Most of the samples on this page were monitored near Marathon, Florida. All files are in Sun 8-bit .au format, and originated on tapes of the AM radio stations noted below. The recording and reception equipment for most of these samples was a GE Superadio II with built-in cassette; the cassette part no longer works, but the radio continues to work well in my garage.

Musical mélange
Almost no music of contemporary Cuban origination is heard in the USA, as a lasting effect of the trade embargo that's been in place for 30 years. However, Cuba has been listening to the rest of the world. What has evolved is a rich mixture of rock, tropical, Caribbean, and easy-listening love songs. This mix of styles is broadcast all day, every day, to the people of the island of Cuba and those lucky enough to be passing time in the Keys. The music broadcast by Cuban radio is by no means limited to music of local origination, though, as you'll soon see.

About this page
Since I've practically worn out my tapes, I thought I might give Web explorers a chance to hear some of this wonderful music. Some of you who have accessed this page have been generous in providing identifications of artists and titles, and lyric translations. If there's anyone out there who'd like to contribute more information to this page, including background information, the address is at the bottom of the page.

Young rhythm
Our first selection is a breezy, melodic selection with romantic lyrics -- perfect music for a sunny morning. The accompaniment is partially electronic and partially acoustic, with some pretty flutes and brass providing color. It's sung by a woman who displays some very impressive vocal pyrotechnics at the end of the song. It's from the morning show "Ritmo Joven" on Radio Jaruco, Jaruco, La Habana, 1380 kHz, taped in May, 1986, and it is sung by Anabel López (1636274 bytes, 3:24).

Here's an "unplugged" version of the same song, sung by a different female singer (1824748 bytes, 3:48). Please note that reception quality of this selection is not up to the standards of the rest of the selections presented on this page. Here's a transcription of the lyrics, first in Spanish, then an English translation:

"Yo te encontraré un día cualquiera en algún lugar donde las quimeras no puedan llegar, no. Porque tú vendrás a llenarlo todo de dicha y bondad. Llegarás a tiempo. Yo sé que vendras porque te soñé. Y hoy al despertar sé yo bien que respiras de mí sin tu aliento. Sé que me miras. Supe que en tus ojos la ternura, que será como ninguna, que es igual al de cuando amanece... Yo te encontraré un día cualquiera en ese lugar donde la pobreza no pueda llegar, no. Porque tú vendrás y haremos la historia. Porque para amar no hará falta gloria sino recordar que ayer te soñé. Y hoy al despertar sé yo bien que respiras de mí sin tu aliento. Sé que me miras. Supe que en tus ojos la ternura, que será como ninguna, mientras que la revolución florece. Yo te encontraré un día cualquiera en algún lugar donde el egoísmo no pueda llegar, no. Yo te encontraré y aunque el mundo ignore toda esta ilusión esta misma noche te conoceré."

"I'll find you one of these days in some place where chimeras can't occur, no. Because you will come to fill everything with happiness and kindness. You will arrive at the right time. I know you will come because I dreamt of you. And today when I wake up I know that you breathe from me without using your breath. I know you see me. I knew that in your eyes the kindness, that will be like no other, that is like when it dawns....I'll find you one of these in that place where poverty can't arrive, no. Because you will come and we will make the story. Because to love there will be no be need of glory but of remembering that yesterday I dreamt of you. And today when I wake up I know well that you breathe from me without using your breath. I know you see me. I knew that in your eyes the kindness, that will be like no other, while the revolution flourishes. I'll find you one of these days in some place where selfishness can't arrive, no. I'll find you and even when the world ignores all this illusion this same night I'll know you."

Here's a lightweight, bouncy Cuban pop song that must be called Primavera, or Spring (1096587 bytes, 2:18). This little wisp of a number is almost over before it starts, with a pretty female vocal, male accompaniment, and odd electronic voices in the very short chorus. The lyrics go like this:

(Female Singer) Así comienza nuestro amor en primavera. (Male Singer) Así comienza nuestro amor en primavera. Sábado y domingo, salimos a pasear. (FS) El lunes por la noche ya me invitó a cenar. (MS) El martes no nos vimos El miércoles llamé. (FS) El jueves por la noche, el jueves lo besé. (MS) El sábado temprano, volvimos a pasear. (FS) El domingo por la noche nos fuimos a bailar. (MS) Así comienza nuestro amor en primavera. (FS) Así comienza nuestro amor en primavera. (MS) El sábado temprano, volvimos a pasear. (FS) El domingo por la noche nos fuimos a bailar. (MS) Así comienza nuestro amor en primavera. (FS) Así comienza nuestro amor en primavera.

