The Clave Chronicles

Musicologist Marysol Quevedo joins Rebecca to speak about Cuban art music composers of the mid-20th century, such as Harold Gramatges, Juan Blanco and Argeliers Leon. As she details in her recent book, although their works largely relied on classical music structures and forms, they brought in elements of Cuban popular and folkloric music. Pieces played:Tres preludios a modo de toccata, Harold GramatgesSonata a la Virgen del Cobre, No. 2, Argeliers LeonQuinteto No. 1, Juan BlancoCirkus Toccata, Juan BlancoSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Cuban dancer, musician, and educator Roberto Borrell speaks with Rebecca about his incredibly versatile career, spanning popular and folkloric styles. He talks about growing up hearing the legendary bands of the 1950s like Orquesta Aragón and Chappottín y Sus Estrellas, and attending the Black social clubs that were eliminated in the early years of the Revolution.Songs played:Linda cubana, Orquesta de Antonio Maria RomeuMambo, Arcaño y Sus MaravillasLa engañadora,  Orquesta América de Ninón Mondéjar El bodeguero, Orquesta AragónPare cochero, Orquesta AragónRoberto Borrell dance videos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHSJFOefUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiwhNdxKndYSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Punk cubano emerged during the Special Period crisis, giving young disaffected Cubans an outlet to express their angst and rage, often toward the Cuban government. Carmen Torre Pérez joins Rebecca to speak about the counter-cultural genre and its DIY ethics.Songs played: Jodidos y perdidos, RoturaEres tú, EskoriaAzul, AkupunkturaEsta no es mi puta guerra, EztafilokokoRuido en el sistema, Pólvora SoxialSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

(Rerun of nueva trova episode, first aired in July 2023)Nueva trova is one of the few Cuban genres that is for listening and reflecting instead of dancing - it's sung poetry, much like other Latin American singer-songwriter genres, namely nueva canción. Rebecca has an in-depth conversation with independent scholar and former Cuban diplomat Eva Silot Bravo about the major figures of nueva trova and how it came to be closely identified with the ideology of the Cuban Revolution. The genre's relationship with the government shifted in the wake of the economic crisis of the 1990s, as newer artists began to openly critiqued the preferential treatment given to foreigners, as well as emigrate abroad.Songs played:Pablo Milanés, Mis 22 añosSilvio Rodríguez, Sueño con SerpientesXiomara Laugart, PariaCarlos Varela, Foto de FamiliaGema y Pavel, Se FelizSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Ethnomusicologist and percussionist Johnny Frias joins Rebecca to speak about one of the lesser known Afro-Cuban folkloric practices, the tonada trinitaria, from the central Cuban city of Trinidad. We then delve into the rumba percussion style that has become dominant in recent decades, guarapachangueo, created by a group of brothers from the outskirts of Havana known as Los Chinitos.Songs played:Una corona al General Maceo, Conjunto Folclórico de TrinidadPlegarias, Grupo Abbilona (Los Chinitos)Caridad, Pancho QuintoEl conflictivo, Humo + La Liga RumberaLearn more about guarapachangueo in Rebecca's book: Geographies of Cubanidad: Place, Race and Musical Performance in Contemporary Cuba Support the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Afrocuba de Matanzas is widely considered one of the best preservers of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and dance on the island, but the group also created one of the funkiest and most exciting musical innovations in 1973 when they blended rumba percussion and batá drumming to create batarumba. As the years went on, batarumba became even more complex and versatile, as Afrocuba musicians added in instruments and rhythms from son, Abakuá, Iyesá and adapted the songs of Celia Cruz to a batarumba format.Songs played:Tambor, Afrocuba de MatanzasBaila Mi Guaguancó, Afrocuba de MatanzasCaridad, Afrocuba de MatanzasRinkinkalla, Celia Cruz & Sonora MatanceraRinkinkaya, Ritmo y CantoLearn more about batarumba in Rebecca's book: Geographies of Cubanidad: Place, Race and Musical Performance in Contemporary Cuba Support the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Grammy-nominated percussionist, recording artist and educator Michael Spiro joins Rebecca to speak about his apprenticeship in Matanzas with masters of Afro-Cuban folkloric drumming, differences in drumming styles between Havana and Matanzas, and his innovative recordings, which fuse batá drumming with other Afro-diasporic traditions, such as Brazilian samba, Candomblé, and Zimbabwean mbira music. Songs played:Inspiración a Santiago, Los Muñequitos de MatanzasPara Clave y Guaguancó, Clave y GuaguancóOsain, Michael Spiro & guestsButsu Mutandari/Iyesa, Michael Spiro & guestsMaracambique, Michael Spiro, Joe Galvin & guestsStardust (El Encanto), Michael Spiro,Wayne Wallace & guestsSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Acclaimed pianist/bandleader/composer/author/educator Rebeca Mauleón discusses the long and incredibly versatile career of pianist/composer Chucho Valdés, who founded the groundbreaking jazz fusion group Irakere 50 years ago.  In 2018, Mauleón and Valdés co-authored the book Decoding Afro-Cuban Jazz. In both his Irakere compositions and in his solo career, Valdés has often drawn from Afro-Cuban folkloric music—rumba, batá drumming—for inspiration.Songs played:Misa Negra, IrakereEl Tata Cimarrón, IrakereXiomara, IrakereOchún, Chucho Valdés featuring Regina CarterSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Ethnomusicologist and prolific scholar Peter Manuel joins Rebecca to speak about the many centuries of musical exchange between Cuba and Spain, which birthed genres like the Cuban punto and contributed to the evolution of flamenco in Andalucía. Author and editor of numerous books on Caribbean and Indian popular music, including an important anthology of Cuban musicology, Manuel's newest book is Flamenco Music: History, Forms, Culture. Songs played:Fandango, Antonio SolerControversia, Justo Vega & Adolfo AlfonsoCorazón Tu Eres Mi Amigo, Luis GómezGuajira, Pepe MarchenaJuro Que, RosalíaMe Voy Contigo, Remedios AmayaSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

