msjanemas
12-11-2004, 12:15 AM
Puerto Rican Musical History ---
A Post On The Willie Colón Music Forum
By George Rivera
I have done extensive research on the subject and have interviewed many musicians, arrangers, composers, promoters, dancers, Palladiumites, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezolanos, Dominicanos, y hasta mamalones. Throughtout most of my research the one thing that would always come up was that the origins of the danzon and the son were Cuban. Guys like Mario Bauza, Machito, and Tito Puente would always tell me that what they played was Cuban music since the music was developed in Cuba, as would many others. Machito would always add that if it were not for the Puerto Ricans, the music would have never survived as long as it has.
Now, I have been told by numerous Cuban musicologists that the son arrived in Cuba via a Dominican women. In researching the music I have come across many cuartetos from Puerto Rico that were in fact playing what most of us would consider son back in the early 1900's. If one goes even further into the music they will find that not only was the Puerto Rican playing traditional son back then, but they were in the forefront of development of American Jazz! That's right, Jazz.
There was an U.S. Army Lt. by the name of James Reese Europe who was playing what has come to be known as Jazz back as early as 1905. The very first jazz recording was recorded and released in 1921. Now scholars have recognized the music of Lt. Europe, which was recorded in 1919, two years before, as the first real jazz recording. Involved in these recordings of 1919 along with Lt. Europe were clarinetists Rafael Duchesne, Antonio Gonzales, Gregorio Felix Delgado, Genaro Torres, Elige Rijos, Jesus Hernandez, and Arturo B. Ayala, saxist Ceferino Hernandez, bassoonist Pablo Fuentes, mellophonists Francisco Melendez and Eleuterio Melendez, baritones Nicholas Vazquez and Froilan Jimenez, tubas Jose Rivera Rosas and Sixto Benitez, and one of Puerto Rico's legendary composers Don Rafael Hernandez, on trombone.
You see, Lt. Europe was commissioned by the Army to put together a band to boost the morale of the men in the Army. He needed musicians that were good sight readers, only they had to be black due to the segregation that was going on at the time. Due to a shortage of black musicians that could sight read, the Lt. was given permission to go to Puerto Rico and recruit Puerto Rican musicians for the band since the island had a pool of very talented musicians that were excellent sight readers. With the help of Lt. Rafael Hernandez the Puerto Rican musicians were recruited. The rest is history. If not for the fact that Lt. Jim Europe's life was cut short by the hand of one of his band members soon after the recordings in question, the story of Jim Europe would be known by all jazzistas.
In light of this information, and the fact that Mario Bauza has always maintained that there were Puerto Ricans involved in Jazz when he arrived in NYC and joined the bands of Chick Webb and Cab Calloway, one has to consider that there was in fact a contribution in the development of CuBop and Latin American music, or what is considered Afro-Cuban music. Why Afro-Cuban music? Well simply because at the height of it's popularity there were more Puerto Rican musicians involved in its development than Cubans here in New York. Another important factor is that in the 1920's when radio and records began to take off Puerto Rico was short changed due to the fact that it was a possession of the US. The island of Puerto Rico had only one radio station for the entire island and as a result recording companies such as RCA paid it less attention than Cuba which had about 21 radio stations. Due to this fact one can deduct that the music of Cuba gained a larger audience than that of Puerto Rico. Also, you have to ask yourself could what was going on in Cuba musically been going on in Puerto Rico simultaneously since there is not really an accurate recorded history. I believe that given the calibre and quantity of musicians on the island that there had to be some kind of equality with what was going on in Cuba. After all Rafael Hernandez and many others at the time did travel throughout the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and the mainland US.............continue....
http://www.williecolon.com/george.html
A Post On The Willie Colón Music Forum
By George Rivera
I have done extensive research on the subject and have interviewed many musicians, arrangers, composers, promoters, dancers, Palladiumites, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezolanos, Dominicanos, y hasta mamalones. Throughtout most of my research the one thing that would always come up was that the origins of the danzon and the son were Cuban. Guys like Mario Bauza, Machito, and Tito Puente would always tell me that what they played was Cuban music since the music was developed in Cuba, as would many others. Machito would always add that if it were not for the Puerto Ricans, the music would have never survived as long as it has.
Now, I have been told by numerous Cuban musicologists that the son arrived in Cuba via a Dominican women. In researching the music I have come across many cuartetos from Puerto Rico that were in fact playing what most of us would consider son back in the early 1900's. If one goes even further into the music they will find that not only was the Puerto Rican playing traditional son back then, but they were in the forefront of development of American Jazz! That's right, Jazz.
There was an U.S. Army Lt. by the name of James Reese Europe who was playing what has come to be known as Jazz back as early as 1905. The very first jazz recording was recorded and released in 1921. Now scholars have recognized the music of Lt. Europe, which was recorded in 1919, two years before, as the first real jazz recording. Involved in these recordings of 1919 along with Lt. Europe were clarinetists Rafael Duchesne, Antonio Gonzales, Gregorio Felix Delgado, Genaro Torres, Elige Rijos, Jesus Hernandez, and Arturo B. Ayala, saxist Ceferino Hernandez, bassoonist Pablo Fuentes, mellophonists Francisco Melendez and Eleuterio Melendez, baritones Nicholas Vazquez and Froilan Jimenez, tubas Jose Rivera Rosas and Sixto Benitez, and one of Puerto Rico's legendary composers Don Rafael Hernandez, on trombone.
You see, Lt. Europe was commissioned by the Army to put together a band to boost the morale of the men in the Army. He needed musicians that were good sight readers, only they had to be black due to the segregation that was going on at the time. Due to a shortage of black musicians that could sight read, the Lt. was given permission to go to Puerto Rico and recruit Puerto Rican musicians for the band since the island had a pool of very talented musicians that were excellent sight readers. With the help of Lt. Rafael Hernandez the Puerto Rican musicians were recruited. The rest is history. If not for the fact that Lt. Jim Europe's life was cut short by the hand of one of his band members soon after the recordings in question, the story of Jim Europe would be known by all jazzistas.
In light of this information, and the fact that Mario Bauza has always maintained that there were Puerto Ricans involved in Jazz when he arrived in NYC and joined the bands of Chick Webb and Cab Calloway, one has to consider that there was in fact a contribution in the development of CuBop and Latin American music, or what is considered Afro-Cuban music. Why Afro-Cuban music? Well simply because at the height of it's popularity there were more Puerto Rican musicians involved in its development than Cubans here in New York. Another important factor is that in the 1920's when radio and records began to take off Puerto Rico was short changed due to the fact that it was a possession of the US. The island of Puerto Rico had only one radio station for the entire island and as a result recording companies such as RCA paid it less attention than Cuba which had about 21 radio stations. Due to this fact one can deduct that the music of Cuba gained a larger audience than that of Puerto Rico. Also, you have to ask yourself could what was going on in Cuba musically been going on in Puerto Rico simultaneously since there is not really an accurate recorded history. I believe that given the calibre and quantity of musicians on the island that there had to be some kind of equality with what was going on in Cuba. After all Rafael Hernandez and many others at the time did travel throughout the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and the mainland US.............continue....
http://www.williecolon.com/george.html