Tis the season for dancing, brought to you by Sears

Sears, the U.S. everything store that everyone used to shop at for Christmas. Back in the 1970’s they were the Walmart, Target and Ikea all rolled into one. I’m guessing U.S. followers of this blog probably didn’t wrap any gifts this year purchased from the once giant retailer. However, in 1974 if someone would have bought this Sears record from one of their many stores to give to you for Christmas I think you would have been as pleased as anything you received this year—or at least I would have been.

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What makes this record so great is that it’s NOT full of Christmas carols that you know and hate—rather it’s a collection of Puerto Rican artists from the Borinquen label performing the type of Christmas music we love and need more of. Oddly they made this a “live” record by inserting crowd applause between tracks though the recordings are normal studio songs. Nonetheless, it’s full of beautiful bailables to dance to because that’s what the holiday season is all about—celebrating with good food and music right?

This track from the great Raphy Leavitt just about sums it all up:

Raphy_Leavitt-Fiestas_De_Navidades

Raphy Leavitt & Orquesta La SelectaFiestas De Navidades

There’s absolutely no way you can have a Puerto Rican Christmas record without a song about Lechon:

Pellin_Rodriguez-Lechon_A_La_Varita

Pellin RodriguezLechon A La Varita

Now lets really get our dancing feet moving:

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Orquesta Felíx Del RosarioCandela

Ok, if you insist on having a Jingle Bells in your mix at least do right:

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Orquesta Felíx Del RosarioCascabel

I hope this proves that some of the best gifts are not always shinny new ones and that there’s no better time to dance.

Feliz Navidad,

-Jacobo (dj pozole)

#45Friday – Trio Madjesi

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Today being #45Friday (on Fridays folks on Twitter and Instagram share pics of their favorite 7″ 45rpm records) it gives me the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite 7″ singles from the past year—Trio Madjesi et Orcestre Sosoliso’s Tshitsha. Trio Madjesi were one of the slew of “youth groups” that Zaire was churring out in the late 60s-early 70s. The trio of singers emerged out of Verkey’s group Orchestere Vévé  and who’s name Madjesi was formed from combining their own nick names: Matadidi, Djeskain, and Sinatra. As you’ll notice it didn’t end with combining of names. This may be one of the few song you’ll hear combining Spanish, Lingala and English in one amazing soukous track – just wait until the 3:30 mark.

Trio_Madjesi-Tshitsha

In 1969 James Brown made the historic trip to Zaire where he performed several shows in Kinshasa that was originally apart of the promotion of the Muhammad Ali vs George Forman “Rumble in the Jungle” fight. Those shows had a huge impact on the many young performers like Trio Madjesi. Check out this awesome 25 minute clip from 1973 TV appearance where you can easily see how they incorporated a lot of James Brown’s show style performance. My favorite part comes half way through when they perform in the full Zaire national team football kit while juggling a ball—or rather try to (you recall Zaire qualified the only time in their history for the 1974 World Cup where they didn’t fair so well.) Enjoy!

-Jacobo

Victoria Santa Cruz

I was listening to last week’s Pelanga En La Sala, where we shared a few tracks that we picked up at Oakland’s record swap in November, and there is one more track I’d really like to share.

Trying to stay within a budget, you have to limit yourself to just a few pricier records, and then go take some risks off of the dollar bins. During the podcast we gave the best-one-dollar-record award to Jacobo, for a cosmic trip of a track: “Sagitario” by Chico Che y La Crisis. Very well deserved, no doubt, but can I show you my contender?

I’ve long been a fan of Afro-Peruvian music, and I didn’t think twice when I saw a compilation of marineras, festejos, landós, and zamacuecas in Adam‘s bargain bin. The record featured some of the usual suspects, but also several musicians I never heard of — just what I look for in a $1 gamble. It turned out to be a great record all around, and the last track, a zamacueca by the incredible Victoria Santa Cruz, was the surprise treat for me.

NEGATIVO DIGITALIZADO EL 07 DE DICIEMBRE 2006

(foto: El Comercio)

Victoria Santa Cruz has been called the mother of Afro-Peruvian culture; I knew her as a dancer / scholar / performer / folklorista / badass. But I didn’t know she recorded some albums too, and there’s a track of hers on this compilation. And I don’t know what it is, but this song just fucking kills me!

Every now and then I’ll find what I think are the best five seconds of music in history (the Miles Davis Quintet handing “‘Round Midnight” to Coltrane for his solo, the entrance to “Quitate De Mi Escalera” by Grupo Socavón, Jorge Millet’s filthy piano solo on Orquesta Mundo’s “Mamacita”, Andrés Landero’s bassist trying to sound like a turkey on “La Pava Congona”…). DJ China Tu Madre will tell you that I exaggerate all the time, but I don’t. At least not at those times. And right now, that’s how I feel about the moment when Victoria Santa Cruz gathers everyone together to close this track.

 

This song is the soundtrack to a straight-up dance battle, and our only regret should be not being able to watch it. Instead, I’ll leave you with this:

 

 

Victoria Santa Cruz passed away in August, at age 91. Que descanse en paz. If you’re in the Bay Area, you may be interested in a tribute that the Mission Cultural Center will host next Monday:

http://www.missionculturalcenter.org/events.html#DeVueltaAlCallejon

Enjoy,

papicultor

Tabu Ley Rochereau et Orchestre L’International Afrisa

Close to this time last year, November 30, 2013, the music world lost the great Tabu Ley Rochereau —leader and singer for his band Orchestre L’International Afrisa. I wish I could boast that I owned a great number of his records, but the man produced so much music over his career I doubt I will ever come close. Just days before he passed I happened to be doing a little “Black Friday” record shopping and came across an original two volume set of LPs from 1960s that highlighted his amazing Cuban influenced songs and features Dr. Nico on guitar before his departure to form his own group. I really can’t express enough how much I love this music. Just listen…

 

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Tabu Ley Rochereau et Orchestre L’International AfrisaRochereau Pascal

Tell me that isn’t pure sublime. But then there this, Arsene Dionge, a song of such immense beauty and emotion it’s almost too much to take.

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Tabu Ley Rochereau et Orchestre L’International Afrisa – Arsene Dionge

While in France a couple months ago I made sure to pick up more his records, specifically his material from the 70s when he branched out from Congolese Rumba and Cuban songs to produce more Soul influenced music. Here’s a wonderful example from 1973 that highlights the brilliance of Tabu Ley by his ability to lyrically construct a song using only 1 word — Sambuluma.

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Orchestre L’International Afrisa Sambuluma 1

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Orchestre L’International Afrisa Sambuluma 2