In Europe it is titled - Retrospective Officielle Des Musiques Cubaines. In the USA/Canada it is titled - Official Retrospective of Cuban Music. This is a 4 CD box set from the archives of the Center for the Investigation and Development of Cuban Music (CIDMUC), Havana Cuba.
This 4 CD box set represents our desire to showcase a panorama of Cuban music. Almost all of these CD's contain never released music from all parts of Cuba, and represents the majority of cuban genres of today and yesterday.
Also included is an 80 page booklet written by Olavo Alen Rodriguez and Ana Casanova of CIDMUC describing the genres on the CD's and an introduction to Cuban Music. The booklet is in English and Spanish in the US/Canadian Release and English/French for the European release.
Details
Since its very inception, the music of Cuba has not only intrigued the United States, but the entire world. The music of Cuba has always had a certain mystique to it. And one would never have imagined it, but the economic embargo that the US has had against Cuba since 1961 has affected even the production of art on the island.
Interestingly, the mystique about Cuban music has grown only all the more intriguing to Americans as a result of these political hostilities between the two nations, forcing collectors and record companies to conduct a form of trade under less than ideal circumstances. Somehow, hundreds of compilations of Cuban recordings have managed to make their way to the United States despite the embargo, and by sometimes unknown methods. On the one hand, many of these recordings that come direct from the island have saved American ears from the otherwise monotonous salsa style of the past decade. But it has also confirmed that, despite its ostracism by most of the democratic nations of the world, Cuba continued and continues to educate some of the most talented artists on the entire planet.
“This 4-CD set is an excellent addition to any existing musical collection and a good representation of the folkloric and popular music of Cuba.”
— Latin Beat Magazine - Nov 1999
This anthology of Cuban music, put together with the cooperation of the Center for Research and Development of Cuban Music, rescues the work of groups not yet introduced to audiences outside the island. Additionally, Dr. Olavo Alen Rodriguez and Ana Casanova Oliva invested their academic efforts in formulating the valuable historical and bibliographical notes that accompany this production.
Cuban music is arguably the most universal music of all. And by listening to it, by enjoying it, and by dancing to this unique collection of recordings we have compiled for you, we know you'll find the reasons to argue for such a claim. Finally, it is fortunate that, for those of us who love and cherish music down to the most central part of our souls, no barriers__whether they be political or economic__can ever censor the joy of music, particularly Cuban music.
Tracks
MUSICA AFROCUBANA Y RUMBA
VOLUME I
Toque a Elegguá (Oru seco)
Agrupación de batá: Omó Irago
Folklore
Matanzas, 1984
Time: 1'30
Toques y cantos a: Elegguá, Oggún y Ochosi
Agrupación : Güiros de San Cristóbal de Regla
Folklore
Ciudad Habana, 1983
Time: 3'49
Toques y cantos a: Agayú y Changüí
Agrupación de bembé: Iyaguaré Ochun
Folklore
Colón, Matanzas, 1985
Time: 2'33
Toque y canto a Oyá
Agrupación de tambores iyesá del Cabildo Santa Bárbara
Folklore
Sancti Spíritus, 1986
Time: 3'42
Toque y canto para Dasoy
Grupo Dahomé Arará
Folklore
Perico, Matanzas, 1984.
Time: 2'12
Saludo a la Bandera
Grupo de makuta del Cabildo Kunalungo
Folklore
Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara, l986
Time: 1'43
Má Ludgarda
Tambor yuka
Folklore
El Guayabo, Pinar del Río, 1990.
Time: 1'53
¡Ay Negra!
Grupo de kinfuiti del Cabildo San Antonio de Quiebra Hacha
Folklore
Mariel, La Habana, 1986.
Time: 1'37
Toque y canto a Sarabanda
Grupo Iyaguaré Ochún
Folklore
Colón, Matanzas, 1985
Time: 2'40
Toque y canto de maní
Agrupación de practicantes reunidos para la grabación
Folklore
Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas, 1984
Time: 2'00'
Marcha Efí
Grupo Abakuá de Ciudad Habana con las figuras de Gregorio y Justo Pelladito
Folklore
Ciudad Habana, 1988
Time: 4'58
Qué me importa que brille la luna (tonada trinitaria)
Grupo Lomydé
Folklore
Cienfuegos, 1985.
