy, unique, wonderful; what can I say? I love it! I'll put on some more Rita later this week.
Joseito Fernandez Guantanamera 2007-05-13 07:36:47 The original is here
Here's a great but short video of him singing. Man! He must have sung that a million times. Only Glenn Campbell has sung the same song more times.
Complete lyrics below from some place that calls it a "song of peace." I guess.
=> Read more! Read more:Fernandez
Los Barbudos Tumbao All-Starts 2007-05-09 14:13:24
This excellent CD is from 1959. In January of that year, optimism and uncertainty accompanied every Cuban as he walked along the beautiful countryside or teeming Havana. Fulgencio Batista had just decided that his position was no longer tenable as he lost support from the United States who had decided to refuse him any way of acquiring arms as well as most Cubans who wanted cleaner government. "Los Barbudos" or the "bearded ones" led by the suitably unshorn Fidel Castro easily filled the vacuum in the politically abandoned capital. It was only later that Castro declared his intention to "progress" Cuba to the state it's in now.
The songs on this album provide one with the optimism prevalent in the beginning of the revolution like the song here. Other songs are called things like "land reform." The Tumbao All-Stars was a group truly worthy of the name. It featured top-notch musicians like Orestes Lopez and R. Azpiazu. If you have any interest in Cuban music, Jazz, Swing, or anythi
Anselmo Sacasas Acabaste 2007-05-07 05:35:02
It's 1943 and war rages across three continents. Millions of soldiers lay lifeless across battlefields. Many millions more innocents suffer, for in this war, more than in any preceding it, professional warriors share its horrors with civilians; with unprecedented efficiency and without moral restraints of any kind, nations purposely slaughter whole populations-in many cases targeting those within their own borders.
In Cuba, however, Anselmo Sacasas sits down at his piano and writes the happiest song he can compose. Perhaps the relative calm in Cuba at this time combined with Cuba's mostly spectatorial role in World War II eases Sacasas' mind.
Whatever the reason, enjoy. The album is good too.
Listen
1942-1944
Great Roberto Faz video 2007-05-03 06:38:25 Wow! I love this. A guaracha is a type of Cuban son. It's a little hard to pinpoint what makes a guaracha different from other types of son, but basically it's a little jauntier than the average son and usually contained funny or why lyrics. Roberto
Faz specialized in this type of "fun" music. This video
features a good example of guaracha. Faz was one of the best white soneros in Cuba.
Read more:Great
Tocando Madera Bienvenido Grande and the Sonora Matancera 2007-04-30 04:45:20
Notable for its stop-start rhythm and its wood knocking effect, "Tocando Madera" is one of the better Sonora
Matancera songs from the prolific, but lesser known (compared to Celia Cruz), Bienvenido Granda. "Tocando" also deals with Cubans' superstitious nature in a humorous manner. "Tocando Madera" or knocking on wood, does mean the same in Cuban culture as it does to Americans. In the song, the man is frustrated because his wife is afraid of almost everybody they meet including the female witch doctor, "brujera"
The album features many such songs from its less famous singers including Myrta Silva, the woman replaced by Celia Cruz, and a rare collaboration with Miguelito Valdez.
Listen to song
50 Anos De La Sonora Matancera Read more:Grande
Anselmo Sacasas Llora 2007-04-26 05:05:11 The most consistently funny of Cuban performers, Anselmo Sacasas was leader of the great Casino de la Playa orquestra, one of the most popular pre-war bands in Cuba. He had a strong, raspy voice and, of course, his band played at the highest levels. What set him apart was his clowning humor. Here he complains to his wife that no matter what he buys her, she cries (lloras). The humor comes from the list of things he buys- from a pair glasses, shoes, and dresses to false teeth, and permanents- as well as his general attitude.
Listen to Llora
Memories of Cuba, 1937-1944
Antonio Machin El Manisero The Peanut Vendor 2007-04-25 05:22:30 One of my top-five favorite Cuban performers singing the second best-known Cuban song (after Guantanamera). OK, maybe he's not as spry here as one could hope, but, still, it's great to see one of the building blocks of Cuban music in action (slow-motion action), and his voice sounded good well into his maturity. No doubt his smooth, non-shouting style had a lot to do with it.
