ROCK & ROLL SOUTH OF THE BORDER (Part 1) CUBA: Surviving the Revolution

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Let’s begin with Luis Bravo. Luis Bravo was the lucky one. he began his musical career before Castro ascended to power. By the time the revolution began, he was already very popular among young people, becoming the Cuban version of the Teenage Idol. He had plenty of songs recorded and they played a lot on the radio. As the Revolution was advancing, Luis Bravo saw what was coming. He traveled to Venezuela for a recording contract and never went back to Cuba. Listen to Luis Bravo singing his version of Neil Sedaka’s Oh Carol. PLAY THE SONG BY CLICKING ON THE FOLLOWING LINK> https://buff.ly/40IctLW

La Lupe also began her career before Castro’s Revolution. Like Luis Bravo, she also began by doing Spanish versions of American songs. She didn’t have as many records as Luis Bravo neither had the same level of popularity. Like Luis Bravo did, she left Cuba to never go back. She went to New York, where she met Latin musicians, she changed style and musical genre and was known as “The Queen of Latin Soul”. The next song is from her first years still in Cuba. It is her version of Paul Anka’s ‘I Miss You So’. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN TO THE SONG> https://buff.ly/3YUeBhP

After Luis Bravo left for Venezuela, all of his music was banned, never again played on radio. For Fidel Castro, all those who left the country were traitors to the revolution and to the homeland. Luis Bravo was never again mentioned in public. Danny Puga, who has a nice voice, tried to start a musical career and fill the space left by Luis Bravo. He did a couple of recordings but soon was banned and condemned to work only in low category night clubs as a singer and obligated to change his stile to sing Cuban love songs. No more versions of American songs. He was never able to leave Cuba and died depressed at the young age of 57. The next song is his version of Steve Lawrence’s Pretty Blue Eyes. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN TO THE SONG> https://buff.ly/3Zz2qaE

Around those times of the early 1960s, there was a black guitar player named Wilson. I don’t know much about him, but I supposed as Castro wanted Cuban music and Cuban culture, Wilson started playing his guitar mixing Rock & Roll sound with Cuban percussion beat, perhaps trying to please the “leader”. Here is one of the recordings from Wilson and his Combo. CLICK ON THE LINK TO HEAR THE MUSIC>https://buff.ly/3lnLFh0

And then there were LOS ZAFIROS, a vocal group that sounded like the Platters or The Diamonds, depending on the song. They had great voices and perfect harmony but were also under much pressure to sound more Cuban. They were successful but not for long. They were also banned and all died young, frustrated and hooked on alcohol and drugs. Here is a their version of The Platters’ My Prayer. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3U7npjR

Here is another one from LOS ZAFIROS. In this one, they sound more like The Diamonds. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3d0ZpcG

By 1964, Marta Strada decided to sing Italian ballads. European stuff may not bother Castro as much as American music and she dis songs like this one, originally from Italy. But no luck. She wasn’t a “revolutionary”. Artists couldn’t be “apolitical” and she was also banned and condemned to sing in low class night clubs only. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN TO MARTA STRADA> https://buff.ly/3KfVKIH

There was another group that was a vocal quartet. One of the members left the group and they hired another voice but the new guy had a Rock & Roll group before and somehow converted LOS BUCANEROS into “Rockers”. The recordings were terrible, very low quality but in that revolution, every low quality product was blamed on the “imperialist embargo”. The new guy also left for Miami, Florida to never go back. Here is one from LOS BUCANEROS. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3Gdtl55

There were more daring groups that even played the Stones, but the recordings were terrible and they were not played on the radio. This group was called LOS BARBA and this is their version of The Rolling Stones Honky Tonk Women. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3kb1LgV

Some orchestras played oldies in English but the trick was that they play them in CHA CHA rhythm and those were orchestras trusted by the government and permitted to travel abroad for concerts. Here is the classic oldie Mother in Law by a Cuban orchestra. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3hLIivZ

There were also in Cuba great and very prestigious jazz musicians. In the late 60’s they formed a big band and called “Cuban Orchestra of Modern Music” and played instrumentals like Ray Charles One Mint Julep. But soon, cultural authorities suggested them to make more “cuban sounding music”. Then they changed the name of the band to IRAKERE but still were doing jazz and the Cuban music they played had a flavor of New York’s Latin Jazz. CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3yN23OH

Now, the newly minted IRAKERE kept playing jazz but also Cuban music. This band was also permitted to travel abroad and eventually, most of the members defected and moved to the United States. Listen to this piece, based on an ADAGIO ON A MOZART THEME. Who could be against classical music? CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3n8qjsd

And finally, IRAKERE plays a traditional Cuban song but with a strong Latin Jazz flavor: CATALINA-CLICK ON THE LINK TO LISTEN> https://buff.ly/3EZsowA