In our first episode en español (!!!), Rebecca interviews Mario Seguí Correoso, a Santiago-based percussionist who has worked with various groups over the course of his career: an innovative rumba group (Kokoyé), a son/salsa group (Sonora La Calle), and currently a more traditional son group (Los Jubilados), as well as a percussion-based group (Los Tambores de Enrique Bonne). We talk about how difficult the situation has been for musicians since the pandemic.**IF YOU DON'T SPEAK SPANISH, CHECK OUT A TRANSCRIPT OF THE CONVERSATION TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QfvV7JelKB2tDjsNFkT_LxXPwOgUO89anRFCIAMMtMI/edit?usp=sharingSongs played:Manigueta, Los Tambores de Enrique BonneCalle Enramada, Los Jubilados(title unknown), Grupo Folklórico KokoyéSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Congolese scholar Ribio Nzeza Bunketi Buse joins Rebecca to speak about the many sub-styles and evolutions within Congolese popular music over the past 60 years. While many in the West refer to the music as "soukous," that's only one specific style of rumba, which also includes rumba chachacha (Joseph Kabasele & African Jazz), rumba odemba (Franco Luambo & OK Jazz), rumba cavacha (Zaiko Langa Langa), and ndombolo (Wenge Musica, Koffi Olomide, Papa Wemba). Dr. Nzeza also explains the significance of the seben, the improvisatory second section of a rumba song featuring virtuosic guitar playing.Songs played:Madre Rumba, La Sonora Matancera featuring Celia Cruz and Celio GonzalezAfrica Mokili Mobimba, Joseph Kabasele & African JazzAlimatou, Franco Luambo & OK JazzNzinzi, King Kester EmeneyaMulolo, Wenge MusicaAn homage to Grand Kallé (Joseph) Kabasele by Cuban artists and musicians:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY-BVoI93Q4Support the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Rebecca is joined by reggaeton scholar Petra Rivera-Rideau, who co-created the Bad Bunny Syllabus to provide historical and social context for Bad Bunny's music. His massive hit Un Verano Sin Tí  was the most globally streamed album of 2022 and the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. We speak about what makes him such a unique, versatile artist, and then delve into the ways Cuban and Puerto Rican music have diverged in recent decades. Songs played:Controversia, Ismael RiveraEl Apagón, Bad BunnyTiti Me Preguntó, Bad BunnyYo No Soy Celoso, Bad BunnySupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Franco-Haitian cultural influences in Cuba date back over two centuries, beginning with the "refugees" from the Haitian Revolution who fled to eastern Cuba in the early years of the 19th century. However, a much larger wave of Haitian migrants arrived in the first decades of the 20th century to fill labor shortages on sugar plantations, and most stayed. Anthropologist Grete Viddal joins Rebecca for an in-depth conversation on this history, the musical and religious practices migrants brought with them (like Vodou), and the ways Cuban descendants of Haitian migrants carry on their traditions today.Songs played:Camagüey, Tumba Francesa La CaridadYamvalú, Ballet Folklórico CutumbaHaiti Namizé, Grupo BaraguáNeg Anwo, The Creole Choir of CubaSe Lavi, The Creole Choir of CubaGagá, Ballet Folklórico CutumbaSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and educator Dr. John Calloway joins Rebecca to speak about the Cuban music scene in the Bay Area. Calloway has written for Grammy-nominated projects and recorded several of his own albums. He has spent 35 years as a music educator in San Francisco public schools and at San Francisco State University, founding the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble and the Afro-Cuban Ensemble at SF State.Songs played:Aprovecha que me voy, John CallowayDime si te gusta, Jesús Díaz y Su QBAAsere Ko, John CallowayGeneraciones, Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San FranciscoSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Ethnomusicologist and event producer Lani Milstein joins Rebecca to talk about Santiago de Cuba's quintessential musical practice: conga, an Afro-Cuban percussion and song genre linked to the city's famed Carnival celebrations. It involves mass participation by people parading along with the mobile percussion ensemble and continues to be a major symbol of santiaguero identity. Songs played:Abre, Conga de Los HoyosVa a llover, Conga de San AgustínAñoranza por la conga, Sur CaribeLa mujer del pelotero, Baby Lores, Insurrecto & Clan 537Desi Arnaz performing "Babalu" - at around 0:50, he starts dancing the side-to-side conga step commonly seen in comparsa parades https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAV3bOJaQuYSur Caribe video for "Añoranza por la conga" - you'll see footage of people arollando with the congahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC6Vjr0i9swSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

