Out Of The Ordinary Rumbas

[Quinto Governor II]

Came across a video at muchoswing.com, of Los Papines doing reggaeton. It was nothing innovative. It looks like its lip-synched. I had my hopes up, but was disappointed. However, it made me think of any other unusual rumba that I have heard. The only thing I could think of was 'What's Your Name' an old r&b tune on the Totico y sus Rumberos album. Anyone know of any more unusual stuff out there?


Here is the link to the reggaeton video:

http://www.muchoswing.com/MS_MusicandDance.ht ml?datedir=2007_07_11

[tocandorumba]

Thanks for the video. Ouch, that was pretty tired. Got to give it to Los Papines though, for pushing the envelope for so many years. I guess we're all allowed a clunker now and then. Anyway, here's my addition to this thread:

"Hush," from La Rumba Soy Yo II, Con Sentimiento Manana

[url=http://www.cdconnection.com/details/_Various_Artists_-_Rumba_Soy_Yo_Con_Sentimento_Manana_V.2_/125292&source=googbase
]La Rumba Soy Yo II[/url]

An African-American Spiritual sung in English by Liban Izquerido Dugues (K'weyro). I remember one version of this song was featured on the blues road movie "Crossroads," starring Ralph Macchio(!) as a classical guitarist with a taste for the blues.



Edited By tocandorumba on 1185163286

[Quinto Governor II]

Thanks! tocandorumba. That's' what I'm Talking about. Will have to look into this cd. A lot of different stuff on there. Not all rumba, but maybe a good purchase, none the less. Any others out there?

[TONE74]

Los Papines also did " hello good bye " don't know if you guys heard it.

[tocandorumba]

How about a Buddy Holly tune "Not Fade Away," by Ned Sublette (owner of Qbadisc) & Los Munequitos de Matanzas:

"Not Fade Away"

from "Cowboy Rumba"

Great thread by the way- it's wonderful to hear tunes like these that show how we can get together musically.

[Quinto Governor II]

Hey tocandorumba,
Nice post! That Ned Sublette did an excellent jab on all those songs. Sorry to say I've never heard of him, but the guys got mucho talent. The least of which is, an ear for good music. :>) Thanks for the compliment, and for your excellent contributions. Now here's one that I found. Never heard this one before. Not really out of the ordinary, but I love the orchestration of the coro ( Guantanamera....). What album is this song from?

Yoruba Andabo "Guantanamera"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFmXZWKq5sM

[jorge]

Quinto Governor II,
You say that the Yoruba Andabo version of Guantanamera is not really out of the ordinary, but when they first did that song and others in that guarapachangueo style, it caused a revolution in Cuban rumba.

I don't think that that particular recording of Guantanamera by Yoruba Andabo is on any of their albums, it seems to be a live video. There is a slightly different version of Guantanamera by Yoruba Andabo on a relatively recent (2003?) compilation CD called "Rumba pa'l Pueblo" on Pimienta label. If I remember correctly, there is an earlier version of Guantanamera by Yoruba Andabo, I will have to look around to see if I find it.

Speaking of out of the ordinary rumba, at that time, in the mid 1980s, Yoruba Andabo with Pancho Kinto, Rolando Rodriguez (Malanga el Rumbero), El Chori, and others, stretched the rumba out way beyond what Los Papines, Los Muñequitos, Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba, Afrocuba de Matanzas, and other rumba groups were playing at the time. Los Chinitos apparently started the whole guarapachangueo trend, but from what I have heard, Yoruba Andabo really developed it further and popularized it to the point that Clave y Guaguanco and other groups picked up the ball and ran with it.

The first recording I have heard of Yoruba Andabo, done with only cajones, is on an underground CD that has been called "Cajones Bullangueros". As far as I know, that was not released commercially as a CD, but is mostly from the sound track of a 1988 underground documentary made in Cuba called "Quien baila aqui: la rumba sin lentejuelas", directed by Elio Ruiz (who also made "En el Pais de los Orichas"). Fantastic documentary, it has interviews with Miguel Chappotin, Malanga el Rumbero, Pancho Kinto, and other original members of Yoruba Andabo, as well as Pablo Milanes, Juan Formell, and others talking about the real (noncommercial) rumba in Cuba.

