The Clave Chronicles

Rebecca is joined by DJ Garo, one of the curators of a recently released compilation called Cuban Beat and Fantasia (1970-1980), relatively unknown fusion styles from the 1970s. Raised in the Cuban hip hop scene of the 1990s, Garo and fellow DJ/producer AfroQbano went "diggin in the crates" to find these rare beat and fantasia records, which fused Cuban popular music with Black American styles like funk and jazz. Songs played: El Bailador de mi Cuba, Grupo Candombe K1, Grupo VC Sol...

Raúl Fernandez joins Rebecca again to pay tribute to one of Cuba's greatest congueros, Carlos "Patato" Valdés, in honor of the centenary of his birth. Songs played: La Conga del Casino, Conjunto Casino Cuban Patato Chip, Herbie Mann Descarga Cubana, Cal Tjader Dilo Como Yo, Patato y Totico La Comparsa, Bebo Valdés Send us Fan Mail Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! If you like this podcast, please h...

We're remembering Willie Colón, the pioneering Nuyorican trombonist who was a key figure in the rise of Fania Records and New York-based salsa. Marisol Negrón, author of Made in NuYoRico: Fania Records, Latin Music, and Salsa’s Nuyorican Meanings, joins Rebecca to discuss Colón's contributions, collaborations with Hector Lavoe, and his complex legacy as an artist whose politics were seemingly at odds with the persona he created, "El Malo," early on in his career. Songs played: "El Malo" "Cant...

Ethnomusicologist Ben Lapidus joins Rebecca again to discuss the life and legacy of Cuban pianist Lilí Martínez Griñan, a Guantanamero who joined Arsenio Rodriguez's band in the 1940s and quickly became his right-hand man in terms of composition and arranging. Lapidus is the editor of a new anthology in Spanish, El hombre y su música: Lilí Martínez Griñán. Songs played: Tumba Palo Cucuyé, Arsenio Rodriguez y Su Conjunto Mira...Cuidadito, Arsenio Rodriguez y Su Conjunto Cero Guapos en Yatera...

Ethnomusicologist Robin Moore joins Rebecca to discuss the subject of his forthcoming book, Violín: Mediating Musical Style and Devotional Practice in 21st-Century Cuba. As music used to accompany ceremonies for the ancestors and orishas, violines have been growing in recent decades in Cuba, and are an example of an increasingly hybrid musical approach to worship in Cuba. Songs played (all by Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas except where noted): Ave Maria Plegaria a Obbatalá Two versions of S...