Colombian Culture, Colombia Adoption and Raising Colombian Kids

Yes, you read it right. Salsa Music is dead. In Tunes for Tuesday, we have traveled through the origins, birth and evolution of this genre, and I was waiting for the end of the happy holiday season to break this more disconcerting news to all my readers. This may not be news to some Salsa followers, however. Some of you might have suspected it was so, and yet others may now acknowledge that they were in a deep state of denial. The only ray of hope that remains here is that this is just my opinion, so some of you may choose to continue to cling to your nostalgia and ignore reality. But allow me to explain my point: I believe that Salsa's slow and painful death began soon after the genre reached its Golden Years in the late 1970s and 1980s. The late 80s saw the advent of a group of performers who hijacked the genre, and began producing something they labeled "Salsa Sensual" (no translation required here). This movement became extremely popular and soon invaded radio ...

Last week I mentioned Fuentes Records' second spin off band, The Latin Brothers . Although this band included some of the musicians from Fruko y Sus Tesos (and even Joe Arroyo once sang for it), it was led by Piper Pimienta . Piper 's unmistakable voice and the sound of Luis "Tomate" Mesa on piano are the band's trademarks. The song Buscandote (Looking For You) is from Latin Brothers' second album, Dale al Bombo (Hit that drum), released in 1975. Here is a performance by the band, including lead singer Piper Pimienta (and some goofy dancers): Buscandote by The Latin Brothers <

As many of you know, Tunes for Tuesdays is the section of this blog where we discuss music and artists from Colombia. Also, those (both) of you who faithfully read my entries have probably figured out that my section actually appears on most Tuesdays, that occasionally we talk about music and artists that have little to do with Colombia, and that for some time now we have been discussing the history of Salsa music. If you are new to the blog, by click on the Tunes for Tuesdays link and read a few entries to help you catch up. Now, I finally have an excuse to introduce one of my favorite non-Colombian Salsa songs. Around the mid 1970s, Fruko y Sus Tesos had become the Colombian powerhouse of the genre, but they faced some serious competition from several talented foreign artists. Indeed, in its desire to outdo its rivals, Fuentes Music would spin off another great band, The Latin Brothers. But more on them later because what this entry is about a competitor from Venezuela. ...

One of the best known lead singers from Fruko y Sus Tesos is Wilson "Saoko" Manyoma . I have mentioned him before when I spotlighted " El Preso " as one of the top songs most Colombians would recognize. (http://raisingcolombiankids.blogspot.com/2011/01/tunes-for-tuesday-songs-most-colombians.html). El Preso is Fruko 's anthem and an achievement in Colombian salsa. Manyoma sang this song just like he did many of Fruko's hits from the early 70s through the 80s. Here it is, translated this time. (He doesn't say Borgona , as the translation reads. He says G orgona , which used Colombia's Alcatraz, an island prison off the Pacific coast, and which is now a natural park.) And here's another one of Manyoma's performances: Los Charcos (The Puddles) with Fruko y Sus Tesos :

When Fuentes released Fruko 's second album, A La Memoria del Muerto (In Memoriam), in 1972, the lead singer was Edulfamid Molina Diaz . A tall, skinny man, Edulfamid became known for his great voice, reminiscent of the best Cuban singers, and for his peculiar dancing style. He would forever be remembered as Piper Pimienta . He sang many of Fruko 's Salsa hits, and was part of several different bands. Ironically, the words he sang in the title song of A La Memoria del Muerto would be used during his own funeral. Tragedy had been chasing him around Colombia. In the 80s his son was killed during a shooting, and in 1991 his house went up in flames with all his music inside forcing him to cancel concerts. In June 1998, Piper was assassinated in front of his home in Cali. He had just won a civil lawsuit over royalties. But, as he sang: "On the day I die, I don't want cryings or rosaries. . . I just want my friends to dance in my memory. . . ." So here it ...

