Explore every episode of the podcast The Clave Chronicles
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violín and hybrid worship practices in contemporary Cuba | 22 Jan 2026 | 01:05:20 | |
Ethnomusicologist Robin Moore joins Rebecca to discuss the subject of his forthcoming book, Violín: Mediating Musical Style and Devotional Practice in 21st-Century Cuba. As music used to accompany ceremonies for the ancestors and orishas, violines have been growing in recent decades in Cuba, and are an example of an increasingly hybrid musical approach to worship in Cuba. Songs played (all by Orquesta Estrellas Cubanas except where noted): Ave Maria Plegaria a Obbatalá Two versions of Sea El Santísimo - second one by Ifa Fore & Pepe y Sus Tambores Danzón Virgen de Regla Ochímini II You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Feliz 100 años, Celia! | 21 Oct 2025 | 00:53:20 | |
The most beloved Cuban musician of all time was born on this day 100 years ago: Celia Cruz. We're honoring her with a brand new episode featuring Delia Poey, a professor at Florida State University who has written extensively about Celia's Career. Songs played: Quimbara Field recording of Afrocuba de Matanzas' version of Quimbara Chango Ta' Vení Que Le Den Candela Usted Abusó You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Corneta china & Cantonese opera: The Chinese musical legacy | 19 Sep 2024 | 01:05:14 | |
Ethnomusicologist Edwin Porras joins Rebecca to speak about Chinese musical influences in Cuba, which date back to the mid-19th century. The double-reeded suona was adopted by Santiago conga groups around 1915, becoming an unmistakable musical signifier for conga santiaguera. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Cuban fusion and transnational scenes | 27 Aug 2024 | 01:01:58 | |
Eva Silot Bravo joins Rebecca again to talk about her recently published book, Cuban Fusion: The Transnational Cuban Alternative Music Scene, which focuses on Cuban musicians who have migrated to New York, Madrid, and other major cities since the 1990s. They have created new transnational musical scenes, with some traveling back and forth between Cuba and abroad, fusing jazz, Afro-Cuban folkloric music, nueva trova and other genres. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| From the Cuban Serenade podcast: Hilario Durán, The Genius | 09 Aug 2024 | 00:34:43 | |
This week The Clave Chronicles is sharing an episode of Cuban Serenade, a podcast exploring the history of Cuban music in Canada that's hosted by Freddy Monasterio and Karen Dubinsky. This episode focuses on the genius of Cuban-Canadian pianist/composer/arranger Hilario Durán. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The Cuban-Canadian musical diaspora | 19 Jul 2024 | 01:00:49 | |
Freddy Monasterio, a Cuban-born researcher, educator and arts administrator based in Toronto, joins Rebecca to talk about the Cuban musical diaspora in Canada. He also co-hosts a podcast on the topic called Cuban Serenade. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Timba then and now | 05 Jul 2024 | 01:04:56 | |
Anthropologist and prolific scholar Umi Vaughan, author of Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Black Identity, joins Rebecca to speak about his 25 years of research on timba and how the genre has changed in the past three decades. Vaughan has been conducting research in Brazil more recently, and will soon be publishing a book on the repression of Afro-Brazilian religious practice and music. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Krudxs Cubensi: Giving voice to Afro-Cuban queer & non-binary identity | 21 Jun 2024 | 01:11:53 | |
Legendary Afro-Cuban hip hop group Krudxs Cubensi (Odaymar Cuesta and Oli Prendes) join Rebecca to speak about their career and the particular challenges they've faced as artists who are Afro-Cuban, queer, non-binary, and immigrants. Their latest album, They/Them Les Elles, features collaborations with Greg Landau and many other Bay Area-based musicians. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Going deep on the concept of clave | 07 Jun 2024 | 01:06:10 | |
Percussionist and educator David Peñalosa, author of the book The Clave Matrix, joins Rebecca for an in-depth discussion on the concept of clave, delving into its origins, variations and the way it works in various Afro-Cuban genres. If you've ever wondered what 3-2 or 2-3 clave means or what the difference is between "son clave," "rumba clave" and 6/8 clave, this episode is for you! You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The latest in reparto | 24 May 2024 | 01:08:56 | |