(FS) This is the way our love starts in spring. (MS) This is the way our love starts in spring. On Saturday and Sunday we went out to walk. (FS) On Monday night he invited me for dinner. (MS) On Tuesday we didn't see each other. On Wednesday I called her. (FS) On Thursday night, on Thursday I kissed him. (MS) On Saturday, early, we went walking again. (FS) On Sunday night, we went dancing. (MS) This is the way our love starts in spring. (FS) This is the way our love starts in spring. (MS) On Saturday, early, we went walking again. (FS) On Sunday night, we went dancing. (MS) This is the way our love starts in spring. (FS) This is the way our love starts in spring.

Here's a nice trumpet-led, tropical instrumental theme from "Ritmo Joven" (865062 bytes, 1:48), and the Radio Jaruco signoff theme (1372550 bytes, 2:51), a moody tango led by a steel guitar with brass accents. The record has lots of surface noise. The theme is followed by the station's signoff message: Radio Jaruco de la cadena provincial de radio de La Habana recesa sus transmisiones correspondientes al día de hoy, esperando que nuestra programación haya sido del agrado de todos ustedes. Patria o muerte, venceremos. In English: Radio Jaruco, of the provincial chain of radio of Havana, recesses its transmissions corresponding to today's day, hoping that our programmation has been of the liking of you all. Fatherland or death, we will win.

Rebellion
Among the national networks of the Cuban radio is Radio Rebelde, available at numerous frequencies at the low end of the medium wave dial. These stations cover the island and all of South Florida during the daylight hours, and most of the eastern United States in the evening hours. Here is a selection of music from the daytime shows "Tiempo de tiempo" and "Super Joven", starting with with a selection I've tagged as Yo te quiero (1189128 bytes, 2:29). Strong, emotional female vocals and sweeping strigns with contrasting jazzy verses and a romantic sing-along chorus highlight this one.

Next is a duet which one of my correspondents thinks is by the Argentinian duet Pimpinela (1026593 bytes, 2:08); the title might be "Donde Estas Amor". It's a male/female duet, with the vocalists trading lines on the verse and harmonizing on the catchy chorus. A pair of flutes provide color throughout the song. And next, Maria Luisa (1602244 bytes, 3:20), sung by "la italianita Rita Pavone", as announced by the DJ voiceover. It's an electric rock song, with acoustic guitar and woodwinds providing sprightly color. There is some nice marimba at the end of this selection. The lyric of the song makes it clear that the song is about a woman who believes that she is about to lose her boyfriend to a woman named "Maria Luisa".

Porque aun lo quiero tanto. Aun que yo lo perdere. Tuyo, sera tuyo por siempre, tuyo. Y eso no lo habria nunca dicho Y sufro tanto, tanto que me muero (bis) Mio, no podre mantenerlo mio. Y no pensaba que lo habria hecho. Y sufro tanto, tanto que me muero (bis)

This selection is followed by another female vocalist, with what sounds to me like a song of young heartbreak (1702283 bytes, 3:33), with electric and acoustic guitars leading the way and a lonely harmonica on the verses.

I've labeled the next selection Amor (1857242 bytes, 3:52). According to the voice-over at the beginning of the clip, the vocalist is Anabel López, who we met near the top of the page. Anabel is the sister of leading "nueva trova" singer Silvio Rodriguez. This is a big production, done by a full orchestra, almost like a Broadway show tune, with a sensational vocal performance and a big buildup from verse to chorus. This is followed by an instrumental Theme from Radio Rebelde (1416143 bytes, 2:57), classic Cuban nightclub mambo music with forties-style horns, percussion and a cool piano break. It's interruped briefly with a DJ voice-over; it sounds like there was some kind of film festival going on at the time the tape was made.

Here's a dance number called "Muros Transparentes" ("Transparent Walls") by Grupo Mezcla (2509280 bytes, 5:14). It's a primarily electronic selection, with percussion and male vocals. The last selection before we turn the dial is a beautiful classic danzon (1533835 bytes, 3:12) played by Orquestra Siglo XX. This sounds like a very old recording to me.

City of Havana
Another station that comes in well in Marathon is CMCA, Radio Ciudad de la Habana "La Emisora Joven de la Capital", on 860 kHz. I think I have the first artist's name pegged pretty well as Pedro Luis Ferrer; here's his song Plaza del Mercado (2068655 bytes, 4:18). This is a well-sung tuneful number with a pretty flute counter-melody line. Here are transcriptions of the lyrics, preceded by the DJ's intro:

