We've got an amazing conversation with Pablo Herrera, an anthropologist and one of Cuba's most influential hip hop producers. Pablo speaks about how he got interested in hip hop and the ways Havana's scene of the 1990s sought to emulate American hip hop, especially east coast styles, before becoming more localized and grounded in Cuban culture. The Special Period, Cuba's deep economic crisis, was the backdrop for the emergence of Havana's hip hop scene, and we discuss its influence on Cuban rap lyrics, as well as the continuing racial inequality that the Cuban Revolution never successfully eradicated. 

Songs played:

Primera Base, Igual que tú
Amenaza, Achabon cruzao
Instinto, Kirino con su tres
Orishas, A lo cubano
Hermanos de Causa, Tengo
Popy y la Moda, Tengo

Unfortunately it's very difficult to find translations of the lyrics of these songs online, but if you're interested in translations, send us a message and we may be able to send you some translated lyrics. @clavechronicles on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Cuban dance genres of the 1950s, specifically mambo and cha-cha-cha, were hugely popular in the U.S. and all over Latin America. Both were outgrowths of the danzón, but each had its own distinct sound. Different styles of mambo are discussed, including the original style that emerged in Antonio Arcaño's band in the late 1930s and the vastly more well-known style of the "King of Mambo," Pérez Prado, who partnered with Benny Moré and popularized the mambo globally. In New York, it was Tito Puente's band that reigned supreme.

Songs played:
Mambo, Arcaño y Sus Maravillas
Mambo #5, Pérez Prado
Locas por el mambo, Pérez Prado and Benny Moré
La engañadora, Orquesta América
Mambo gozón, Tito Puente

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Part 2 of Rebecca's conversation with ethnomusicologist Chris Washburne, author of Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City, and professor at Columbia University. This episode discusses salsa's evolution away from the Cuban son, the ways it became a symbol of pan-Latin identity, and the different ways Celia Cruz and La India navigated the genre's heteronormative gender politics.

Songs played:
La Murga, Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe
La Negra Tiene Tumbao, Celia Cruz
Ese Hombre, La India

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Rebecca is joined by ethnomusicologist Chris Washburne, author of Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City, and professor at Columbia University. As a professional trombonist, he played with Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Ruben Blades, La India, and many others.  We discuss the influence of Cuban music in New York in the first half of the 20th century, the controversy around the term "salsa," and the way Puerto Rican and other Latinos built on this foundation to create a new musical style. 

Songs played:
I Like It Like That, Pete Rodriguez
Mi Gente, Hector Lavoe
Calle Luna, Calle Sol, Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Rebecca is joined by Raul Fernandez, author of Latin Jazz: La Combinación Perfecta,  to discuss the musicians who created Afro-Cuban jazz in the 1940s, and the way this movement paved the way for Latin jazz. 

Songs played:
Tanga, Machito & His Afro-Cubans
U-Bla-Ba-Du, Graciela with Machito's band
The Peanut Vendor, Stan Kenton  
Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo
Guachi Guaro, Cal Tjader
Watermelon Man, Mongo Santamaria
Afro-Blue, Mongo Santamaria

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Ethnomusicologist David Garcia speaks with Rebecca about the significance and musical legacy of Arsenio Rodriguez, the prolific Cuban composer, tres player and bandleader. He spent the later decades of his career in New York, and his music was foundational for the emergence of salsa in the 1960s.

Songs played:
No hay yaya sin guayacán
Mi china me botó
La vida es un sueño
Dame un cachito pa' huele
Pa' huele, Eddie Palmieri
Quítate tu, Fania All-Stars

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Learn about rumba, the quintessential Afro-Cuban music and dance genre that's sometimes referred to as the heart and soul of Cuban music. Rebecca breaks down the different rumba styles and dances, discussing the historical and social context of its emergence in the later 19th century, and its wider influence.

Songs played:
Conga Yambumba, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas
Maria Belen, Yoruba Andabo
Oyelos de nuevo,  Los Muñequitos de Matanzas
Recuerdo a Malanga, Columbia del Puerto

Clips of guaguancó dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHRwiA7eoQk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPqWwldJHI0

Clips of columbia dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24PRcrBAFuI&list=UULfwnZCq0oJa0afq6NCxbuw&index=105

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2sn_N9ljUA

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You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps!

If you like this podcast, please hit "Follow" and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts

Find The Clave Chronicles on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @clavechronicles
https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

Rebecca is joined by Cuban music scholar Robin Moore to delve into the long and deep history of the Cuban danzón, including its links with American jazz, the ways it was initially denigrated as too "African" by elites, how it was eventually fused with other Cuban popular music genres, and how it came to be one of the most beloved genres in Mexico. 

Songs played in the episode: 
El Sungambelo
Las Alturas de Simpson
Campoamor, Frank Emilio Flynn
La Patti Negra, Orquesta Pablo Valenzuela
El bombín de Barreto
Almendra, Abelardo Valdés
Recordando Veracruz, Alejandro Cardona
Mi gran pasión, Gonzalo Rubalcaba

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

This episode traces the Cuban roots of the quintessential Latin American romantic song, the bolero, which has been one of the most popular genres across Spanish-speaking countries for the past century.

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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

The Buena Vista Social Club was a massive success 25 years ago, spawning numerous albums, Grammy awards, a documentary film, and decades of international tours. This episode traces the roots and evolution of the genre the Buena Vista Social Club project set out to revive, the Cuban son, which had its heyday from the 1920s to the 50s.

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You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps!

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https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com

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