Para Ellos

Artist: John Santos y El Coro Folklorico Kindembo
Album: Para Ellos

Cuban roots music performed by local ensemble. This group focuses on the African roots of Cuban music, and their performances are quite similar to Cuban field recordings I’ve heard. These recordings serve a very valuable purpose in perpetuating a fascinating, beautiful, and improbable musical tradition. All the tracks are good. Slow tracks are more contemplative, faster ones more cheerful.

1) 90 bpm. Gũiro. Male chant, rattles, bells. Later, mixed chorus call and response.
2) 70/210 bpm Yambu. Very complex polyrhythms, mixed chorus chant and song, w/ male soloist. Dedicated to Mongo Santamaria. The rhythm and song form is an ancient form of the rumba.
3) 90 bpm. Bembe/ñongo. Similar to above, but lighter, simpler and faster. Female vocal soloist. Dedicated to Ogun, the Orisha (saint/god) of metal and divine justice.
4) 100 bpm Misa/palo. Syncretic melding of the Catholic funeral mass and Congolese funeral chants. Male soloist, mixed chorus. Subdued and simple but moving. Later, guitar enters.
5) 110 bpm. Columbia. Highly complex 2 against 3 rhythms. Energetic and cheerful sounding. Male soloist. Lyrics about “amorous conquests” in Cuban provinces, i.e. “I got hos in different area codes.”
6) 120 bpm. Pergon/Rumba. Relatively clearer rhythms, with a cheerful call and response. Song form comes from street vendors.
7) 110 bpm. Rumba. Features Orestes Vilato on wood quinto and congos. Very nice soloing over incredibly complicated polyrhythms.
8) Rezos. Startlingly different. Male and female solists chanting rites of Santa Teresa/Oya. Sampled weather, bird, and vegetation sounds. Also solo drumming on bata, and some sort of pipe. Short track.
9) 70/140 bpm. Gaurapachaguèo. Male soloist, mixed chorus. Unusual, high pitched drums and rattles.
10) 90/180 bpm. Conga. Music of a parade/festival. Features trumpets Quinto, congas, bells. Shifting, fast-paced rhythms,
11) spoken word. A canto from the Santeria Egun tradition (Yoruban origin). Later with simple drums and female chorus.
12) 50/150 bpm. Short a capella song with socially conscious lyrics.

Alex D.