Album Recommendation: Son
V.A. / Raices: Roots of Buena Vista

1.Buena Vista Social Club
2.Veinte As
3.Amor de Loca Juventud
4.Chan Chan
5.Dos Gardenias
6.Carretero
7.Pueblo Nuevo

8.Y TQuHas Hecho?
9.Como Siento Yo
10.Bayamesa
11.Cuarto de Tula
12.De Camino a la Vereda
13.Murmullo
14.Ay, Candela


History of Cuban - Page 2


3. Emerge of Son~ 1930s

Son embodies the Cuban music: till today, it has been a base of Cuban music, not only a mere musical genre.
Its origin is not sure because of many hypothesis: as music, it began in Oriente region in the end of the 19th century, fusioning various music (like other Cuban music). Son spreaded to the entire island after swapping of Cuban stationed army troops in Havana and in Oriente (it was done in order to avert conspiracies).
Originally Son was a music to play by ear- it had no specific form. Gradually it has formed its musical style: antipacion (off-beat rhythmical part) commences a song, and an octosyllabic theme sung by two male singers (or one female singer) comes, then refrain part. Today they usually add montuso, an improvisation part, after refrain.

Popularization of radio and U.S. record companys' interest toward Cuban music contributed to the world-wide diffusion of son, as well as that of rumba or guaracha. The indepencende of Cuba in 1902 fastened these two countries, which were already tied closely.

During 1920s sexteto became popular son group format: two singers (tenor and baritone. Baritone part is called claves, and played also maracas), tres (or guitar), bass, bongo, and guiro.
In the late 1920s septeto, adding trumpet to sexteto, became popular format. This trumpet played melody, and after break by trumpet, refrain part came to be inserted.

One of the famous early son groups is Agrupacion Bolona, formed by Alfred Bolona. This group, which changed format to septeto in the late 20s, became world-wide famous group, and played tour in New York, Venezuela, and so on.

The son fever peaked in the 1920s-1930s. Septeto habanero (formed by Guillermo Castillo), Septeto Occidene (formed by Maria Tereza Vera and Ignacio Peneiro) and Sexteto Nacional are big group in those days. Septeto habanero and Sexteto Nacional still play as permanent group (by changing its members)- their songs are loved by Cuban people as classical piece. Also, we have to note Maria Tereza Vera of Septeto Occidene - she was the first Cuban femal singer who won international reputation.

In the 1930s they began to use piano and conga began for son music. From the end of 1930s Arsenio Rodriguez used these instruments in his own group, and he added 3 trumpet players to his group . This format, conjunto , became the base of salsa format in the 1960s.
Charanga, which evolved from danzon in the 1920s was another format which influenced to later salsa- piano, wood flute, violin, bass, timbales, and guiro (replaced by maracas later).


4. 1940s~1950s (Golden age of Cuban music)

Batista took Cuban power in 1934 by coup d'etat. During his rule, U.S. (and mafia) investigated to Cuba: these capital changed Havana into one of the most famous fleshpots of the world in the 1940s-1950s. Singers and players performed in countless nightclubs, do jam sessions in cafeterias thoughout the city, U.S. record companies release Cuban songs internationally, and radio stations (in the 1930s, there were already 30, only in Havana).
Cuban music got sophisticated in such conditions: then the golden age came.

Birth of Mambo
Antonio Arcano started to divide montuno (improvisation part in danzon) into motuno itself and mambo (short unison riff part, with cowbell acccent), and started to play with double tempo. They calld this as nuevo ritmo- the new rhythm. This rhythm was totally innovative: they can insert mambo part as they like, with the cue from Arcano. Their song "Mambo" (1938), made with this rhythm, is said to be the very first mambo, in spite of the fact this song was danzon.
Damaso Perez Prado firmed up mambo to a musical genre in the 1950s. He brought jazz/ big band/ U.S. popular music elements to danzon, and added drum, trumpet, saxophone to form his own big band. His group and the mambo music are known for many hit tunes such as "Mambo No.5".

Uprise of Cha-cha-cha
Arcano's group had stable popularity in the 1940s with their nueno ritmo. The 1950s saw new players on the music scene- new rhythm cha-cha-cha, and Orquesta Aragon.
Cha-cha-cha, named after the shuffle of the feet by dancer, became in fashion with the song "La enganadora", written by Enrique Jorrin. This music was very familiar to people: easy to dance (tempo was slower than mambo, and rhythm was 4 times), and easy to listen to the melody (melody itself tended to be unison). The popularity of cha-cha-cha made people- not only in Cuba, also in overseas- form charanga groups.
Cha-cha-cha fever continued till the end of 1950s. Even now Orquesta Aragon plays all over the world, as musical ambassador of Cuba.

Son update
In this period son got more sophisticated. Conjunto format replaced traditional sexteto or septeto, and they started to play with big band style/ combo style (of course, influenced by jazz). The tempo came to be faster.
Among many groups, Arsenio Rodriguez, the one who formed conjunto group first, played vividly as if he foresaw mambo, with his diablo rhythm, that he invented from congo one.
Conjunto Modelo, Estrellas de Chocolate, and La Sonora Matancera were representative son groups in this period.


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