Magenta blossoms, Havana, August 2010. (Flickr/zrm35)
Sometimes the spirit of an instrument, melody, or voice completely catches hold of you. The flamenco term “duende” describes it best: when the music’s sound is so authentic that it reaches out and possesses the listener.
This happened to me yesterday, when I cooked dinner and listened to Les Sessions Cubaines (The Cuban Sessions) by Montreal singer-songwriter Philémon Bergeron-Langlois. I stopped frequently while peeling potatoes and almost forgot to add salt.
The album, released in May 2010, is this week’s feature on Bandcamp by reviewer Andrew Dubber. He deftly identifies the power behind Bergeron-Langlois’ music:
…Whether you understand French is irrelevant, as the emotional heft of this album transcends barriers of language. Yet this is not at all a sentimental record. This is simply emotion, raw and unrefined.
As the album’s name suggests it was recorded in Cuba, at no less than EGREM Studios of Buena Vista Social Club fame. Watching this video of Bergeron-Langlois’ recording “Vaincre l’automne” (“Overcoming the Autumn”) in Havana brings the “duende” of the music home.
A Puerto Rican flag hanging in an East Harlem apartment window (Flickr/Richard Alexander Caraballo)
Salsa music simmered to life in New York City’s Puerto Rican neighborhoods in the 1960s and 70s: a blend of Cuban son, mambo, cha-cha-chá, and guaracha; a dash of Puerto Rican rhythms; and swirls of other musical ingredients.
New York’s early salsa era was one part popular craze, and one part urban cultural movement. Today, Beijing boasts salsa-themed nightclubs, Scotland hosts an annual salsa congress, and salsa music spills out of car windows on hot summer nights in California.
In short, salsa is now a global phenomenon.
A San Francisco Bay Area reader recently sent Apsara a list of his all-time favorite salsa ensembles and solo artists. His lifelong passion for salsa began several years ago in Bogotá, with Fania All Stars (a showcase ensemble of Fania Records artists) topping the list.
Our Latin Thing
The film Our Latin Thing recounts a famous 1971 Fania All-Stars concert held in New York’s now-defunct Cheetah disco, and features footage of East Harlem. Fania recently released a re-mastered 40th-anniversary edition of this musical time capsule.
Fania All-Stars launched the solo careers of many salsa legends, including the “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz. Originally from Cuba, Cruz’s impressive recording career spanned 50 years and lasted until close to her death in 2003.
Celia Cruz: “Guantanamera”
Other favorite solo artists from our reader’s list include:
Willie Colón (trombonist and singer): “Idilio,” “El Gran Varon,” “Gitana,” “Celos,” “Murga de Panama,” and “Calle Luna Calle Sol” from the album Greatest Hits
Henry Fiol (composer and singer): “Oriente,” “Ahora Me da Pena,” and “La Juma de Ayer” from Fe, Esperanza y Caridad
Larry Harlow (pianist): “El Paso de Encarnacion,” “La Cartera,” and “Abran Paso”
Pupi Legarreta (flutist and violinist): “Sabroso Como el Guarapo” and “El Niche” from Pa’ Bailar
Ismael Miranda (composer and singer): “Asi Se Compone Un Son” and “Maria Luisa” Eddie Palmieri (pianist): “Azucar,” “Vamonos Pal Monte,” “Puerto Rico,” and “Muñeca” from A Man and His Music
Thank you for sharing this wealth of salsa music with us! We’ll be posting the rest of the list on Facebook and Twitter this week.
London’s Lucumi Choir—a non-audition, all-volunteer group—presents stirring vocal and percussion arrangements of Santeria liturgical songs and contemporary Cuban music. Established in 2006, this community-based group attracts artists from around the world. Founder and director Daniela Rosselson speaks about the experience of growing the choir over the past several years.
Full choir at the Barbican Theatre, February 2008. (Reynaldo Trombetta)
When did you first encounter Cuban music?