(Announcer) En el 95,7 MHz frecuencia modular transmite radio ciudad de La Habana. Pedro Luis Ferrer. Un campesino en la plaza del mercado. (Singer) Entre el olor de pescado, de piña y de platanitos; yo vi bailar a un negrito en la plaza del mercado. Y un camionero arruinado a mi ayudante decía entre prosa y poesía: vamos a tomar un trago en honor a Santiago aunque sea por fantasía. Y recordare aquel día de paisajes y recuentos para repetir sin cuentos: yo vi una plaza vacía. No sé si fue la alegría de aquel negro zalamero la que movió mi sombrero; o la extrañeza sufrida viendo en la ciudad dormida el despertar de un rumbero. Después conversé con él y me decía sonriendo. Poeta en tragos no entiendo. En mi ciudad ya no hay miel. Y recordando el pincel de aquel que quiso pintar sonrisas en cuyo hogar a través de la avenida vi tras la plaza y finquita que trataba de olvidar. Y entre el olor de pescado de piña y de platanitos volvió a bailar el negrito en la plaza del mercado. Y como que ha provocado que la musa me visite como buscando un desquite para este viaje sin nombre. Llevo aunque el burgo(?) se asombre un recuerdo en mi escondite. coro: Baila rumbero, rumbero que yo te quiero. Baila rumbero rumbero que no me quiero morir sin verte bailar y son emperos. coro: Baila rumbero, rumbero que yo te quiero.

Here's a tune sung by a female artist named Mirta Medina (2165576 bytes, 4:31). It's a pop-rock song, midtempo, with mostly electronic backing. There is an especially silly electronic vocal refrain near the end of the song, but I like it anyway.

Fried plantain and fish
Without a doubt, the most popular song in Cuba in May '86 was a song called Patacón Pisa'o. This song has its origins in Colombia in 1983, where it was written by Ramon Chaverra and first performed by Juan Carlos Coronel. The song also became famous in the Dominican Republic, where it was turned into a merengue by the popular Dominican singer Johnny Ventura. Here are two versions of it; the first version (1776626 bytes, 3:42) is an uptempo, clap-along version (we saw a Cuban family driving down Duval Street in Key West with all the windows down, blasting this one on 10, and singing and clapping along); the Johnny Ventura version (2477457 bytes, 5:10) is a mid-tempo, slinkier version. There's a small gap in the first version around 1:14; I had to flip the cassette. This is the best version I have. The Spanish lyrics below are followed by an English translation.

(Spoken:) Vamos a ponernos en ambiente. Vamos a hacer la clave cubana. Oye. ?Que no sabes lo que es patacón pisa'o? Son los platanos al puñetazo, mi negro. !Asi! Que no se caiga esa clave. !Eso! (Sung:) El marío de Josefa solo come pesca'o. Si le dan otra cosa se levanta abrava'o. Yo no quiero mondongo ni platanito asa'o. Yo quiero que me den mi pesca'o guisa'o y patacón pisa'o. Josefina le pone platos sofistica'os. Pero no se los come. E'l reclama pesca'o. Si le dan otra cosa quieren verlo embroma'o. Si saben que le gusta su pesca'o guisa'o y patacón pisa'o.

(Spoken:) Let's get in the mood. Let's make the cuban clave (rhythm that is clapped in the background, 3 slow claps followed by 2 fast claps or vice versa at the end). Listen. You don't know what patacón pisa'o is? They are plantain "al puñetazo", my black man. That's the way! Don't let that clave fall. That is it! (Sung:) Josefa's husband only eats fish. If he's given something else he gets up from the table maddened. "I don't want mondongo nor a little baked plantain. I want to be given my stewed fish and pataco'n pisa'o." (This is plaintain cut into slices, flattened [pisa'o] and fried. Mondongo is cow tripe platter.) Josefina puts for him sophisticated dishes, but he doesn't eat them. He demands fish. If he's given another thing you want to see him bothered. Because you know that he likes his stewed fish and patacón pisa'o.

More heartfelt vocalizations now, from a the Mexican female singer Lupita D'alessio. This is probably the most emotional-sounding song on the page, a pretty melody and a nice guitar-and-strings accompaniment, with a soulful sax break in the middle, and yet another outstanding melody. This one's called Ni Loca (1504941 bytes, 3:08). Regarding this song, a correspondent writes:

...a Mexican singer who reached her maximum stardom in the early to mid-eighties. Her (hit) songs were/are especially emotional or heartfelt, if you will, because after each time she divorced one of her Argentinian soccer player husbands (minimum age requirement: at least ten years younger than her), she would have any one of her favorite song writers create an appropriate song for the occassion. She still denies this of course, but C'MON! She recently dumped her latest Argentinian soccer player.

