The Clave Chronicles

Rebecca speaks with Cuban music historian Rosa Marquetti Torres, author of several books, including one on Chano Pozo and another one on Celia Cruz's career in Cuba—the Celia book has just been released in a new edition! 
Part 1 of our conversation covers the challenges of conducting research in Cuba and her work on Chano Pozo

Conversation in Spanish. Follow along with an English-language transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WKJZoLnQJHo3t85_AMxsZ08p_nwPNZ_rZTBDTKmgoSQ/edit?usp=sharing

Songs played:
El pin pin, Chano Pozo
Tin Tin Deo, Chano Pozo & Dizzy Gillespie

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Ethnomusicologist Edwin Porras joins Rebecca to speak about Chinese musical influences in Cuba, which date back to the mid-19th century. The double-reeded suona was adopted by Santiago conga groups around 1915, becoming an unmistakable musical signifier for conga santiaguera.

**Fun fact: Cuba was the first destination for Chinese laborers in the Americas, before even the U.S.**

Songs played:
Example of Cantonese opera
Lion dancing musical accompaniment (field recording)
Caridad Amaran and Georgina Wong performing excerpt of Cantonese opera in Havana (field recording)
De Oriente a Occidente, Diana Fuentes
Paso Franco en la loma de Tivolí, Conga Paso Franco

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Eva Silot Bravo joins Rebecca again to talk about her recently published book, Cuban Fusion: The Transnational Cuban Alternative Music Scene, which focuses on Cuban musicians who have migrated to New York, Madrid, and other major cities since the 1990s. They have created new transnational musical scenes, with some traveling back and forth between Cuba and abroad, fusing jazz, Afro-Cuban folkloric music, nueva trova and other genres.

Songs played:
Levitando, Ramon Valle
Bolero Filin, Gema Y Pavel
Café, Interactivo
Se Feliz, Fernando Alvarez & Descemer Bueno
The Magic Danzonete, Dafnis Prieto
Baba Elegguá, Brenda Navarrete

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

This week The Clave Chronicles is sharing an episode of Cuban Serenade, a podcast exploring the history of Cuban music in Canada that's hosted by Freddy Monasterio and Karen Dubinsky. This episode focuses on the genius of Cuban-Canadian pianist/composer/arranger Hilario Durán. 
Follow Cuban Serenade on your favorite podcast platform!

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Freddy Monasterio, a Cuban-born researcher, educator and arts administrator based in Toronto, joins Rebecca to talk about the Cuban musical diaspora in Canada. He also co-hosts a podcast on the topic called Cuban Serenade.

Songs played:
La Reina del Norte, OKAN
Cry Me a River, Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band
La Ceiba de Mayuya, Luis Deniz Group
Rebirth, Dee Hernandez

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Anthropologist and prolific scholar Umi Vaughan, author of Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Black Identity, joins Rebecca to speak about his 25 years of research on timba and how the genre has changed in the past three decades. Vaughan has been conducting research in Brazil more recently, and will soon be publishing a book on the repression of Afro-Brazilian religious practice and music.

Songs played:
La bola, Manolín El Médico de la Salsa
De La Habana, Paulo FG
No estamos locos, David Calzado y Charanga Habanera
Mi medicamento, Havana D' Primera
La chica del escenario, Havana D' Primera

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Legendary Afro-Cuban hip hop group Krudxs Cubensi (Odaymar Cuesta and Oli Prendes) join Rebecca to speak about their career and the particular challenges they've faced as artists who are Afro-Cuban, queer, non-binary, and immigrants. Their latest album, They/Them Les Elles, features collaborations with Greg Landau and many other Bay Area-based musicians.

Songs played:
Mi cuerpo es mío
You are not better than me
They/them les elles
Justicia y libertad

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Percussionist and educator David Peñalosa, author of the book The Clave Matrix, joins Rebecca for an in-depth discussion on the concept of clave, delving into its origins, variations and the way it works in various Afro-Cuban genres. If you've ever wondered what 3-2 or 2-3 clave means or what the difference is between "son clave," "rumba clave" and 6/8 clave, this episode is for you!

Songs played:
Eco (bembé-abakuá), Julito Collazo and Mongo Santamaria
Los beodos, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas
Era una gran señora, Alberto Zayas
Wanileilo (makuta), Cabildo Kunalungo de Sagua La Grande
Andule andule (makuta), Cabildo De Congos Reales
Chinatown (Philadelphia Mambo), Tito Puente

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Back by popular demand, Mike Levine joins Rebecca again to speak about the latest happenings in Cuban reparto, including a recent controversy related to the genre's popularity in Peru.
 
Check out the new Buzzsprout option below to send Rebecca a message about the episode!

Songs played:
Reparto, DJ Yus, Wampi, Nesty, Wow Popy, Un Titico, JP El Chamaco
Por Ustedes (Pornosotros), Wampi
Toma que toma, JP El Chamaco
Birribiri, Harryson

Wampi live in Lima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVOxxbOe4Lo&t=4s

Official video for "Reparto", the response to the controversy, with reparto dancing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TesmP7wL3wM

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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Scholar and singer Hannah Burgé Luviano joins Rebecca to discuss the career of the "King of Mambo," Dámaso Perez Prado. Unable to achieve much acclaim in Cuba because of his unique compositional style, Pérez Prado struck gold after relocating to Mexico in the 1940s.

Songs played:
México Lindo
Mi Gallo
Mambo Politécnico
Pianola

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Follow The Clave Chronicles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @clavechronicles
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Intro and outro music: "Bengo Latino," Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions