Guajira is one of Cuba's most popular styles of acoustic music, a richly melodic style that came out of the backwoods in the early 20th Century, around the same time that other "country" styles (such as the rumba) were starting to become popular in Havana and the other big cities.
Guajira music is typically led by the tres, an acoustic 12-string guitar with an unusual tuning that lends itself to the lush, swaying melodies of the genre. Similar in many ways to Puerto Rican jibaro (mountain) music, guajira counterpoises elaborate and flashy runs up and down the scales of the tres with expressive, often mournful, vocals. Recently, several old-time guajiros have seen a resurgence in their careers, including Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa and Pio Leyva, of the Buena Vista Social Club.
Bimbi y Su Conjunto Oriental "La Frutabomba: 1937-1941" (Tumbao)
The first recordings by this bouncy, saucy acoustic trio. Many of these catchy songs are about sex (as opposed to romance), so the general vibe is pretty upbeat and nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Similar to the better-known Trio Matamoros, but not as stately. Hella fun, though -- and highly recommended!
Trio Servando Diaz "Postales De Mi Tierra" (Tumbao)
Small-ensemble acoustic guarachas and trio vocals, along the same lines as Trio Matamoros, but a little perkier. Great sound quality on this CD.
Duo Los Compadres "Cantando En El Llano: 1949-1951" (Tumbao, 1995)
Classic, old-school guajira music with exquisite, sometimes fiery guitar work. This is the legendary Francisco Repilado (better known as Compay Segundo) and his cousin, Lorenzo Hierrezuelo (aka Compay Primo), in some of their earliest sessions as a duo... Stylistically, these songs skip around the map of early Cuban acoustic music -- a hint of guaracha here, a slower bit of bolero there, and all with a lively, humourous delivery which makes the songs irresistible. Many of the songs are topical, either about hard times in farming, or just about the country life in general. Great stuff from the early years, and highly recommended.
Duo Los Compadres "Sentimiento Guajiro" (Tumbao, 1999)
If anything, this set of recordings, which stretches into the mid-'50s when the Duo split up, is even more fabulous than the first Tumbao collection. The sound quality is gorgeous, as are the songs themselves. Livelier, more accomplished musicianship and dynamic performances throughout... This includes a great version of the humourous classic, "Saradonga", and guitar playing that shows Repilado at his absolute peak. Great stuff!
Eliades Ochoa "Sublime Ilusion" (Virgin/Higher Octave, 1999)
Fans of Ochoa's earlier releases on Rounder's Corazon label will not be disappointed with this lovely new record. Smooth production takes some of the rough edges off his rootsy acoustic guajiras, but this only helps the sweetness of the melodies
come to the fore. Ochoa's masterful tres guitarwork is highlighted, with playful runs up the scales which will make true fans happy, and the happy into true fans. Ry Cooder drops in for a bit, as well as David Hildago of Los Lobos, whose guitar work fits right in with this folksy, gorgeous style. Highly recommended.
Eliades Ochoa & Cuarteto Patria "The Lion Is Loose" (Rounder/Corazon, 1995)
For contrast, you might like to try these earlier recordings, which are less aggressive, and in many ways more lovely. There is a pronounced emphasis on Ochoa's delicate tres playing, and altogether, this is a very captivating, cheerful album. Highly recommended.
Guillermo Portables "Al Vaiven De Mi Carreta: 1937-1943" (Tumbao, 1996)
Sleek, graceful guajiras from the WWII era. Portables is pretty much considered the creator of the genre, along with other seminal balladeers such as Nico Saquito and Compay Segundo. This collection of early recordings is a delight, especially the small ensemble recordings towards the end of the disc. Highly recommended. If you like this, you might also want to check out more recent recordings by old-timers such as Nico Saquito and Eliades Ochoa.
Guillermo Portabales "Promesas De Un Campesino" (Tumbao, 1999)
More gorgeous guajiras from one of the great stars of the genre. This CD collects two different sessions, one recorded with Noro Morales in 1956, and the other in 1961, following Portables' return from Puerto Rico to Cuba following the Revolution. The stuff with Morales is peppier and more dance-oriented; the '61 radio appearances are with a smaller group and highlight more of the trademark guitar runs that make this music so fabulously wonderful. Highly recommended!
Ramito "El Cantor De La Montana" (Ansonia, 1960)
This guy is the ultimate superstar of the great acoustic Puerto Rican jibaro style... For me, this disc is where is where a deep and abiding love of this style of music all began. I taped this album off the radio way back in the '70s, and it was the similarity between this and the guajira and trova I heard years later that drew me to Cuban acoustic music. Ramito is the main man of Puerto Rican jibaro music -- the music of the rural "mountain" people. This early album showcases him at his absolute best -- for magical, entrancing, enthralling world music, this just can't be beat. The interplay of rhythm and melody is so sleek and hypnotically crafted that this is just plain addictive. Plus, Ramito's vocals have a piercing quality that makes him one of the most distinctive singers in the world. There are a bunch of records from the same time period -- and they are all quite good. One of my all-time faves.
Ramito/Lusito/Moralito "Los Tres Hermanos" (Ansonia)
For a more casual dip into the world of Puerto Rican acoustica, this collection might be a nice place to start. I don't really know much about the other two guys, but their stuff holds up against the tunes by the ever-sublime Ramito. (This isn't, by the way, a collaborative effort -- the disc is made up of several tracks each of these three singers.) More nice stuff; the only liability is Ansonia's lamentable habit of including next to zilch in the liner notes department...
Various Artists "MUSIC OF PUERTO RICO: 1929-1947" (Harlequin, 1992)
One of my favorite Harlequin discs. This should be a favorite of anyone who has already heard the entrancing "jibaro" style of Puerto Rican musicians such as Ramito or Pedrito Romero. These historical recordings lack none of the fluidity and lyrical warmth of those more famous, well-known artists. This is a jaw-droppingly good record, and a model historical compilation. Includes complete, bilingual lyric sheets and recording dates, etc -- but more than that, the music is really, really great, as is the sound quality. Originally came out as an LP, with about half as many tracks. Highly recommended.
Various Artists "LAMENTO BORINCANO -- EARLY PUERTO RICAN MUSIC: 1916-1936" (Arhoolie, 2001)
If you want to delve even deeper into the primorial history of Puerto Rican popular music, this collection would be pretty hard to beat. These recordings include some of the oldest examples of the various danzas, plenas and guarachas that immigrant performers brought with them in the interwar exodus to New York City... On the whole, this 2-CD set may be a bit too stark for all but the most dedicated fans, but it's certainly an amazing collection, drawing on dozens of rare 78s by bands such as Canario Y Su Grupo, Los Reyes De La Plena and the Sexteto Flores... Also of note are the rigorously political liner notes, which see the development of Puerto Rican pop in terms of cultural colonization and the like... Ah, Berkeley!
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