Back by popular demand, Mike Levine joins Rebecca again to speak about the latest happenings in Cuban reparto, including a recent controversy related to the genre's popularity in Peru. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Pérez Prado in Mexico | 10 May 2024 | 01:06:26 | |
Scholar and singer Hannah Burgé Luviano joins Rebecca to discuss the career of the "King of Mambo," Dámaso Perez Prado. Unable to achieve much acclaim in Cuba because of his unique compositional style, Pérez Prado struck gold after relocating to Mexico in the 1940s. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Cuban art music before and after the Revolution | 26 Apr 2024 | 01:07:25 | |
Musicologist Marysol Quevedo joins Rebecca to speak about Cuban art music composers of the mid-20th century, such as Harold Gramatges, Juan Blanco and Argeliers Leon. As she details in her recent book, although their works largely relied on classical music structures and forms, they brought in elements of Cuban popular and folkloric music. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| "El rumbero del piano": Paying tribute to Eddie Palmieri | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:54:48 | |
Columbia University professor and trombonist Chris Washburne joins Rebecca to pay tribute to "el rumbero del piano," Eddie Palmieri, one of Latin music's most significant pioneers. His music straddled salsa, Latin jazz, and other genres, and he was known for his innovative experimentation in form and harmony. Songs played: Azúcar El día que me quieras Broken home & If (We had peace today), from the Harlem River Drive project Puerto Rico Rebecca's recent piece on Eddie Palmieri: https://www.grammy.com/news/how-eddie-palmieri-changed-latin-music-obituary You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The many musical lives of Roberto Borrell | 12 Apr 2024 | 01:13:31 | |
Cuban dancer, musician, and educator Roberto Borrell speaks with Rebecca about his incredibly versatile career, spanning popular and folkloric styles. He talks about growing up hearing the legendary bands of the 1950s like Orquesta Aragón and Chappottín y Sus Estrellas, and attending the Black social clubs that were eliminated in the early years of the Revolution. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The angst and rage of punk cubano | 29 Mar 2024 | 01:00:56 | |
Punk cubano emerged during the Special Period crisis, giving young disaffected Cubans an outlet to express their angst and rage, often toward the Cuban government. Carmen Torre Pérez joins Rebecca to speak about the counter-cultural genre and its DIY ethics. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| ICYMI: The poetry and politics of nueva trova | 22 Mar 2024 | 01:01:35 | |
(Rerun of nueva trova episode, first aired in July 2023) You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Tonada Trinitaria & Guarapachangueo | 08 Mar 2024 | 01:08:54 | |
Ethnomusicologist and percussionist Johnny Frias joins Rebecca to speak about one of the lesser known Afro-Cuban folkloric practices, the tonada trinitaria, from the central Cuban city of Trinidad. We then delve into the rumba percussion style that has become dominant in recent decades, guarapachangueo, created by a group of brothers from the outskirts of Havana known as Los Chinitos. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Afrocuba con Su Ritmo Batarumba | 29 Feb 2024 | 00:39:33 | |
Afrocuba de Matanzas is widely considered one of the best preservers of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and dance on the island, but the group also created one of the funkiest and most exciting musical innovations in 1973 when they blended rumba percussion and batá drumming to create batarumba. As the years went on, batarumba became even more complex and versatile, as Afrocuba musicians added in instruments and rhythms from son, Abakuá, Iyesá and adapted the songs of Celia Cruz to a batarumba format. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The Afro-diasporic fusions of percussionist Michael Spiro | 22 Feb 2024 | 01:20:54 | |
