"Carnaval" LP - 1967 Cuba

"Carnaval"
Egrem/Areito LP

The Cuban 'Egrem/Areito' record label produced many records during the 1960's specifically directed towards markets outside of Cuba.
Commonly with a "variety" o sea "potpourri" of bands and styles of music.
Sometimes tunes by these artists & bands would only appear on these "sampler" LP's.
Actually, except for the cover photo & the last song by 'Los Hermanos Bravo', there's nothing that has to do with "Carnaval" on this LP.

1. "Tiene Dinamita" - Orq. Aviles - Ritmo Pa' ca'
Juanito Marquez: electric guitar

2. "Los Años y El Pilón" - Pacho Alonso
Ritmo Pilón

Juanito Marquez: electric guitar, Enrique Bonne: drums

4. "Si Quieren Bailar" - Orq. Riverside
Onelio Pérez: vocal

5. "Regreso Feliz" - Combo Senén Suarez
Senén Suarez: electric guitar

11. "Muriendome De Risa" - Los Papines

Video-Cuba: 'Septeto Nacional' 1962

The second generation of 'Septeto Nacional'
Television performance 1966-68 Cuba

"Suavecito"
comp: Ignacio Piñeiro Martínez
Marino González: bongoes

"Son De La Loma"
comp: Miguel Matamoros

"Trumpeta Querida"
Lázaro Herrera trumpet & comp.

"La Bayamesa"
comp: Perucho Figueredo
Rafael Ortiz: guitar

Video: Cuba - Orquesta Cubana De Musica Moderna 1966 de

The late 'German Pfferrer' directing the band.
'Oscar Valdés Sr'. and 'Oscar Valdés Jr.' on *Tumbadoras. (*Made by 'Gonzalo Vergara')
Roberto Garcia bongoes
'Erique Pla' on Tympani.
'Guillermo Barreto' on drumset.
'Carlos Emilo Morales' on electric guitar.
'Paquito D' third Sax from left.
The trumpet player who stands & sings 'Jorge Varona'?
("La dinastía de los Valdés")

"Pepe Cabecita"
 Enrique Bonne comp.
(Ritmo Pilón at the begining and middle of song) 
Orquesta Cubana De Musica Moderna

Video: Cuba - 'Silvio y Ada' bailarines - Cuba

The famous Cuban dance duo of 'Silvo y Ada' best know for their style of dancing Cuban Son.

'Silvio y Ada'

'Silvio y Ada' with 'Septeto Nacional'
1962 'Marino González': bongoes

'Silvio y Ada'
'62-'63

'Silvio y Ada' with 'Compay Segundo'
at "L'Olympia", Paris 1990's

Mariano Merceron - Vol. III + "Guapacha" canta Pio Leiva 1957, '58 LP's - Cuba

"Mariano Merceron Vol. III"
RCA Victor - vinyl LP
(some of the 12 tracks have been reissued on 2 Tumbao CDs)

Mariano Merceron saxophonist and clarinetist
from Santiago De Cuba.

1. Por qué no baila el muñeco
2. El Profesor Rui Rua
3. El cantamte del amor
4. Repica Tambó
5. Coco pelao
6. Llora Timbero
7. Pare cochero
8. Cuando canta el cornetín
9. Perdida estrella
10. Quiero ser militar
11. Nada me pidas
12. Macundo

"Guapacha"
1957-'58
Mariano Merceron Y Sus "Muchachos Pimienta".
Puchito - Vinyl LP
His big band with 'Pio Leiva' and 'Los Roberto' on vocals.
8. "Montuno Del Amor"

"Los Freeways De Mariano Merceron"
RCA vinyl LP

Enrique Bonne - Cuba

"Son En Percusión"
Enrique Bonne
Egrem CD recorded in Santiago De Cuba

"Bembe Bata Chequere - Tambores De Bonne"
Enrique Bonne
LP recorded in 1987, Santiago De Cuba

Tambores De Enrique Bonne
LP recorded in Santiago De Cuba
1. Fea La Jicotea

The master percussionist, pianist, teacher, composer, producer and bandleader Enrique Bonne.
Born 1926 in 'San Luis', province of Santiago de Cuba, his family moves to 'Palma Soriano' then in 1947 to the city of Santiago De Cuba.
Enrique Bonne is best known as the timbale player in Pacho Alonso band Los Bocucos from 1959 through the 1960's.

