Havana & Matanzas, Cuba 1957

Field recordings of the songs and religious ceremonies of sugar plantation workers in Cuba. Amazingly enough, most of the songs are in Yoruba, Congolese, and other east African dialects. Elemental, unpolished performances and recordings. Excellent liner notes. Amazingly similar to Nigerian folk recordings I've heard. Recommend tracks 3, 15, 17. Esp. recommend 5 and 23.

1) 100 bpm. Percussion and bells.
2) 70/140 bpm. Call and resp., male solo, female chorus. Bells, complex polyrhythm.
3) 60/120 bpm. INITIAL LOW LEVEL. Sim to 2.
4) 110 bpm. Similar to 2, and 3, but mellower.
5) Celebratory tone. Less rhythmically complex, but nice melody.
6) Spoken word, male voice.
7) 132 bpm. LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS. Male voice and chorus. Unusual percussion.
8-10 ) Continuation of 7. Note that 7-10 are in a dialect of Yoruba, a language common in Nigeria.
11) Male solo, bell-like percussion.
12) 70 bpm. Surprisingly simple rhythms, tuneful call and response.
13) 80 bpm. Rattles, polyrhythmic drums.
14) 90 bpm. Male solo and chorus, drums, bells, and rattles.
15) 110 bpm. Complex polyrhythms, nice call and response.
16) Sim. to 15.
17) 100 bpm. Elegiac, beautiful use of guiros (gourd rattles). Very unusual.
18) Unison drumming. Male call and response.
19, 20) Similar to 18.
21) 100 bpm. Drum and metallic counter-rhythm. Clean sound, but a bit monotonous.
22) 80/160 bpm. Interesting 2 part chorus. Good drumming. Metallic percussion may irritate listeners.
23) 110 bpm. Female solo, mixed chorus. No percussion. Very pretty.
24) Similar to 23)
25) Male call and response. Swings gently.
26) Loosely structured fragment.
27) sim. to 26)
28) Female solo and male chorus. Tuneful but brief.

Alex D.