I think we have established quite well that Fania Records greatly influenced the development and recognition of Salsa music as a genre. But, how does all this connect with Colombia? Well, that's our next topic. Bear with me because we are going to go back in time again as we search for the intersection of Salsa Music with Colombian music. This story begins in la Costa , the Colombian Caribbean coastal area, where the historic cities of Santa Marta, Barranquilla, and Cartagena are located. From these port cities, the slave trade spread the African musical influence throughout the region. Here in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, African music continued to evolve, mix, and change until it eventually spun out cumbia and vallenato among other rhythms. It was in Cartagena that Antonio Fuentes was born to his wealthy parents in 1907. In 1920, Antonio was sent to the United States to finish High School. Apparently, during a break from his studies, Antonio visited Philadelphia...

Last week we discussed Hector Lavoe and his contribution to the world of Salsa. Before moving on, here is one more Lavoe song that should be a part of anyone's Salsa collection: El Día de mi Suerte -- My Lucky Day. The lyrics tell the story of a boy for whom nothing ever goes right. His mother dies leaving him alone with his father, then his father dies, he needs to work to eat, he grows up and finds himself totally alone. In spite of all of his problems, he maintains the belief that his luck will change, but Cuando Será (When will it happen) The chorus states: Pronto llegará el día de mi suerte Sé que antes de mi muerte Seguro que mi suerte cambiará. Soon my lucky day will come, Before I die, I am sure That my luck will change. /div>

Building a Salsa collection yet? Well, here's a must have: El Menú by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico As you might have noticed, one of El Gran Combo 's defining characteristics is their ability to make fun Salsa songs. This one is naturally about food, but with a twist at the end of the song punctuated by a double play on the word Salsa . "I like my lamb with wine, and my fish with lemon juice; my pork with pepper and oregano, and my rice with ham and bacon . . ." he goes on to list a few more food items such as well sautéed green beans, avocados as big as melons, and bananas. But "at the end" or top of all that "que le pongan Salsa!," pour on some sauce, or salsa, or Salsa! Get it? Either add some great salsa to the food or just play some Salsa while we eat, or better yet, do both!

Let's hear another song by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico : El Jíbaro Listo A Jíbaro is a rustic person, a country man. The Jíbaro in the song is also a smart ( listo ) person. Although the story transpires in Puerto Rico, this is a song about the American Dream. Having left the fields for the city, the Jíbaro arrives in San Juan de Puerto Rico on a Fourth of July (what a coincidence), finds work as a carpenter, and becomes successful. In the process he discovers that he has lost any desire to return to his lar nativo -- the native lair. As he puts it, the dark color of his skin turned out to be just stains from the banana plants which went away when he started using soap. He makes new friends and learns to write his name-- and last name--on a piece of paper. Voy a un sitio distinguido, llamado el Hotel La Concha, pues ya se me calló la roncha que del campo habia traído. "Now I go to a distinguished place called the La Concha Hotel, " and he is accepted there be...

Up to this point, and quite purposefully, I have avoided talking about Puerto Rico and its contributions to Salsa music. I simply wanted to dedicate some special entries to the Boricua artists who helped develop this genre. So here we go . . . We have to start with El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico or The Great Band from Puerto Rico , unassuming, I know. When Fania All Stars played their famous Yankee Stadium concert in 1973, El Gran Combo opened for them. They had been around since 1962 when Rafael Ithier organized the band. In 1963, El Gran Combo released its first album, Acángana (my Puerto Rican friends might have to correct me, but this is Puerto Rican onomatopoeia for the sound produced when hitting or running into something.) Acángana happened to be released two days before John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. As a sign of mourning, the distribution of this party album in Puerto Rico was postponed. Instead, the album was distributed in other Latin American coun...