Grammy-nominated percussionist, recording artist and educator Michael Spiro joins Rebecca to speak about his apprenticeship in Matanzas with masters of Afro-Cuban folkloric drumming, differences in drumming styles between Havana and Matanzas, and his innovative recordings, which fuse batá drumming with other Afro-diasporic traditions, such as Brazilian samba, Candomblé, and Zimbabwean mbira music. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The magic and artistry of Chucho Valdés | 15 Feb 2024 | 01:11:25 | |
Acclaimed pianist/bandleader/composer/author/educator Rebeca Mauleón discusses the long and incredibly versatile career of pianist/composer Chucho Valdés, who founded the groundbreaking jazz fusion group Irakere 50 years ago. In 2018, Mauleón and Valdés co-authored the book Decoding Afro-Cuban Jazz. In both his Irakere compositions and in his solo career, Valdés has often drawn from Afro-Cuban folkloric music—rumba, batá drumming—for inspiration. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Ida y Vuelta: Musical exchange between Cuba and España | 01 Feb 2024 | 00:59:34 | |
Ethnomusicologist and prolific scholar Peter Manuel joins Rebecca to speak about the many centuries of musical exchange between Cuba and Spain, which birthed genres like the Cuban punto and contributed to the evolution of flamenco in Andalucía. Author and editor of numerous books on Caribbean and Indian popular music, including an important anthology of Cuban musicology, Manuel's newest book is Flamenco Music: History, Forms, Culture. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| A working musician in Santiago (en español) | 25 Jan 2024 | 00:45:53 | |
In our first episode en español (!!!), Rebecca interviews Mario Seguí Correoso, a Santiago-based percussionist who has worked with various groups over the course of his career: an innovative rumba group (Kokoyé), a son/salsa group (Sonora La Calle), and currently a more traditional son group (Los Jubilados), as well as a percussion-based group (Los Tambores de Enrique Bonne). We talk about how difficult the situation has been for musicians since the pandemic. Manigueta, Los Tambores de Enrique Bonne You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Don't call it soukous: The many sub-styles of Congolese rumba | 18 Jan 2024 | 00:59:58 | |
Congolese scholar Ribio Nzeza Bunketi Buse joins Rebecca to speak about the many sub-styles and evolutions within Congolese popular music over the past 60 years. While many in the West refer to the music as "soukous," that's only one specific style of rumba, which also includes rumba chachacha (Joseph Kabasele & African Jazz), rumba odemba (Franco Luambo & OK Jazz), rumba cavacha (Zaiko Langa Langa), and ndombolo (Wenge Musica, Koffi Olomide, Papa Wemba). Dr. Nzeza also explains the significance of the seben, the improvisatory second section of a rumba song featuring virtuosic guitar playing. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The latest in Cuban music with Rafa Escalona | 23 Apr 2025 | 01:19:33 | |
Cuban journalist Rafa Escalona joins Rebecca to talk about the latest trends in Cuban music, including how hard it is to track this information on the island and how recent out-migration has affected the evolution and definition of "música cubana." While contemporary Cuban music is of course dominated by reparto, the songs shared by Rafa provide a broader look into the latest trends. Songs played: Un Momentico + — Melanie Santiler & Dale Pututi Andala Remix — Wildey, Musteerifa & Raydel El Q Manda Suite Para Isaac Oviedo — Jorge Iván Martín feat. Juan Carlos Aguilera Amanacer Sin Ti — Albita & Lenier Tertuliando — Angel Toirac feat. LINKS Newness Cuba playlist (50 best songs in Cuban music from the past year): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1gPyKTGHHQy16z7YO2lhHV Cuba Tracklist (Instagram account with weekly lists of most popular Cuban tracks): https://www.instagram.com/cubatracklist/ Rafa's Substack: https://divagacionesmusicales.substack.com/ A recent piece Rafa wrote (in Spanish) about reparto and YouTube: https://revistaelestornudo.com/reparto-youtube-dicen-charts-musica-cubana/ You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Bad Bunny | 11 Jan 2024 | 00:59:45 | |
Rebecca is joined by reggaeton scholar Petra Rivera-Rideau, who co-created the Bad Bunny Syllabus to provide historical and social context for Bad Bunny's music. His massive hit Un Verano Sin Tí was the most globally streamed album of 2022 and the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. We speak about what makes him such a unique, versatile artist, and then delve into the ways Cuban and Puerto Rican music have diverged in recent decades. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The Haitian presence in Cuba | 07 Dec 2023 | 01:13:58 | |
