Cuban Christmas for non-Cubans - ..is there anything musically linked to that?

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Postby Mike » Sun Dec 09, 2001 7:11 pm

Hello,

as winter is getting harder, life slower, minds are occupied with working, working, and also CHRISTMAS, I was just wondering if there is a musical tradition concerning Christmas in Cuba. Sorry if I sound naive, but I AM in this respect!
I´m just curious if there´s any serious stuff available to shake up the next X-Mas service a little ;-)
At least, there should be from Spanish influences some "traditional" tunes, or am I wrong? Those who know better (and I´m sure everybody except me does), please tell me, ...
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Postby Camuyano » Fri Dec 14, 2001 3:38 pm

Mike:

I can't speak for Cuba but in Puerto Rico where I grew up, Christmas is THE time of the year for traditional music. When I was growing up we were so influenced by American music that it was un-cool to listen to traditional music; however, Christmas was the one exception.

During Christmas groups that play traditional music try to sell as many records as they can. Christmas “aguinaldos”, which are traditional music featuring guitar, “cuatro”, congas, bongos, güiro, maracas, etc., are very popular during this time of the year as are “parrandas” where a group of people get together and haul their instruments (which often include congas) from house to house. They stand in front of a friend’s house and play “aguinaldos” until they open the door and invite them in for “asopao”, a thick soup made of chicken or beef.

As far as getting CDs, unless you are near an urban center where a lot of Puerto Ricans live such as New York or Miami I think you’re out of luck. Even then you may only find the more international types of music such as salsa, merengue and ballads. I live in suburban Virginia and depend on my parents to send me stuff like this since I can’t find it around here. I know that “El Gran Combo” and Willie Colón both have Christmas albums that are now classics, but that’s more salsa than anything.

“El Banco Popular”, which is one of the biggest banks in Latin American and the U.S., produces Christmas videos that have a high production value and feature traditional Puerto Rican music, but again I don’t know where you would get them. They also produced a DVD about the life of José Feliciano that features a lot of Puerto Rican music and even has English subtitles.

I hope this helps and apologize for the length of the message. Let me know if you want more info.
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Postby tamboricua » Fri Dec 14, 2001 5:02 pm

Yomo Toro, one of the major exponents of the puertorrican "cuatro", have a cd titled "Celebremos Navidad". With "Cachete" Maldonado on timbas and Ralphy Irizarry on timbal. Swinging band!

Hope this helps!

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio
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Postby Mike » Fri Dec 14, 2001 5:17 pm

Thanks very much for your replies! I really didin´t know anything about the things you told .

In case we don´t see us : Merry christmas/Feliz navidad !
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Postby JohnnyConga » Sat Dec 15, 2001 12:37 am

The series by Banco Popular can be acquired through the Bank itself,via inquiery. When I was in Old San Juan you could pick the videos up at the local banks.....JC JOHNNY CONGA....
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Postby Mike » Sat Dec 15, 2001 9:53 am

Well, I´m a bit short in money at the moment :-( so I can´t buy all the cds I´d like to, but what would be interesting is:

What do the christmas songs sound like?Are they joyful or rather introspective?
Camuyano, you mentioned the traditions from Puerto Rico. Are the songs comparable to Rican traditional music, I mean in mood and atmosphere?

Thanks again for your patience!
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Postby Camuyano » Mon Dec 17, 2001 2:34 pm

Mike:

Puerto Rican Christmas music is certainly very joyful as opposed to introspective. The lyrics are usually about bringing good tidings to friends or eating and drinking. Some songs have a chorus that everybody knows and a thousand verses that people have come up with through the years. I wouldn’t know exactly how to describe the music except to say that it is true Puerto Rican music and that it is more melodic than Bomba and Plena.

I wish I had a tape recorder this weekend! I was invited to a friend’s house along with about 30 other Puerto Ricans from Northern VA who wanted to get together before a bunch of them took advantage of the cheap airfare to go party back home. There was pork, yellow rice with “gandules”, “tostones” and “coquito”.

Before you know it somebody brought out a guitar and two “bongoceros” came out of nowhere as did maracas, a “güiro”, a tambourine and clave sticks. We crammed into the basement and spent the rest of the night singing and dancing. It got so hot in that basement after a while that it felt like it was San Juan and not VA. It was great! I wish you guys could have been there.
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Postby Mike » Tue Dec 18, 2001 3:36 pm

That sounds really great, yummy food and a night with friends and music. I could almost feel the atmosphere in your basement..
At this time of the year, people are yodling "Silent night " in the northern hemisphere.. What a drain on the ears.. ;-)
Thanks again for your thorough information
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