Enrique Bonne together with Pacho Alonso helped to popularize the Cuban music rhythms "Upa Upa", "Simalé" and the "Pilón"
Composer of over 250 songs!
In 1961, he founded the group "Los Tambores de Oriente" with approximately 50 instrumentalists, responsible for introducing the the "Conga" rhythm from Santiago De Cuba into shows performed in Havana, in the carnivals and the *Chaplin theater. (now the *Carlos Marx theater) and later in the cabaret Tropicana. ('Pello El Afrokan' after seeing Enrique's band decided to form his own band)
(Enrique Bonne's son is timba singer 'Angel Bonne')On his "Son En Percusión", he stays in touch with his Santiaguero roots using instruments
indigenous to the Santiago carnival rhythm "Conga", using "Boku's" instead of Tumbadoras and also using the "Trompeta China" alternatively known as the "Corneta China", a reed instrument brought to Cuba by the Chinese.
On "Bembe Bata Chequere" he adds Bata drumming.
Both recordings don't follow any type of formula, they both sound like nothing else I've heard, very "'Enrique Bonne'.

Pacho Alonso y Los Bocucos
Enrique Bonne seen on left holding the girl up.
Ibrahim Ferrer on the right looking up.

Enrique BonneWith a 'Bokú' drum from Santiago

Enrique Bonne
at Carnival in Santiago, Cuba.

Recent Egrem "Homenaje a Enrique Bonne"A nice interview with Enrique Bonne by 'Rafael Lam' here

Video-N.Y.C. - Sunday Rumba at the forum

This was Sunday Feb. 9th. 2009.
Young Cuban kid singing.
Barry Cox: Guagua
Myself: Quinto
Doctor George: Tumbadora ("El Medico de la rumba")
Max "Wax" Valdéz: Tres Dos
Dancer: Tito Sandoval
Coro: Lisa Knauer & C.C. Howard

La "Botijuela", El "Bombardino" & El "Tingotalango" - Instrumentos musicales de Cuba

Cuban musician playing La Botijuela 1947

Sexteto Habanero with La Botijuela 1920's

"Botijuela"
Sones de Oriente
(La "Botijuela" being played)


Late 1800's postcard, Cuban musicians playing
El Bombardino & La Botijuela

"Minaroco"
Sexteto nacional - 1927
(with a Bombardino being played)
Vocal: Abelardo Barroso


"Tingotalango"

"Tingotalango"
Machito - 1941


A rare view of Cuban musician playing a rural "Tingotalango"

Video: Cuba - Grupo 'Opus 13' 1979 - Cuba

The late 'Miguel "Angá" Diaz' playing Tumbadoras 1979 before he played with 'Irakere'.

"Goza Mi Son Montuno" Panart LP cover - Cuba

"Goza Mi Son Montuno"

The classic Cover on Panart sampler LP-2051
Mid 1950's

The Man in the back (center top of photo)
wearing the straw hat is the brother of Carlos Embale.

Coro Folklórico Cubano "En Un Solar Habanero" canta 'Guillermo "El Negro" Triana Crespo' 1996 - Cuba

"En Un Solar Habanero"
Coro Folklórico Cubano - Egrem 1996

Recorded in 1996, released in 2001 on Egrem.
The CD came out in 2001 with 16 tracks... but was missing 4 tracks from the original 1996 sessions.
The four missing tracks I have included here.
Total tracks 20.
(*Agradecimiento a 'Barry Cox' for the missing 4 tracks)
This features four great singers, one of them is
'Guillermo "El Negro" Triana Crespo',
he sings eight songs.

Art: Magazine cover artwork from the "New Yorker"

These are two covers from "The New Yorker" magazine.
One from 1991 and one from 2003.
They are framed on my wall.