Time: 6'29
Yambú (yambú)
Grupo Afrocuba
Folklore
Matanzas, 1985.
Time: 7'09
La perla del Caribe (guaguancó)
Grupo Lomydé
Folklore
Cienfuegos, 1985.
Time: 5'00
Martínez Campos decía (columbia)
Grupo Rumbolero
Folklore
Ciudad Habana, 1984
Time: 2'40
Mamá se fue (conga)
Tambores de Bejucal
Folklore
Bejucal, La Habana, 1982
Time: 4'44.
Total Time Aprox. 56'01
SONES Y GUARACHAS
VOLUME II
La conferencia (changüí)
Grupo de changüí de Chito Latamblé
Autor: Herminio Corrioso
Guantánamo, 1984
Time: 4'09
Kiribá (kiribá)
Grupo Kiribá
Folklore
Baracoa, Guantánamo, 1984
Time: 2'50
A pescar camarón (son montuno)
Luis Bejerano: voz y tres
Folklore
Los Palacios, Pinar del Río, 1984
Time: 3'08
Yo no quiero salir de la montaña (son montuno)
Dúo Amante Guajiro
Autor: Vismar Suárez
Guamá, Santiago de Cuba, 1987
Time: 2'06
El beso discreto (guaracha)
Nilda Salazarte y el Dúo Gilberto y Yayá
Autor: Miguel Matamoros
San Antonio de los Baños, La Habana,1986
Time: 2'15
- Menéame la cuna (guaracha)
Trío Voces de Cuba
Autor: Antonio Fernández (Ñico Saquito)
Ciudad de la Habana, 1984
Time 2'48
- Tiene que llegar (guaracha)
Estudiantina Matancera
Autor: José Claro Forme
Unión de Reyes, Matanzas, 1984
Time: 4' 09
Amor como yo te quiero (guaracha)
Los Agricultores
Autor: Rubén Torres
Los Corrales, Granma, 1987
Time: 3'29
- María Elena (sucu-sucu)
Tumbita criolla
Autor: Ramón (Mongo) Rives
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, 1985
Time: 4'55
Yo me voy a B. Masó (guaracha)
Modelo 84
Autor: Miguel Pacheco Rosales
Guisa, Granma, 1987
Time: 4'41
- El café (guaracha)
Sexteto Hermanos López
Autor: Lucio López
Melena del Sur, La Habana, 1986
Time: 4'04
- Sarandonga (son)
Aldo del Río y el Sexteto de son del Organo Pinareño
Autor: Aldo del Río
Pinar del Río, 1989
Time 4'01
- Echale candela (guaracha)
Septeto Los Naranjos
Autor: Isaac González
Cienfuegos, 1986
Time: 3'05
- Te busqué anoche (son)
Son del Mayabeque
Autor: Ignacio Piñeiro
La Habana, 1986
Time: 4'45
- Querida paloma (son)
La Melodía
Creación colectiva
Casimba de Filipinas, Guantánamo, 1984
Time: 3'46
Time total aprox. 61'10
PUNTO CUBANO Y CANCION
VOLUME III
Décimas a un niño (punto libre)
Decimista: Regla Veloz
Tonada Carvajal
Conjunto Cucalambé
Colón, Matanzas, 1984
Time: 4'04
Décimas libres (punto libre)
Eusebio Casa Ribera (decimista) y Rogelio Casa Ribera (tres)
Tonada Patria Libre
Loma de Arroyo, Pinar del Río, 1984
Time: 2'50
Décimas improvisadas (ronda poética en punto libre)
Poetas repentistas: Miguel Mariano Rives y Ramón (Mongo) Rives
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, 1985
Time: 2'23
Forjando la juventud (pie forzado en punto libre)
Poeta repentista: Alberto Suárez
Grupo Brisas Pineras
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, 1985
Time: 1'21
Controversia de supremacía (punto libre) Poetas repentistas: Florentino Arencibia y Ramón León
Conjunto Cucalambé
Colón, Matanzas, 1984
Time: 4'28
Punto de parranda (punto fijo)
Grupo de parrandas Las Coloradas
Morón, Ciego de Avila, 1987
Time: 2'36
Parranda espirituana (punto fijo)
Grupo de tonadistas espirituanos
Sancti Spíritus, 1981
Time: 2'34