Franco-Haitian cultural influences in Cuba date back over two centuries, beginning with the "refugees" from the Haitian Revolution who fled to eastern Cuba in the early years of the 19th century. However, a much larger wave of Haitian migrants arrived in the first decades of the 20th century to fill labor shortages on sugar plantations, and most stayed. Anthropologist Grete Viddal joins Rebecca for an in-depth conversation on this history, the musical and religious practices migrants brought with them (like Vodou), and the ways Cuban descendants of Haitian migrants carry on their traditions today. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The Bay Area Cuban music scene | 30 Nov 2023 | 00:56:52 | |
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and educator Dr. John Calloway joins Rebecca to speak about the Cuban music scene in the Bay Area. Calloway has written for Grammy-nominated projects and recorded several of his own albums. He has spent 35 years as a music educator in San Francisco public schools and at San Francisco State University, founding the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble and the Afro-Cuban Ensemble at SF State. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Conga santiaguera | 17 Nov 2023 | 01:06:59 | |
Ethnomusicologist and event producer Lani Milstein joins Rebecca to talk about Santiago de Cuba's quintessential musical practice: conga, an Afro-Cuban percussion and song genre linked to the city's famed Carnival celebrations. It involves mass participation by people parading along with the mobile percussion ensemble and continues to be a major symbol of santiaguero identity. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| I'd love to hear from you! | 10 Nov 2023 | 00:07:00 | |
No new episode this week, but a quick note from Rebecca, followed by a slow, juicy yambú from the legendary Havana rumba group Clave y Guaguancó. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Fundamento: The deep African essences of Cuban religion with Ned Sublette | 03 Nov 2023 | 01:01:46 | |
Rebecca speaks with musician/producer/historian Ned Sublette, author of the most comprehensive history of Cuban music in English, Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo. Sublette is leading trips to Cuba through his organization, Postmambo, and in January will embark on La Ruta de los Fundamentos, a tour focusing on Afro-Cuban sacred sites in western Cuba (email postmambo@gmail.com for more info). We talk about the dense and entangled networks of Afro-Cuban religious practice and play a few fieldwork recordings from rural western Cuba. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Drumming and singing for the orishas | 26 Oct 2023 | 00:50:17 | |
The most well-known African-derived religion in the Americas is La Regla de Ocha or Lucumí, more popularly known as Santería. The music used to accompany rituals and ceremonies involves complex, polyrhythmic drumming and a huge repertoire of songs for the different orishas (Yoruba-derived deities), like Yemayá, Oshún and Changó. Rebecca breaks down some basic features of the religion and its diverse musical ensembles, as well as its widespread influence on Cuban popular music. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Congolese rumba: Cuban music goes back home | 19 Oct 2023 | 00:59:58 | |
Cuban son, under the label "rumba," became incredibly popular following the success of "El manicero" in 1930, including in the two Congos (at the time colonized by Belgium and France). Congolese musicians heard echoes of their own traditional music and began creating a new genre (Congolese rumba) largely based on son, mambo and cha cha cha and sung in a mix of Spanish, French and Lingala. French historian Charlotte Grabli joins Rebecca to talk about the bi-directional musical exchanges between Cuba and the two Congos. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Changüí, Cuban roots music | 12 Oct 2023 | 01:05:23 | |
Grammy-nominated musician, ethnomusicologist, and professor Benjamin Lapidus joins Rebecca for a deep dive into the eastern Cuban roots music called changüí, considered to be one of the antecedents of son. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| A tribute to Tirso Duarte, QEPD | 06 Oct 2023 | 01:05:54 | |