Lyrics below:
=> Read more! Read more:Antonio
, Peanut
, Vendor
Oldest Cuban recording? Unknown from Orquesta Felipe Valdes 2007-04-23 00:38:19 Can anybody find an older Cuban
record than this song from Orquesta Felipe Valdes
? It was recorded in 1909 on wax-real wax, guys. My grandfather was nine years old and still in Spain. The president was William Taft. Keith Richards had just died and embarked on his Wight-haunt of England (just kidding). The surprising thing about unknown is that it's not only old, it's good! The lilting rhythm and solid playing make this song a gem. The liner noted say it was recorded at a festival of some sorts.
Listen
Music of Cuba: 1909-1951 Read more:Unknown
Rita Montaner La Chismosa 2007-05-15 10:54:37 This is the biggest gamble with Asymmetric since I predicted Sanjaya would win American Idol, for by featuring this song by Rita Montaner
, I risk losing my entire blog audience. Anthropologists and Latin-American studies majors may find this song an interesting cultural artifact. Some may actually agree with me and think it's a good song. Most, however, will probably find La Chismosa annoying. I especially fear the reaction from my Cuban and Cuban-American brothers, as it may disinter some unpleasant memories. Or, perhaps, if they listen at work, they may feel they've gone home a couple of hours early.
Those of you who don't speak Spanish, good! A chismosa is a gossip. Here she protests being labeled a gossip while, at the same time, of course, demonstrating her adeptness at the accused offense.
I love Rita's chirpiness. Her high soprano breaks constantly and offers an odd tone, but it's still strong and contains a thrilling, effortless vibrato. She represents a more mainstrea
Antonio Machin- Genius 2007-05-17 14:29:46 Antonio Machin was one of the most consistently brilliant Cuban artists. At turns funny and profound, Machin's music never fails to amaze. I have over one hundred of his songs and even as plumb the depths of his catalog, he's never disappointed me. I'd categorize a third of his songs as being indispensable to the Cuban music fan. Here's one from my latest acquisition. The rest of the songs are at least as good. This one's called "El Rio Cuyaguateje O Entrada Por la Estrechura." This is a profound one.
Listen
1935 Cuarteto & Septeto Read more:Antonio
Los Van Van El Baile de Buey Cansado 2007-05-20 22:48:29 Taking a break from the old stuff for a while, let's move on a few years to the eighties. Los Van Van is probably the most popular band from the post-revolutionary era. I love their sound and their music is often long and complex, involving large numbers of instruments and varying tempos, almost presenting the songs in movements. This one is a cream puff, however. It's basically just a dance song, and is, as one would expect, a booty-shaker. It also has a distinctive bass part. Buey Cansado
was remade by the talentless cover band Garibaldi, although Garibaldi definitely made better posters.
Listen
The Best of Los Van Van
Garibaldi Read more:Baile
Pre-Revolutionary economic reporting from Cuba Arsenio Rodriguez-Pobre mi Cuba 2007-05-25 15:00:16 The "socially conscious" "Pobre mi Cuba" which basically laments the state of Cuba in pre-revolutionary Cuba. To alert the listener to Cuba's then-current state of affairs, it offers a laundry list of Cuban problems mostly centering on the price of various crops. Its languid, start-stop beat is interesting and features a good horn as well as the "tres," a guitar with three sets of two strings (6 total).
The blind Arsenio was one of the cornerstones of Cuban son. His music was deeper than the normal happy-dance-romantic music of his contemporaries. In this way, Arsenio's music resembled the reflective themes of guajiro music. Chano Pozo, the conga player recommended to Dizzie Gillespie, also played with Arsenio.
Listen
Dundunbanza 1946-1951 Read more:Revolutionary
, Rodriguez
Caribbean songs for Memorial Day- Beny More and Daniel Santos 2007-05-28 05:24:31 Throughout our history, Hipanics have participated in America's wars, fighting and dying alongside their fellow Americans, performing, as a group, excellently, and earning more than their fair share of decorations.