I think you can download the entire Cajones Bullangueros CD in MP3 audio format from the Esquina Rumbera website. Chori plays some of the best quinto cajon you will ever hear, and Calixto Callaba is singing along with Chan and Giovani. This was recorded a few years before the Callejon de los Rumberos album, has some of the same songs played in an earlier, less polished (but in my opinion, more sabroso) style of guarapachangueo. Unfortunately, all the CD recordings I have heard of Cajones Bullangueros have been digitized off (probably the same) cassette tape and have a loud hiss in the background. Does anyone have a clean copy?



Edited By jorge on 1186725105

[Quinto Governor II]

jorge, Thanks for your knowledgeable in site. I can imagine the stir guarapachanguero caused back then. Were there any detractors when it came out, like say, the critics of free jazz, or did most embrace it? I can recall trying to sing parts of some of the songs, trying to teach myself to sing and play at the same time, but was playing Havana style guaguanco. It just didn't fit right. I finally realize that the rhythms were totally different. If I had a command of clave, I may have been able to make them fit. I've never tried to play it with other drummers, as real rumberos are hard to come by in these parts, not that I'm one myself, just a wannabe. :>) Again thanks! for the Info. Did not know until rather recently, that many of the names mentioned in rumba songs, were actually contemporary artist i.e. Chappotin, Malanga, and Pablo Milanes. Do you have any Info on Tio Tom you can share? The little I've heard of him, and the details escape me at this time, had me thinking for a moment he was a mythological character. BTW for good rumba on the Internet check out Pandora Radio. You sign up, Put in the title of a song or the name of an artist and it will play music similar to your selection. Its really a great station. I typed in "Afrocuba de Matanzas" it replied back "do you mean Los Munequitos de Mantanzas" I replied "yes" and its been playing song of many of the groups we all love.

[jorge]

Hi,
Malanga el Rumbero is a different person than the Malanga you hear about in the famous columbia, "...Union de Reyes llora porque Malanga murio". That Malanga probably was real, lived in the 30s or 40s, but I have not heard of anyone who actually knew him (Dr Z, do you know anyone?).
On the other hand, Tio Tom (Gonzalo Asencio) was a very real person, probably the most prolific author of rumbas in Cuban history, who wrote many of the songs we sing all the time. His name has nothing to do with the North American character Uncle Tom. He actually recorded very little, I have only heard him sing one song himself, and he died in 1991. There is a great biography of him written by Leonardo Acosta in the book "Del Tambor al Sintetizador" published in 1983, now out of print. One of the CongaBoard members, Guarachon63 translated it and put it on his Esquina Rumbera website at: http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/search/label/Rumberos
toward the bottom. That is a great website by the way.

Rene Lopez has produced a new CD with Puntilla and friends, including Maximino Duquesne, Mario Jauregui "Aspirina", Marquito Diaz, and others, a tribute to Tio Tom, all the songs were written by him. I have heard parts of it, supposed to be released this month. I can't wait until it comes out, the columbia is a KILLER, and Puntilla is great on quinto on one of the guaguancos.

[Quinto Governor II]

OK! I may be stretching the definition of my own thread here, but least I'm not talking politics. Right! :>) What makes this rumba unusual for me, is the ride of the lead drum. I've never heard this pattern in a yambu before. Also, the vocals style is different than most yambu's I've heard. I recognize an Orisha song near the middle. Don't recall many Orisha songs in yambu's. Anyway I like this performance a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE-k83nOZkI

[Changuiri]

THKS FOR THE MUCHOSWING LINK.

[guarachon63]

Never heard this one before. Not really out of the ordinary, but I love the orchestration of the coro ( Guantanamera....). What album is this song from?

Yoruba Andabo's "Guantanamera" (actually a version of José Ramón Sánchez's "El Madrugador" with Joseito Fernández's famous coro) was released on their 1998 CD "Del Yoruba al Son" on Universal/Magic Music, a CD as great as it (was) shamefully poorly distributed.

Wonder of wonders, it seems to now be available for download on the internet at http://mp3city.com.ua/en/album/18250.html
(It's track #9)

And while digging for that I seem to have stumbled on the fact that Yoruba Andabo will be touring Canada in October, take advantage of that you folks up there...