I first encountered Cuban music in the late 1970s. First, via music with Cuban roots, such as salsa, and also via my father, who was interested in the nueva trova movement in Cuba.
After that, the first couple of live bands I saw at Ronnie Scott’s [a London jazz club] in the early 1980s were in the shape of Irakere and Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s Grupo Proyecto. I also saw the Conjunto Folklórico, which came to visit the UK at that time.
How did you get the idea for the London Lucumi Choir, especially its being a non-audition, volunteer group? What is the meaning of the name?
I am a initiate of the Lucumi faith also known as Santeria. I have been practicing this faith for over 24 years, and there is a whole liturgy of spiritual songs associated with it. The songs are beautiful and I had the idea of forming the choir since I wished to have a large collection of voices singing them with modern vocal arrangements.
I am also a musician, singer, arranger, and teacher, and I find all my skills and interests combined in this project. The choir is non-audition since it is a community choir, and therefore does not wish to exclude any member of the community.
Many people believe they cannot sing. This choir encourages people like that, and indeed most people can and should sing. As a teacher of singing, I have very rarely encountered truly tone-deaf people. There is very little to no funding these days for the arts, and therefore the choir is run by myself on a voluntary basis although I receive a small token amount for teaching every week.
Solo dancer, January 2011. (Savinien Zuri -Thomas)
How do you describe the music that the choir performs? What are some of the different cultures and traditions that it represents?
The music consists mostly of spiritual songs from the Lucumi tradition although we also perform other Afro-Cuban genres, such as rumba, tumba francesa, palo, and so on.
We present songs from contemporary Cuba. These songs are now sung all over the world since the Lucumi faith has become widespread and there are practitioners in many countries, including the United States.
We also have performed a contemporary piece of music by Nigerian composer Juwon Ogungbe based on a Yoruban tale. The Lucumi tradition originates from the Yoruban lands of West Africa.
What has your experience been like growing the choir over the past several years? How many members does it currently have?
This has been my first community project. We have between 14 and 25 members, but not everyone turns up to all rehearsals. We have had over 65 people pass through the choir’s doors [since we began in 2006] and we have around 15 original members.
Running the choir is a difficult project—commitment is the most challenging issue with people continuously coming and going. Since people see the project as a hobby rather than a job, they have a relaxed attitude in terms of participation. That is the most difficult problem, especially in terms of performing and recording. However, it is also very rewarding.
There are fewer egos [in the Lucumi Choir] than I have encountered with professional music projects, and I have seen many members develop from being quite shy and unconfident to singing lead solo parts. I have also noticed that people’s aural and dance skills improve with time and dedication. People that found harmony difficult now sing harmonies unprompted.
The most challenging projects that we have done up until this point have been singing in the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition in 2008, and learning the piece by Juwon Ogungbe by heart. We have also performed this work with dancers, which was a new challenge. I am always looking for new and interesting projects to do.
Yoruba Arts Festival, August 2010. Courtesy London Lucumi Choir.
Because this is a community-based choir, do you find that most of your support is local, or do you find that you attract interest from people across the nation and even worldwide?
Interest in the choir is worldwide, and we have had members visit from the United States and Canada for the experience of singing with us. Most people that join are looking for a choir with a difference, and have either a spiritual interest in the Santeria faith or have an interest in Cuban or African culture in the diaspora.
Members come from all over and they must really want to take part since it is quite a distance for some people. The fact that we sing accompanied by drums also inspires people that want to sing, but do not want a stuffy environment. Others love to sing, but cannot read music and this choir does not require them to do that.
What is the album project you are currently working on? When will it be released?
We have been together for six years and so we decided to make an album. It will be released later on this year. It contains spiritual and social songs, and features some of Cuba’s top percussionists performing with members of the choir. I hope that people will buy the CD and help keep the choir going.
To experience music by the London Lucumi Choir and to learn more about the history and traditions behind it, visit thegroup’s website and ReverbNation page.
