Concert Report #2Chan Mi Lee (cl3084)

Concert Report: Guantanamera

The music at Guantanamera could best be categorized at Cuban contemporary due

to its fusion of genres. The six songs played in the set were: Guantanamera, Café Wahita,

El Beserito, Veinte años, Changui and Nostalgia Guajira. Some of the songs were written

by others, but the band created difference through using different musical instruments.

Guantanamera is a famous Cuban guajira with patriotic text composed by Cuban

nationalist Jose Marti1. As compared to the original song, the song played at the location

started with a short introduction, continued on to the canto section, followed by montuno,

where bass player improvised, shortly followed by another call and response (Intro-canto-

montuno-mambo-montuno-coro). It was also different from the original because the

second bass player used his bass almost like a percussion instrument, repeatedly playing

four beats per bar on one note, similar to what the big-band jazz format used.

The second song, Café Wahita, started off with a slowed-down beat. The genre is

cha-cha-cha in a sense that the song was medium-tempo dance song and with harmonic

and rhythmic ostinato starting with “café,” 2 but none of the instrumentation included

violin or flute. The polyrhythmic experience created through the bass guitar’s consistent

beat and drummer, repetitious verses and offbeat call-and-response, however, made the

song feel like a Blues.3

The third song, El Beserito, means little calf in Spanish. The genre of the song

was son montuno, because although there was not a large ensemble with piano, the music

started off with precise pre-composed arrangements and anticipated bass.4 The rhythm

1 Manuel, Peter, and Kenneth M. Bilby. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae. Rev. and Expanded ed. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2006. 442 Ibid.,93 Weissman, Dick. Blues: The Basics. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print. 9-114 Manuel, Peter. 33-33,44.

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section was very standardized. One canto section was a call-and-response creating a

harmonic syncopation. After the canto section, the montuno section featured an

instrumental solo by the bass player, and the drum player lightly playing the standardized

beat, which was different from usual solo by one instrument.

The fourth song, Veinte años, was a bolero because the song was about how he

misses his past lover. It also started with predominantly slow-tempo. The original song

was from the Buena Vista Social Club that we learned in class. The first part of the song

does not include any rhythms by a percussion instrument, but just the bass and lyrics.

Then the bongo player started to play a ¾ meter. After canto, both guitar players started

playing for the montuno section, creating an instrumental harmony. In the middle, went a

second montuno, but what was interesting about this section was that instead of a solo

player, it was the whole band playing instrumental together, just without the lyrics.

The fifth song was the Changui music and beat, a style of Cuban music originated

in early 19th century in a rural region. Thus, the subject matter of the song was often

related to nature and quotidian lifestyle, including this song. The music is usually played

with the ensemble of four instruments: marimba, bongo, tres, and guiro.5 However, they

played the song with two guitars, one sometimes almost taking the role of percussion

instruments. The song also had an interesting offbeat, where it felt as if the lyrics were

running half a beat behind. Overall, the clave rhythms were not heard. When asked what

beat was used and why there was not the usually 3-2 beat, Juancho Herra, the lead

vocalist said that Changui was used in the beginning before son the tradition that drums

were usually used in religious practices, and because this is not a religious song, they did

5 Lapidus, Benjamin L. "Chapter 2: Instruments and Their Role in Changui Emsemble." Origins of Cuban Music and Dance: Changui. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2008. Print.

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not include the clave rhythm.6 Rather, the Bongo player had a couple solo sections during

the montuno.7 Moreover, one thing noticeable about the drum player was his use of both

feet in playing the beat. He was tapping and using a pedal that was liked inside the base

drum to create more diverse sounds compared to just using hands.

The sixth and the last song played in the set was Nostalgia Guajira. Originally,

this song was from a famous Cuban sing-and-song writer Guillermo Portabales, who help

popularize the Cuban music in the 1930s. The song is about nostalgia towards his

homeland. The music was a guajira in a sense that the bongos were playing, vocals, and

string bass was used. However, the song also entailed elements from rock music, because

it was led electric guitars. Especially noticeable was the extended montuno section, where

the bass player went on to play the electric guitar and electric bass in a very fast pace in

high pitches, thus making the music a combination of rock and traditional Guajira.

Looking back, the contemporary Cuban music and fusion of music genres were

also influenced by many factors. First is Guantanamera, a restaurant itself located in

Midtown New York. The venue also promotes a fusion of music between Cuban and

jazz and rock to attract more people. Moreover, all the band members have been in New

York and practiced music here for almost twenty years, so the fusion of genres were also

created through interacting with other players too.

6 Appendix A7 The lead vocalist added that the rhythms are created through guiro and maraca for Changui.

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Appendix A: The names of musicians were Juancho Herra, the lead singer, Chuito quintero, the drummer, and Ben Willis, chorus singer. Thses Sunday performan is usually done by other gig.

Appendix B: lyrics for Veinte anos – about nostalgia for a past lover

Appendix C: proof of attendance

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Bibilography

Lapidus, Benjamin L. "Chapter 2: Instruments and Their Role in Changui Emsemble." Origins of Cuban Music and Dance: Changui. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2008. Print.

Manuel, Peter, and Kenneth M. Bilby. Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae. Rev. and Expanded ed. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2006.

Weissman, Dick. Blues: The Basics. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.

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