Chapter 11
Further Listening
(Note: Beyond the specific items listed below, consult music reference works such as The Rough Guide to World Music by Simon Broughton et al. [London; New York: Rough Guides, 2006-] and Ethnomusicology: A Research Guide, by Jennifer Post [2nd ed., Routledge, 2011] for information on additional audio recordings. Use internet music providers such as Smithsonian Global Sound for chapter-related listening and see the Internet resources sections of this Online Learning Center).
Cuban dance music
The Very Best of the Cha Cha Chá, Vol. 1. Sony International.
Features reissues of classic cha cha chá recordings from the 1950s by Tito Puente, Enrique Jorrin, Tito Rodríguez, Orquesta Aragón, and other luminaries.
Real Rumba from Cuba. 1994. Corason Records, distributed by Rounder Records.
Recorded by Enrique RamiÌrez de Arellano in 1985 in Havana and Matanzas, Cuba, and in 1988 in Cancun, Mexico. Includes Afrocuba de Matanzas, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, and other groups.
Danzón Mambo. 2000. Tumbao.
The original danzón-mambo sound of the group Arcaño y Sus Maravillas. Reissue of recordings from 1944-1951.
Dance Mania. 2009. Sony International.
Tito Puente and his orchestra recorded 1958 and 1994.
Oye Como Va! The Dance Collection. 1997. Concord Records.
Collection of tracks by Tito Puente recorded between 1984 and 1996.
Tito Puente: The Rough Guide to Tito Puente: Oye como va? Salsa Vibes of a Mambo King. 2005. World Music Network.
Showcases Tito Puente’s musical diversity with mambo, pachanga, boogaloo, salsa and Latin jazz styles.
Machito & His Afro Cuban Orchestra: Mambo Mucho Mambo: The Complete Columbia Masters. 2002. Columbia/Legacy.
Reissue of the seminal work of Machito & His Afro-Cuban Orchestra recorded 1951-1957.
The Best of Santana. 1991 & 2000. Sony. 2 vols.
Includes the hits “Oye Como Va,” “Evil Ways,” and “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” on Volume 1.
Guarachando. 1996. EMI Latin.
Tito Puente Jr.’s breakthrough Latin Dance album includes “Oye Como Va.”
En Los Pasos de Mi Padre = In My Father’s Shoes. 2004. Universal Music Latino.
Tito Puente Jr. timbales, percussion, background vocals.
Creolized Cuban music roots
Buena Vista Social Club. 1997. World Circuit/Nonesuch CD 79478.
An entry point for exploring the roots of creolized Cuban music styles such as son–which were so important to the development of international Latin dance music.
Ibrahim Ferrer. 1999. New York: World Circuit/Nonesuch.
Buena Vista Social Club prformer Ibrahim Ferrer, with Arsenio Rodríguez, Pedro Vega Francia, Faustino Oramas, Celia Romero, Arsenio Rodríguez, Armando Medina, and others.
Other recordings of music from Cuba
Cuba: Afrocuban Songs and Rhythms. 1997. VDE-Gallo CD-959.
Afroamérica, Justo Pelladito, director. Recorded at Studio Aquarius in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1997. Program notes by Helio Orovio.
Cuba: The Trova. 1998. Nimbus 15565. Trio Yagua (Joel Diez, vocals; Francisco Sablón, laúd; Felix Valera, guitar and second vocals). Historical and descriptive notes in English, and song texts with translations (18 p.).
Havana, Cuba, ca. 1957: Rhythms and Songs for the Orishas. 2001. Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40489.
Historic recordings of Lydia Cabrera and Josefina Tarafa. Program notes by Morton Marks, with bibliography and discography.
Matanzas, Cuba, ca. 1957: Afro-Cuban Sacred Music from the Countryside. 2001. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings SFW CD 40490.
From the historic recordings of Lydia Cabrera and Josefina Tarafa, recorded in Matanzas, Cuba, 1957. Program notes in English, with bibliographical and discographical references by Morton Marks (28 p., illus.).
Out of Cuba: Latin American Music Takes Africa by Storm. 2004. Topic Records TSCD 927. Compiled by Janet Topp Fargion from Cuban commercial recordings made primarily for an African audience, 1928-1953.
Punto et trova de Sancti Spiritus = Punto and trova of Sancti Spiritus. 2008. Ocora C560208.
Compilation of Cuban music, including guajira, tova, guaracha, bolero, and punto from Sancti Spiritus. Detailed program notes.
Sacred Rhythms of Cuban Santería = Ritmos sagrados de la santéria cubana. 1995. Smithsonian/Folkways CD 40419.
Recorded in Cuba in 1983-84 with notes by Olavo Alén Rodriguez.
Other musics
There are many routes to take to expand one’s Latino/American music horizons. Compilation recordings by Rough Guides, Putumayo, and other companies provide good points of departure. For example, the Rough Guides series has compilations of Venezuelan, Andean, Dominican (merengue and bachata), Mexican, Tex-Mex, Argentine tango (Astor Piazzolla), Latin jazz, salsa, son, and mambo traditions. Rough Guides also offers several options for exploring Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Brazilian musics, and artist-specific compilations for Tito Puente (noted above) and Celia Cruz.
Possibilities for exploring the contemporary sounds of Latin pop, hip-hop, house, etc. are virtually limitless. Big-name artists like Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Shakira, and Christina Aguilera are obvious choices, but there are many other routes to follow to hear the innovative sounds of contemporary Latin music as well