We have been spending some time remembering the Salsa music stars of Fania Records. Since we are in no hurry to move on, I thought I'd spotlight another song by Rubén Blades , this one with a nostalgic connection to Colombia. Not too long ago, when I was growing up in Colombia, television there was limited to two government owned channels --three, if you lived in the capital. This technological wonder broadcast in all the hues of the color spectrum from white to dark grey and only within the hours of 5 to 10 pm. With literally nothing to see on the tube, most pre-internet Colombians became addicted to radio. On Saturday nights, all members of the Salsa cult, faithfully tuned in to a show named " Salsa con Estilo " (Salsa with Style) hosted by Jaime Ortiz Alvear . Jaime wasn't a DJ, he was one of the best sports commentators in the country, a possessor of encyclopedic knowledge about both sports and Salsa. At the beginning of the show, he would always recite: ...

Last week, I mentioned Rubén Blades once again, it must time to talk about him. This prolific artist has a remarkable story, which is closely tied to Fania records. Those who watched the PBS documentary (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/latinmusicusa/#/en/wat/02/01) might remember the story about Blades wanting to write and sing Salsa music so much that he begged Fania for a job. He eventually got the job-- as an orderly in the mail room. From there he rose to become one of Fania's main stars. It is difficult to choose just one of his songs to spotlight here, but let's start with a well known one: Pedro Navaja by Rubén Blades. This song is to Salsa what Louis Armstrong's Mack the Knife is to jazz. In fact Blades drew inspiration from Louis Armstrong for the song, just watch the video. But the song also draws from Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera, and is a narrative about Pedro, a quintessential New York thug who is outwitted by a street smart woman. The song first appeared in...

Our walk down Salsa 's history lane will slow down to a crawl. This will allow for a closer look at each one of the Fania Stars. But let's begin with a look on the rear view mirror. One of the precursor rhythms to Salsa was something called Latin Boogaloo and the father of this rhythm was Gilberto Miguel Calderón . He was a Neuyorican, someone born in New York to Puerto Rican parents. By the end of 1950s, Calderón had become Tito Puente 's friend, had formed his own band (The Joe Cuba Sextet), and had changed his name to - well-- Joe Cuba . In 1964, a rising vocalist and future Fania star named Cheo Feliciano was given the charge to sing Joe Cuba's song Que Problema (What a Problem). Here it is: Que Problema by The Joe Cuba Sextet with Cheo Feliciano Fania re-wrote this song and popularized it in the voice of Hector Lavoe . They named it, Que Lio (another way of saying What a Problem!). I like the fact that the first word in this drum beat based jam is a we...

OK. We are almost to where all this background turns into Salsa. But, what does all of it have to do with Colombia? Well, for starters, Colombia has its own version of the Charanga . The original Cuban Charanga was played with timbales, güiro, conga, piano, volin, and flute. Colombians threw in . . . the accordion! But this isn't today's topic either. We can't end our visit to Cuba without mentioning a few more details, relevant to the development of Salsa music. During the second half of the 19th Century, as Cuba became an independent island nation, the new country was divided along both geographic and socio-economic lines. Geographically, there were the provinces of Oriente (East) and Occidente (West). In Oriente, the main city was Santiago de Cuba , a place of intense economic activity which, years earlier, the Spanish Conquistadores had turned it into a main port for the trade of African Slaves. The natives of Santiago de Cuba , the Taino and Siboney Indians...

If you were to dissect a Salsa song in search of its back bone, you would have to set aside several other rhythms, piled onto the core like layers of tissue. This is because, as we have been discussing, Salsa is made up of several rhythms, mostly of Cuban origin. As we also have learned, Cuban origin means African origin. In this dissection, eventually you would run into the simple sound made by two pieces of wood striking each other. It is a very distinctive pow, pow, pow, powpow -type rhythm, or three distinct hit-pause-hit-pause-hit pause, followed by two hit-hit impacts closer to each other, all this repeated over and over. " Cinco golpes en dos compases de música " (five notes in two music measures) is what those who understand this sort of thing call it. They also call this simple rhythmic progression a clave (a key). There are several claves , the most common are the Son , the Rumba , and the Samba , all Cuban descendants of African claves . When performing th...