I've had the pleasure to work with many Puerto Rican soldiers during my time in the Army. I was able to find a couple of songs
that serve as a musical testament to their sacrifice.
DanielSantos
was the most popular Puerto Rican performer of his time. He had a wonderful baritone that would effortlessly slide into and out of phrases in a uniquely languid slur. He himself did not serve, but he captured the relationship many soldiers have with the bugle in "El Corneta," or the Bugle. Those who have served understand the feeling of being roused out of sleep by that infernal instrument.
Listen
I've used the next song "Despedida" to good effect both to elicit tears from my mother and...umm...a different reaction from my wife. It's about a soldier getting ready to deploy Read more:Caribbean
, Memorial
Objective music quality assessment applied to Cuban Music of the pre-revolutionary era 2007-05-27 02:02:31 What follows is my roundabout way to back up the claim I’ve made before that Cuban
music of the pre-revolutionary period is qualitatively comparable to the best non-Cuban music from the same era (post-revolutionary Cuban music is good too, but I'd have to advance a different argument).
In order to back up such a claim, I'd have to use more than my opinion. I would first need to establish an objective criteria and then show that Cuban music would rate as high according to that criteria as music contemporary to it. One possible way to rate music is through units sold. I think this is generally reliable, as many of the best artists also happened to be very popular. I'm thinking of the Beatles, Elvis, Prince, among many chart toppers. Of course, the issue with the units sold criteria is that the music expert gets as many votes as the 13 year old girl with a crush on Leif Garrett*(do girls still like him? My sister did). And, this method would rate Brittney Spears over just about Read more:Objective
, applied
, Cuban Music
Que Bueno Baila Ud. Beny More 2007-05-29 07:55:04 I started a forum on Cuban and Caribbean music that one day may be popular. One of the members expressed admiration for the song Que Bueno Baila
Ud. which was apparently covered by Oscar D'Leon. It happens to be one of my favorite Beny More songs and I thought it would be a good one to showcase today.
Beny's in great voice here, really exploring the limits of his range. What makes the song one of his best, however, is that his band stretches out as well. The song has a jam session/descarga feel, as each instrument can easily be differentiated from the others. The piano comes first with followed by a wonderful, low saxophone, and then the trumpet has an extended solo. All the while, the band swings from wall to wall. The trumpet solo by Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros who opens the not-great movie "Lost City" is a thing of beauty and probably the best example of Jazz soloing in a non-instrumental Cuban song. Think of "Que Bueno Baila Ud." as a gateway drug to Cuban music for people w
Sacasas- Comparsa de Payasos-Good song for bilingual political commentary 2007-06-03 14:21:49 As tempting as it is to make a political
joke-especially with debate season upon us-with "La Comparsa de los Payasos" or The Dance of the Clowns, I've promised to keep Cubanocast politics-free and will therefore refrain. That doesn't stop you from doing so, however, so knock yourselves out.
This song is a mess but in a good way. It's a conga, definitely, with it's 1-2-3-kick beat. The piano and singing are both effective and fit the overall theme of the song which is... I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with the importance of punctuality in entertainment. Comparsa's start-stop periods and the fact that the writers tire of lyrics, apparently, and just begin to argue, give it a high whimsy factor.
Listen
Guiro, Bongo & Maraccas Read more:commentary
Barbarito Diez La Mora Danzones from a decent era. 2007-06-08 23:43:28 My first permanent teaching job was at Gompers Middle School in Los Angeles on Imperial and Main. It was a tough school and although I can’t say I loved teaching there, I look back on my experience with some fondness. One of those positive memories includes my befriending of a Cuban guidance counselor whom I eventually came to consider a mentor of sorts. He was a nice man and I remember that he had a peaceful attitude towards life and even towards Cuban politics which made him a rare Cuban indeed.
When I offered to make him a Cuban music cassette (this was 1994 and cd-burners must have cost thousands of dollars if they were available at all), he asked me if I had any Barbarito Diez. I don’t remember whether I had it at the time or if I had to acquire it, but he eventually ended up with a Diez tape and I fell in love with Barbarito’s music.