No new episode this week, but a quick note from Rebecca, followed by a slow, juicy  yambú from the legendary Havana rumba group Clave y Guaguancó.  Support the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Rebecca speaks with musician/producer/historian Ned Sublette, author of the most comprehensive history of Cuban music in English, Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo. Sublette is leading trips to Cuba through his organization, Postmambo, and in January will embark on La Ruta de los Fundamentos, a tour focusing on Afro-Cuban sacred sites in western Cuba (email postmambo@gmail.com for more info). We talk about the dense and entangled networks of Afro-Cuban religious practice and play a few fieldwork recordings from rural western Cuba.Tracks played:Song for Ochosi, recorded in the 1950s by Lydia Cabrera in the province of MatanzasYuka drumming, recorded by Sublette in the province of Pinar del RíoBembe de sao, recorded by Sublette in the province of MayabequeSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

The most well-known African-derived religion in the Americas is La Regla de Ocha or Lucumí, more popularly known as Santería. The music used to accompany rituals and ceremonies involves complex, polyrhythmic drumming and a huge repertoire of songs for the different orishas (Yoruba-derived deities), like Yemayá, Oshún and Changó. Rebecca breaks down some basic features of the religion and its diverse musical ensembles, as well as its widespread influence on Cuban popular music.Songs played:Elegua, Jesus Díaz y Su QBAA Elegua, Merceditas Valdés y Yoruba AndaboGüiro for Oshun, Afrocuba de MatanzasOgun, Bobi CéspedesY Que Tú Quieres Que Te Den (1991), Adalberto Álvarez Y Su SonY Que Tú Quieres Que Te Den (2005), Adalberto Álvarez Y Su SonSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Cuban son, under the label "rumba," became incredibly popular following the success of "El manicero" in 1930, including in the two Congos (at the time colonized by Belgium and France). Congolese musicians heard echoes of their own traditional music and began creating a new genre (Congolese rumba) largely based on son, mambo and cha cha cha and sung in a mix of Spanish, French and Lingala.  French historian Charlotte Grabli joins Rebecca to talk about the bi-directional musical exchanges between Cuba and the two Congos.Songs played:El manicero, Don Azpiazu & His Havan Casino OrchestraMarie Tchebo, Manuel D'Oliveira & Georges EdouardEl que siembra su maiz, Trio MatamorosEl que siembra su maiz, Joseph Kabasele & African JazzIndependence Cha Cha, Joseph Kabasele & African JazzCha Cha Cha del Zombo, Brazzos & O.K. JazzMwanga, Franklin BoukakaMuanga, Orquesta AragónSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Grammy-nominated musician, ethnomusicologist, and professor Benjamin Lapidus joins Rebecca for a deep dive into the eastern Cuban roots music called changüí, considered to be one of the antecedents of son. Songs played:Nengón, Kiriba y Nengon de BaracoaAsí Es El Changüí, Grupo Changüí de GuantánamoFiesta en Cecilia, Grupo Changüí de Guantánamo21 de Mayo, La Orquesta RevéQuiriba, Los Universales del Son Ochún, Las Flores de ChangüíCuidemos La Capa de Ozono, Popó y su Changüí Documentary, Orígenes del Changüí - clips of changüí dance at 20:30:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn2yYJUZ7wgSupport the Show.If you like this podcast, please subscribe and give us a 5-star rating on Apple PodcastsFollow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicleshttps://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.comIntro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions