The Sixth Case of the Latin Fiesta

The DJ Detective returns this week after a work-related absence... great to be back.

According to my calendar, it's time for another crowd-pleasing case of rare groove Latin. This week's set starts off in a familiar vein, playing 'radio Havana' hits from Cuba's Golden Age of big band jazz. The first hour will bring music from Orquesta Casino, Orquesta America, La Sonora Matancera, and the godfather of Cuban son, Beny More.

As we approach the midway point, the sound will shift to the rustic guajiras of Cuba's small groups ("conjuntos"), mixed in with the similar vibe of Afro-Peruvian waltzes and festejos. This humble country style music from both countries still manages to include, in both cases, a nod to the more formal drawing room dances of Colonial Europe... no other musical genres so liberally mix elements of powdered wig and bare feet.

As we move through the second hour, the sound will again shift... this time I am striking at virgin territory for the big show:  the music of post-revolutionary Cuba. As we have discussed previously on the show, Cuba's Communist revolution of 1959 was a disaster for Cuba's music industry, with numerous luminaries fleeing to the U.S. and other countries in order to continue pursuing lucrative careers in capitalist markets. Those musicians who did remain found that they collected the same low wage from the government whether they played and recorded or not. This development combined with the international onslaught of rock and roll to utterly dismantle and demoralize Cuba's musical community within just a few years.

By the 1970s, however, a new generation of Cuban musicians arose to stake a new claim for Cuba's musical heritage. These musicians embraced some elements of the plugged-in modern groove, incorporating electric base and guitar along with some groovy electric keyboard sounds. We will sample this updated Cuban groove to wrap up the set.