El Señor Del Danzón
Barbarito combined the delicate, upper-crust rhythm of the socially acceptable Danzon, lyri
Ernesto Lecuona-Esther Borja-Bola de Nieve 1938 2007-06-10 11:15:47 Another Ernesto
Lecuona. Here he plays the fantastic Malaguena. More Spanish than Afro and more formal than popular, Malaguena is the best of Cuban light classical.
My father told me two things about Ernesto Lecuona. First, that he was ambidextrous and second, that he was ambis... well let's just say that Esther
Borja felt no need to lock her dressing room door when Ernesto was around (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The director of this video went on to become the greatest ever voice-dub artist in Kung-Fu film history.
Lecuona Cuban Boys-Oye mi Rumba 2007-06-09 10:49:02 Babalu put this up a link to this video.
Ernesto Lecuona was the greatest Cuban
composer. He straddled the line between classical and popular with such pieces as "Siboney." I don't know what, exactly, the Lecuona Cuban Boys had to do with Ernesto Lecuona, but they were the most popular Cuban band from the thirties up to World War II-in Europe. Think of them as the David Hasselhoff of Cuban music-more popular overseas than in their native land.
The performance is good in a Ricky Ricardo sort of way. Oh, and he plays guitar with his teeth.
Runidera by Orquesta Reve and Anselmo Sacasas 2007-06-18 21:51:45 OK. Let's have some fun. In a previous post, I held that one way to objectively rate the quality of music was to measure its impact outside of its immediate audience base. One can debate the previous premise, but who can doubt that the sure-fire way to measure the worth of a particular tune is to see how many times it's been remade? With that in mind, the next few posts will feature at least two versions of the same song.
Today, we'll start with La Runidera (what's the symbol for the squigly "n?"). I have two performances. The first is by Anselmo Sacasas from the eventful year, 1943. The other version is Orquesta Reve from the eighties, although I can't find the exact year at this time.
I've noticed that the old Cuban standards continue to be made over and over by modern Cuban bands. It could be hero-worship, nostalgia, or, perhaps, creative exhaustion, but that's a question for later. Both albums are great, though the Reve gets a little repetitive. Either way, enjoy:
Lis
Cuban Music trubute to Fathers (Papis) 2007-06-17 16:53:18 Happy Father's Day
I thought I'd pay a Cuban
music tribute to fathers. Not as numerous as tributes to mothers (such is a father's lot in life), Cuban songs dedicated to fathers exist.
This first one is only one that can be considered a proper tribute to fatherhood. It's Beny More singing to his father. Beny's father deserves some kind of recognition for fathering Beny and Beny's 17 siblings. You have to buy the Beny box if you want to own it.
Grabaciones Completas 1953-1960
Listen
The next two songs have "papa" in them, but they don't refer to any Earthly father, but a "Papa Boco" some kind of Santeria god that I couldn't find reference to at the time of writing. One is by some guy I don't know, but is on the same album as Celia Cruz. The other is by the great guajiro duo Celina y Reutilio. You must own both albums.
Listen to Celina
Listen to "Celia"
Cantos de Cuba
La Irresistible: 15 Top Hits 1946-1950
Introducing, for the first time of Cubanocast, El Gran Combo. Read more:Music
, Fathers
, Cuban Music
Buena Vista and Portabales- El Carretero 2007-06-21 23:44:33 The BuenaVista
Social Club was a true phenomenon. It's sold a ton of recor...umm..sorry, cds, and introduced millions of people to Cuban music. Instead of snobbishly berating the public for coming to the party late or reminding you that I've known about it far longer (really only 10 years), I'll just say that the songs from the album are very good and some scenes in the movie were hilarious, especially the one where one of the guys looks upon the statue of liberty for the first time in forty years.
Carretero is a great guajira. Guajira is like Cuban country music. Guitar driven and as Spanish as Afro, it will definitely surprise people who only know of the Salsa kind of Cuban. Like American country music, the lyrics speak of work and lost loves. A carretero is the guy who drove the cart of sugar cane to market. He worked hard, but could always look forward to his music at the end of his day.