On my personal blog I like to close out each Friday by sharing five things I love. Today as a parting gift I'd love to leave you all with five of my favorite Colombian salsa songs! Colombia is turning out phenomenal dancers and singers and we're giving Cuba and PR a run for their money. :) I made a mixtape for my little Colombino so that when he's old enough to go dancing he'll already know the songs by heart. Here's five songs to start you off if you wish to do the same! - Emily 1. Rebelión (No le pega la negra ) – Joe Arroyo: In my opinion this is the BEST salsa song, not the best Colombian salsa song. The best song hands down. When people hear that iconic piano downbeat they grab a partner and hit the floor in hordes. The lyrics tell the story of a Slave Rebellion and the song starts off with these famous lines "I want to tell you my brother a little piece of black history, of our history, gentleman. And it goes like this..." Oh my goodness, I g...

Okay like I said yesterday, I had big plans to make videos and teach you salsa myself but there was a little two foot Colombian with other ideas. Thank goodness for the internet! Below I picked out a video that teaches the basic step and a basic turn. This is all you need to know to get out there and have fun! This couple also has a fun iphone app you can download if you are into that sort of thing. You can find more info here . A side note before you start your lesson. In the US most of the Salsa taught is with a basic step that goes front to back. In Colombia the basic step is almost always danced Cumbia style which is side to side in a circular motion. This difference can be confusing for Colombians when they are outside of Colombia and difficult for foreigners who are bewildered when they go out dancing in Cali. The two styles though are almost exactly the same. The best way to explain this difference is American English vs. British English, they are essentially the same but the s...

I have to start off with a confession. I had big plans to make you guys customized, personalized dance lessons. "It'll be great!" I told Colombian Mommy. "I'll make the videos, upload them to youtube and embed them in the blog. Easy-peasy" I forgot though, there there is a small Colombian in my house that often has different ideas about things. Elian is at that stubborn toddler stage where he is intent on controlling the whole world. He personally loves to dance but does not approve of anbody else dancing. The little king must be the only dancer! When we try to dance he screams "No, Mama. No, Mama!" The other day I emerged from the bathroom to hear my husband saying "Papa is allowed to dance if he wants to! You don't tell Papa he can't dance!" I'm still not sure who won that battle. I figured you wouldn't want your dance lessons accompanied by the shouts of my little one so I opted to find you some on the internet instead...

When you go out dancing in Colombia or at “Salsa/Tropical” dance nights in other countries you’ll be encountering several different types of music. Here's a short overview of the most common. Each title links to a youtube video with an example! Salsa –Duh! Merengue -From the Dominican Republic and the easiest dance in the world. Bachata –Also from the Dominican Republic and usually slower/romantic. It’s very popular in the US right now and I’ve noticed that gentleman like to use it as an excuse to snuggle up. Cha-Cha -Older people tend to cha-cha more than younger but it’s always nice to have this in your arsenal. Rumba -Not as common, but so very beautiful. The rumbas are slow songs and it is especially sweet to see older couples swaying with the ease that only comes with years together. Reggaton -The easiest way to describe it is to say it’s a mash-up of hip-hop and latin beats. Cumbia -Traditional Cumbia is very different than the kind of Cumbias you hear in the clubs and danced...

Hi everybody. This is Emily from Notorious MLE . I’ll be guest-posting for the week and before I start I’d like to wish a very Happy Birthday to the lovely author of this blog, the very kind and generous “Colombian Mommy”. Many of you might not know that in addition to authoring this amazing resource she also has helped many families along the journey to bring their children home. She was my anchor in the storm during our adoption process and so this week I am throwing a SALSA party in her honor. Won’t you all join me? Salsa is a really important part of Colombian culture. If you go to a family party, you salsa. If you go to a high school dance, you salsa. All Colombians know how to salsa at least a little bit and some are truly amazing dancers. I used to be a Salsa Dance Instructor and this week I’m going to teach you all you need to know to have a dance party with your Colombianitos at home or a fun night out! I’ll be back tomorrow with an overview of the different types of...