And just to keep things balanced, a passionate-sounding song from a male singer. It's another one of those big-buildup numbers, mid-tempo, with a melody to kill for. The song is entitled Cantares, but I think of it as Golpe a Golpe (Beat by Beat) (1543512 bytes, 3:13). The music was written by the Catalonian composer Juan Manuel Serrat, using lyrics from a poem by the Spanish writer Antonio Machado. Vincente Carillo from Italy writes: La canción "Golpe a golpe" del poema de Antonio Machado, la edito el cantautor catalan Joan Manuel Serrat en un LP homenaje a dicho poeta. (Jose luis Perales es de Cuenca, Castilla La Mancha, y para mi gusto es un 'horetera' integral. No dudo que haya podido cantar dicha canción, pero es Serrat quien hizo famosa esa y otras canciones de Machado). Spanish and English lyrics follow:

Todo pasa y todo queda pero lo nuestro es pasar, pasar haciendo caminos, caminos sobre la mar. Nunca perseguí la gloria ni dejar en la memoria de los hombres mi canción. Yo amo a los mundos sutiles ingrávidos y gentiles como pompas de jabón. Me gusta verlos pintarse de sol y grana, volar bajo el cielo azul, temblar súbita mente y quebrarse. Nunca perseguí la gloria... (spoken) Caminante son tus huellas el camino y nada más. Caminante no hay camino se hace camino al andar. Al andar se hace camino, y al volver la vista atrás se ve la senda que nunca se ha de volver a pisar. Caminante no hay camino sino estelas en la mar. (sung) Hace algún tiempo en ese lugar donde hoy los bosques se visten de espinos se oyó la voz de un poeta gritar: caminante no hay camino se hace camino al andar. Golpe a golpe, verso a verso. Murió el poeta lejos del hogar. Le cubre el polvo de un país vecino al alejarse le vieron llorar caminante no hay camino se hace camino al andar. Golpe a golpe verso a verso. Cuando el jilguero no puede cantar, cuando el poeta es un peregrino, cuando de nanda nos sirve rezar, caminante no hay camino se hace camino al andar. Golpe a golpe, verso a verso. (three times)

Everything passes, and everything stays but our thing is to pass, to pass making pathways, pathways over the sea. I never pursued neither glory nor leaving my song in men's memories. I love subtle worlds, light and graceful like soap bubbles. I like to see them paint themselves of sun and reds, fly under the blue sky, tremble and break. I never pursued glory... (spoken) Walker, the pathway is your footprints and nothing else. Walker, there is no pathway, pathway is made when you walk. When you walk you make pathway, and when you turn your sight back you see the path that never will be treaded upon again. Walker, there is no pathway other than wake in the sea. (sung) Some time ago in that place where the woods dress themselves with hawthorns the voice of a poet was heard shouting: walker, there is no pathway, pathway is made when you walk. Beat by beat, verse by verse. The poet died far away from his home. He is covered by the dust from a neighbor country. When he was going away he was seen crying. Walker, there is no pathway, pathway is made when you walk. Beat by beat, verse by verse. When the linnet (bird) can't sing. When the poet is a pilgrim, when praying is of no use: walker, there is no pathway pathway is made when you walk. Beat by beat, verse by verse (three times).

We'll start out with a mambo tune (2275097 bytes, 4:44), with strings madly sawing away throughout, and wooden-sounding percussion keeping time, with a flute counterpoint floating overhead. Mysterious nighttime Florida highway music to my ears.

Now on to some of that tropical dance music. The players really let loose in all three of these big-band numbers, and they all feature complex arrangements. I don't have the artist or title for the second one, but the first selection (3516026 bytes, 7:20) is almost certainly Johnny Ventura, since in the middle of the selection he sings: "My name is Jonny and I'm Dominican". (Thanks to Esli Hernandez for pointing this out.) The second selection (2858116 bytes, 5:58) is led by a group vocal, with lots of percussion breaks, piano, flute and electronic squawks. Finally, a brass-and-percussion workout from Grupo La Familia (2957802 bytes, 6:10).

Undocumented selections
Alma con alma, a bolero by Tito Gomez con el acompaniamiento de la Orquestra Riverside (1748067 bytes, 3:39)

Sin Voluntad by Gilberto Santa Rosa, from Radio Progreso (2212114 bytes, 4:37)

Domingo, by Anabel Lopez (1922773 bytes, 4:00)

ID from Radio Taino, Havana (484584 bytes, 1:00)

El Mentiroso ("Liar"), by Adalberto Alvarez y su Son (2557238 bytes, 5:20)

A Varadero Beach travelogue, an English language featurette from Radio Taino (1877095 bytes, 3:55)

Quiereme un poquitito mas (Love Me a Little Bit More), a son written by Frank Perez, and interpreted by Inda Leyda (1747623 bytes, 3:38)

Noche de Amor, a song from Radio Progreso (2767478 bytes, 5:46)

Another excellent selection by Adalberto Alvarez y su Son (2407407 bytes, 5:01)

• caribe.com
  

• Centre Square
• Maestro Enrique Chia
• Vox Neapolis
• Silvio Rodriguez's page
• Latin Music in MIDI format
• Caribbean Music & Dance Programs
• FestivalFinder: Music Festivals of North America

This page was last modified on October 6, 1999.