Esos No Son De Aqui

Adorable video of legendary Myrta Silva singing to Puerto Rico. Notice fellow legend Rafael Cortijo in the background. Song composed by the legendary Rafael Hernandez, an important Latino in the history of Latin music and jazz. 

Chumalacatea

La chanson du jour. RIP, Ismael. 

Puerto Rico-Congo Musical Routes and Roots

One of my favorite things about listening to classics of Congolese music is the covers and allusions to popular songs from Cuba or the Caribbean. In this case, a classic from African Jazz (one of my favorite groups who recorded numerous songs praising Congolese independence), one hears a horn arrangement from Cortijo y su Combo that is quoted by African Jazz. Although it's only the horn arrangement, it's excellent to hear music from Cuba and Puerto Rico taking on 'local' colors and distinctive style in the Congo. El chivo de la campana!

Cucala

Puerto Rican jam for Sunday. Enjoy a live rendition from the 1950s here. 

Bailala Bien

One of my favorite Cortijo/Rivera bombas. Ismael Rivera and Rafael Cortijo loved what some might consider 'silly' bombas, but they are an assertion of a Puerto Rican (and Afro-Boricua) identity and culture. The rhythms are just infectious in the bomba arrangements of Cortijo's band. 

Maquino Landera

Dave Chappelle once joked that Latinos love music with Spanish gibberish. This may be one of those examples of a hit from the 1950s. If I remember correctly, "Maquino Landera" would be considered a bomba, but regardless of its classification, it's fun. Enjoy this jam live from 1950s Puerto Rican television. Rest in peace, Ismael. 

Ismael Rivera and Rafael Cortijo

Been feeling very Puerto Rican today, not entirely sure why. Perhaps hearing a Latina woman pronounce my apellido the correct way did something, or maybe there's some musical DNA from listening to Ismael Rivera in my blood. From "Negro Bembon" to "Calipso, Bomba, y Plena" this band asserts a particularly Black Puerto Rican identity and Pan-Caribbean consciousness. Though heavily influenced by Cuban son and mambo (also the Cuban conjunto format of the 1950s and 1960s), Cortijo and Ismael made it known they were black while playing bombas and plenas from the Afro-Puerto Rican tradition.

I am particularly drawn to Ismael Rivera due to his 'black consciousness' and' pan-African' awareness. The brother sang about the unjust police treatment of blacks, was connected to the Black Christ rituals of Portobelo, Panama, and emphasized the humanity of the "lindas caras de mi gente negra." Indeed, this group was one of the first and most popular black bands in Puerto Rico, and one can hear why in the excellent sonero skills of Rivera. Indeed, I think I like him as a sonero better than Benny More, his Cuban equivalent in vocal skills and improvisation. Also, if you just listen to songs such as this or live performances of Ismael and Rafael, it's pure Afro-Caribbean delight. Salsa, bomba, even the occasional bossa nova are all delightful when handled by collaborative efforts between Cortijo and Rivera, or Rivera alone.