Mana-Oye Mi Amor

Mana is another popular musical group in the Mexican rock genre. Mana differs from Cafe Tacuba and the other listening assignments because they are more pop and cater to the general public. I really like them because most of their songs are about love, and lost, and to me, they are very similar to American rock. What do you think?

Cafe Tacuba-Eres

This is another popular song by the Mexican rock band, Cafe Tacuba. This song realtes to the class because not only does it fall under Spanish rock, but the band it shows how the band likes to experiment with different musical styles. It is very different from the other listening assignments that we heard in class, and also offers insight into their musical style.

Alicia Villareal-Te Quedo Grande la Llegua

I really like this song because it features a woman in the traditional mariachi costume. Alicia Villareal is popular artist who sings in a male dominated genre. This song relates to the class because it is ranchera, which is a genre in Mexico, and features the traditional mariachi attire, but instead it is sung by a woman. As the video progresses, you can also see that it addresses gender roles as the song does also.

A more modern use of the huehuetl and teponaztli.

William Garcia - Rock n Roll in Cuba

Going off of my recent post, I found this incredibly interesting video that talks about punk rock in socialist Cuba. The movie follows a man named William Garcia and his career as a punk rock musician. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDdPKZzPB54

Cuban Rock Map

For my reading report, I chose to discuss rock music and how it impacted Cuba. While browsing through the internet, I came across this cool article talking about how the Cuban government is planning to create a "map," of sorts that will channel the history of rock in Cuba. Ran by a woman named Liliana González, the Cartography of Rock in Latin America project will discuss things such as the underground rock scene during the reign of Castro and the lifestyle it promoted. Here's the link to read more on it.

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53127

Lady Gaga Mariachi

This video of Lady Gaga performing a Mariachi rendition of her song "Born This Way" became somewhat of a viral hit earlier in the year. To celebrate her birthday, she joined Jose Hernandez and his Mariachi Sol De Mexico band at a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles. In this video you can see the traditional outfits and string instruments (like violins), used to turn this American pop hit in to a Mariachi-style tune. This just goes to show how versatile the Mariachi sound is is and how it can be applied to almost any song or genre--even Lady Gaga's "Born This Way."

Aida Cuevas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwg5b4rrKFA

This is a song by Aida Cuevas, entitled El Pastor. It's in Spanish (obviously) so maybe a few of you could help out with the translation because I have no idea what this song is about! Aida Cuevas is a Mexican singer and she is also known as "The Queen of Ranchera". All of her music is Mexican influenced, and you can hear the Mexican roots in her sound. She has released a total of twenty seven albums, and won a Grammy Award, along with many others.

I personally enjoyed her sound, she has a very interesting voice, which a large range of high and low tones.

What is interesting about this song, which you can see if you check out the music video, is that along with the common Mexican instruments, there is also a big use of violins - which add tremendously to the overall beauty of the music.

Let me know what you all think!

Mariachi

We spoke a lot about the history of Mariachi groups, and how they transformed from rural to urban. The style of the music got modernized, the clothing changed, the groups got larger, and new instruments were introduced. Some of the instruments include the violin, harp, bass drum, trumpet, 6 stringed guitar, guitarron and vihuela. In the video you can see a large group of mariachis in their outfits playing various instruments. Its kind of set up like a festival/carnival type thing where the mariachi play down the streets and the people sing along with them and enjoy themselves. It definitely shows how the people connect with mariachi music and how it is the music of Mexico.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvKf6-fSM08

Fania

  

It has been too long since I have posted on the blog and I do apologize for that. An architecture thesis does not pop out of thin air and I have been hitting extreme deadlines and stress to the point where sleeping is not even a part of life anymore. I have been meaning to make a few posts over the past couple of weeks, but have not gotten around to it until now.

In this post, I am here to talk about the Fania music label; which I am surprised no one has yet discussed about. Fania Records was a New York based record label founded by bandleader Johnny Pacheco in 1964. Fania is known for its promotion of what has become known as Salsa music. Among Fania's signature stars are: Celia Cruz, Larry Harlow, Ray Barretto, Ralfi Pagan, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Bobby Valentín, Rubén Blades, Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colon, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and so many others.


The record's modern take on traditional Afro-Caribbean music served as the template for what soon would come to be known as the Fania Sound. In the late 60's, Pacheco created a supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars that brought together the elite of Salsa musicians and singers for joint performances and recording, similar to the Buena Vista Social Club. The Fania All-Stars were Fania's best selling band, outlasting the label itself. 


Today, Fania lives on with the people who have experienced the label that ignited the Salsa craze in the United States. It was passed on to me throughout my childhood every time my family would play a Fania record on the record player. I have a deep emotional connection with this music because it is very much a large part of my childhood and is something that will never be forgotten. You can definitely count on me to pass this music on to my kids.

Celia Cruz - Quimbara

Cheo Feliciano - Anacaona

Eddie Palmieri - Vamonos Pa'l Monte

Fania All Stars - Quitate Tu

Hector Lavoe - Periodico De Ayer

Ismael Miranda - Abran Paso

Larry Harlow - La Cartera (Canta Junior Gonzalez)

Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz - Pancho Cristal

Ruben Blades - Pedro Navajas

Willie Colon - La Murga (Canta Hector Lavoe)

Willie Colon - El Gran Varon

Ok. I think that's good enough for now. Fania will always be a part of me. Each of these songs all have a deep meaning and a moral we can all learn from. Hope you guys enjoy it. Now to get back to work, this thesis is not going to write itself.

La Bamba: Ritchie Valens

I found many versions of La bamba, but I like the Ritchie Valens a lot. Ritchie Valens was one of the most famous Mexican-American singer, song writer, and guitarist. He made a hit version of the Mexican folk song "La Bamba" with his rock and roll influence and rhythms. There was even a movie made of his life called "La Bamba". This song is very catchy, fast, and upbeat. Its one of the few Mexican songs I know, I love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCXlp3D5NQA

Guajira

As a fan of American country music, I wanted to track down an example of guajira (or Cuban country music). As you can see in the clip above of a performance from Miami, sonically it's not very similar to American country music. However, there are some similarities in its stripped down nature. Much like American country music, Cuban country music only uses a few instruments (mostly string) and there is a focus on the vocalist. I would assume this is to make the lyrics more prominent, as they're an essential component in country music. This style seems to put more emphasis on the actual lyrics as opposed to creating something that can be danced to.