The Buena Vista version is by Eliades Ochoa. The older version is by Guillermo Portabal
Rolando Laserie: Dejame en Paz 2007-06-24 18:17:21 Combining my two favorite things, Cuban music and fine dining, I found this youtube video of particular interest. Rolando Laserie played bongos in Beny More's bad before going solo in the late fifties. He was a good singer and song stylist, but since all of his songs were remakes of either Argentinian tangos, Mexican songs, or those of his compatriots, I hesitate to seat him at the table of the Beny Mores or Arsenio Rodriguez.'
I don't know if he originated the saying "de pelicula," (from the movies; as in, "That would only happen in the movies"), but he popularized it. My father used to use that phrase often.
15 Grandes Exitos de Rolando Laserie
Casino de la Playa, Cascarita, and blackface 2007-06-24 05:57:30 Interesting for both the music and the sociological gold to be mined, this video rates as a must-view for Cuban music aficionados.
Casino
de la Playa was one of the three of four greatest Cuban music acts of the pre-communist era. Here they play in Al Jolson style black face. I don't know if such a practice was common in Cuba or if they were mugging for a foreign audience, but there it is. During this era, Cuba was a both a whiter and a blacker nation as different forces, not least of which was a significant European, Chinese, Jewish, and even Arab immigration, conspired to keep the races more separate. Cubans of mixed heritage were not unusual, however.
Along with the humiliating blackface, the common stereotypes of the era are on display as well.
Most of the Casino de la Playa band members were white, but I know that Cascarita, the lead singer, was black. Yet, here he still wears black face. It seems redundant to me; kind of like if Rosie O'Donnell were to don a fat suit.
Gu
Miguelito Valdez and Rolando Laserie for vintage Cubans 2007-06-24 05:16:57 You can safely skip this post if you're not a Cuban of a certain maturity level. I don't mean to be exclusive, I just don't think you'd find it very interesting. It would be like my son watching an interview with Jon bon Jovi and the guy from Whitesnake in 2015.
I don't know what they heck they're talking about either. Here is MiguelitoValdez
a few years earlier in an outstanding performance of Babalu.
Read more:Cubans
Two Musical Opinions of Fidel Castro-Chepin and Tricoche 2007-06-27 23:10:34 In keeping with the apolitical nature of this section of Asymmetric, I won't comment upon these songs too much except to explain that the first song Canto al Patriota by Orquesta Chepin, who once featured Ibrahim Ferrer of Buena Vista Social Club fame, calls Castro
an Aurora, meaning that they consider him a gift from above, like a star. It was written during the early days of the revolution and demonstrates the hope that many Cubans felt during those heady days. Later songs praise Castro, but I can only count these early ones as having an independent opinion.
For more early Ibrahim Ferrer, click here.
The next song, En cuba no Falta Nada, calls him a maricon. Mariquita means feminine. Since my readers are uniformly intelligent, I don't feel the need to describe further. It's by Hector Tricoche and is in the post-revolutionary Salsa style. the lyrics are below thanks to Babalu blog.
Listen to En Cuban no Falta Nada
Listen to Canto al Patriota
Mi Oriente
Oro Salsero/20 Exitos
Read more:Musical
, Opinions
What Cubans Think of Americans- Musical Evidence 2007-07-05 23:16:43 One can use a nation's artistic output to analyze its prevailing attitudes towards certain issues. An analysis of rap music, for example, may lead one to conclude that "urban youths" find: money and material possessions, whether gained through hard work or other means, to be of paramount importance; feminine modesty or restraint useless; relationships between men and women contentious; and the civil authorities a group to be resisted, mocked, or, at least distrusted.
Country music, on the other hand, evokes patriotism, family, and an appreciation for those with a high degree of sun exposure, especially directly below their chin.
So, I looked through my record collection to see what Cubans
, from the pre-revolutionary era to its contemporary situation, thought or think about Americans
. After all, Cuba, as one might expect from a small nation 90 miles away from the most powerful nation on Earth, has had its fortunes intertwined with the United States or its colonial forerunner for ov Read more:Musical
, Evidence
Recommend Site To A Friend