Timba star Tirso Duarte (pianist, singer, arranger, songwriter) passed away tragically on Sept. 29 in Colombia. Timba.com creator Kevin Moore, who worked closely with Duarte and wrote a book about him, joins Rebecca to pay tribute to "el angel negro" and discuss what made him so special as a musician. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| A tribute to Paulito FG | 20 Mar 2025 | 01:00:04 | |
Kevin Moore is back to help us pay tribute to one of timba's brightest stars, Paulito FG (EPD), who died tragically on March 1. Songs played: El humo o la vida, Dan Den feat. Paulito FG Y ahora que, Percussion and vocal track for Entre Dos Amigos No te lo creas, Laura (demo track) El punto You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Gloria Estefan, Queen of Latin crossover | 27 Sep 2023 | 00:39:38 | |
Gloria Estefan walked so Shakira and Ricky Martin could run. She's the OG Latin crossover star, the artist who broke through to the mainstream with Miami Sound Machine and their massive hit "Conga" in 1985. She was also one of the best female balladeers of the 1980s, with songs like "Anything For You" and "Don't Wanna Lose You." In 1993 she released her first solo Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra, an homage to Cuban music. It spent a whopping 58 weeks at the top of the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, only overtaken in 2020 by Bad Bunny. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Women and feminism in salsa, from Celia to La India | 20 Sep 2023 | 01:08:58 | |
Esteemed scholar of Latino/a popular culture and identity Frances Aparicio joins Rebecca to speak about the most significant women in salsa, beginning with the Queen herself, Celia Cruz. We talk about the many struggles female salsa musicians have faced in the music industry over the decades and the different strategies they've used to speak/sing back to the patriarchy and claim space. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Cuban social dance: casino and rueda | 08 Sep 2023 | 00:59:37 | |
Musicologist, dancer and educator Sarah Town joins Rebecca to speak about the history and evolution of Cuban social dance, specifically casino and a particularly intricate and complex style called rueda de casino, danced in a circle. These styles of dance have become a global phenomenon since the 1990s and the rise of timba, and there are many local scenes across the U.S. and around the world. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Más Timba: Pupy, Paulito, Bamboleo & Revé | 30 Aug 2023 | 00:54:03 | |
Part 2 of Rebecca's conversation with Kevin Moore focuses on several major timba groups and their unique styles: Pupy Y Los Que Son Son, Paulito y Su Élite, Bamboleo and Elito Revé y Su Charangón. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Timba: NG La Banda & Charanga Habanera | 23 Aug 2023 | 01:16:25 | |
Finally, a timba episode! Rebecca speaks with Kevin Moore, the mastermind behind Timba.com, the largest Cuban music website in the world, who explains what makes timba unique and how it revolutionized Cuban dance music. This episode focuses on the pioneering innovations of NG La Banda and La Charanga Habanera. Check out Kevin's book Beyond Salsa For Beginners for an incredibly comprehensive musical breakdown of timba. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Cuban reggaeton and reparto | 16 Aug 2023 | 01:17:41 | |
In the past two decades, reggaeton has become the soundtrack of Cuba, eventually resulting in the birth of a more localized genre called reparto. Ethnomusicologist Mike Levine speaks with Rebecca about how reggaeton took hold first in the eastern part of the island, where Jamaican and Caribbean influences are much stronger, and how artists in Havana have transformed it into a uniquely Cuban genre that represents their contemporary lives. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Los Van Van in the Special Period & beyond | 09 Aug 2023 | 00:48:59 | |
Part two of the Los Van Van series, where Rebecca covers the band's evolving lineup, sound, and song themes in the 1990s and 2000s. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Los Van Van: Cuba's salsa train | 03 Aug 2023 | 00:42:38 | |
Los Van Van has been Cuba’s premier dance band since its formation in 1969, with its longevity earning the band the nickname El tren de la salsa (the salsa train). Rebecca covers the band's first two decades and the innovations of Los Van Van's founder/bassist Juan Formell, as well as other musicians like drummer Changuito and pianist Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, such as the group's signature rhythm (songo). You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The poetry and politics of nueva trova | 19 Jul 2023 | 00:59:26 | |