"Cuchifritos Restaurant" - 1991
Tipical N.Y.C. "comidas latinas"

"New Orleans flooded" - 2005
Musician on top of a 'French Quarter' balcony

In memoriam: Caridad Hierrezuelo - Cuba

'Caridad Hierrezuelo'

(Born: 1924 Santiago De Cuba, died Havana Feb.9th 2009)
84 años
R.I.P. / Ibayé bayé tonu

"Guarapo, Pimienta Y Sal"
with Tata Güines & "Yeyito" Iglesias.
"El Negro" Vivar trumpet,
Reynaldo & Lorenzo Hierrezuelo coro.

Born in Santiago de Cuba, her father a tres player, her mother a singer, she had 10 brothers...

two of whom were 'Lorenzo Hierrezuelo' ("Los Compadres") and 'Reynaldo Hierrezuelo' ("Rey Caney")
Often during one song she was able to hold a very long note, without circular breathing.

In memoriam: 'Orlando "Cachaito" López' - Cuba

Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez
(born 1933, died February 9, 2009)

The 76-year-old had suffered complications following a prostate operation and died Monday Feb. 9th 2009

R.I.P. / Ibayé bayé tonu

The López family, a veritable musical dynasty whose specialty is the bass, any kind of bass, upright or acoustic, classical or pop or jazz. Cachaito’s father and uncle, Orestes and Israel "Cachao" López learned their craft from their father, don Pedro. Orestes went on to assist Arsenio Rodríguez in the development of the mambo; Israel is credited with helping establish the "descarga" style, a kind of Afro-Cuban jazz jam.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=98005590

Video: Cuba -

Conjunto Saratoga - Cuba

'Conjunto Saratoga'
('Juan González' lead trumpet)

7. Bambaraquiti

9. Bacunayagua

Resbaloso

Humberto Gómez Vera - "Entre Amigos" Cuba-Denmark

"Entre Amigos"

'Humberto Gómez Vera', arranger & composer with his all star band recorded in Havana.
Swinging, funky, a band with a unique sound not like all the rest.
'Jorge Reyes' on bass.
Difficult to find in the United States, I bought this from 'Humberto Gómez Vera' on Ebay 5 years ago.
Humberto now lives in Denmark.

4. Mulata Danesa


8. Soy Un Hombre Libre

Ney De Castro - "Brasilia AN 2000" - 1960 - Brasil

'Ney De Castro' - Brasilia AN 2000

Le Chant Du Monde LDX-S-4299

The great Brasilian percussionist and drummer 'Ney De Castro' on his classic 1960 LP "Brasilia AN 2000".
With a beautiful cover photo of the futuristic 'Brasilia church', one of many magnificent buildings in the capitol, Brasilia designed by world famous Brasilian architect 'Oscar Niemeyer'. It's a great photo showing the 'Brasilia church' under construction in 1960... even the Crucifix hadn't been put on top yet!
('Brasilia church' view photos of what it looks like now)

Ney De Castro kills on drum set.
A real master and a genius, way ahead of his time... recorded in 1960 and called the LP "Year 2000".
I used to hear this LP played to death by my father when I was 9 years old.
As a vinyl LP, it's now both rare and obscure.
Though I think one of those U.K. labels like "Mr. Bongo" has a few tracks out on a CD, remixed with an added "club" sound so drunken club kids can dance to it.

Ripped from vinyl @ 256
I will re-post this again after I take out any surface sound, in the meantime enjoy.

Ney De Castro Brasilia AN 2000: Here

Candita Batista "Ritmo De Santo" 1961 & "Pregónes Cubanos" 1960 Cuba

"Ritmo De Santo"
1961

With the Obdulio Morales big band side A & on side B Obdulio Morales coro with 'Jesús Peréz' con su Tambores Batá .
Interestingly, the tracks with tambores batá on side B have a traditional "Acheré" played.at the beginnings then Chekeré's that come in at the end of each song,
Available at 'Lily's' for $9.98

3. Contoneo Meneo


8. Rezo A Changó


9. Rezo A Babalú Ayé

'Candita Batista' 90 years old
en Camagüey, Cuba.

"Pregónes Cubanos"
1960 Egrem - LP
Vinyl out of print, never reissued.

'Candita Batista' backed by 'Eulogio "Yoyo" Casteleiro' and his killer big band.
"Yoyo" Casteleiro's band really kicks ass on this and is really what makes this LP a killer.

Rogelio "Yeyito" Iglesias takes a solo on track #2 

Rica Pulpa