Nueva trova is one of the few Cuban genres that is for listening and reflecting instead of dancing - it's sung poetry, much like other Latin American singer-songwriter genres, namely nueva canción. Rebecca has an in-depth conversation with independent scholar and former Cuban diplomat Eva Silot Bravo about the major figures of nueva trova and how it came to be closely identified with the ideology of the Cuban Revolution. The genre's relationship with the government shifted in the wake of the economic crisis of the 1990s, as newer artists began to openly critiqued the preferential treatment given to foreigners, as well as emigrate abroad. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Rap cubano part 2 | 12 Jul 2023 | 00:28:56 | |
Part 2 of a conversation with Pablo Herrera on Cuban hip hop, including a discussion of the relationship between rap cubano and repartero, or Cuban reggaeton. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Breaking down Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos | 21 Feb 2025 | 01:28:38 | |
Finally, we're back with a brand new episode, inspired by Bad Bunny's love letter to Puerto Rico, Debí Tirar Más Fotos! We get deep into the weeds of the Puerto Rican musical and political traditions that are referenced in Bad Bunny's wide-ranging, exquisitely produced album. Joining Rebecca are Puerto Rican musician and educator Hector Lugo (founder of the Bay Area Latin roots band La Mixta Criolla), and Puerto Rican writer, translator and Bad Bunny scholar Carina del Valle Schorske. Songs played: A Guayama, Desde Cero Si Yo Fuera Alcalde, Chuíto el de Bayamón Aires de Navidad, Hector Lavoe & Willie Colón La Huelga, La Mixta Criolla You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| Rap cubano | 06 Jul 2023 | 00:53:56 | |
We've got an amazing conversation with Pablo Herrera, an anthropologist and one of Cuba's most influential hip hop producers. Pablo speaks about how he got interested in hip hop and the ways Havana's scene of the 1990s sought to emulate American hip hop, especially east coast styles, before becoming more localized and grounded in Cuban culture. The Special Period, Cuba's deep economic crisis, was the backdrop for the emergence of Havana's hip hop scene, and we discuss its influence on Cuban rap lyrics, as well as the continuing racial inequality that the Cuban Revolution never successfully eradicated. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The 1950s dance crazes: mambo & cha-cha-cha | 28 Jun 2023 | 00:27:31 | |
Cuban dance genres of the 1950s, specifically mambo and cha-cha-cha, were hugely popular in the U.S. and all over Latin America. Both were outgrowths of the danzón, but each had its own distinct sound. Different styles of mambo are discussed, including the original style that emerged in Antonio Arcaño's band in the late 1930s and the vastly more well-known style of the "King of Mambo," Pérez Prado, who partnered with Benny Moré and popularized the mambo globally. In New York, it was Tito Puente's band that reigned supreme. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The evolution of salsa | 21 Jun 2023 | 00:41:57 | |
Part 2 of Rebecca's conversation with ethnomusicologist Chris Washburne, author of Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City, and professor at Columbia University. This episode discusses salsa's evolution away from the Cuban son, the ways it became a symbol of pan-Latin identity, and the different ways Celia Cruz and La India navigated the genre's heteronormative gender politics. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||
| The birth of salsa | 14 Jun 2023 | 00:40:50 | |
Rebecca is joined by ethnomusicologist Chris Washburne, author of Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City, and professor at Columbia University. As a professional trombonist, he played with Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Ruben Blades, La India, and many others. We discuss the influence of Cuban music in New York in the first half of the 20th century, the controversy around the term "salsa," and the way Puerto Rican and other Latinos built on this foundation to create a new musical style. You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! | |||