pop music - bvsc chan chan

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TITLE: “Chan Chan” ALBUM: Live at Carnegie Hall COMPOSER: Compay Segundo PERFORMER: Buena Vista Social Club RECORDING DATE: 07/01/1998 COMPANY: World Circuit One doesn’t get the opportunity to write about unrecognized legends very often, but this is definitely one of those opportunities and it cannot be ignored anymore. This Afro-Cuban supergroup, the Buena Vista Social Club, was a sorely ignored victim of the U.S.-Cuba trade embargo that now stands to reshape our concepts of not only the Afro-Cuban genre, but also music as

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Page 1: Pop Music - BVSC Chan Chan

TITLE: “Chan Chan”

ALBUM: Live at Carnegie Hall

COMPOSER: Compay Segundo

PERFORMER: Buena Vista Social Club

RECORDING DATE: 07/01/1998

COMPANY: World Circuit

One doesn’t get the opportunity to write about unrecognized legends very often, but this is definitely one of those opportunities and it cannot be ignored anymore. This Afro-Cuban supergroup, the Buena Vista Social Club, was a sorely ignored victim of the U.S.-Cuba trade embargo that now stands to reshape our concepts of not only the Afro-Cuban genre, but also music as a whole. Asides from American guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, percussionist Joachim Cooder, Buena Vista Social Club is comprised of some of the people who not only influenced but actually created several of the styles associated with the island its’ people. The most noticeable on this recording are composer/guitarist/vocalist Compay Segundo, whose rich baritone, even at the ripe old age of ninety, has such better resonance and depth than most

Page 2: Pop Music - BVSC Chan Chan

singers half his age do. Singing with him is tenor/guitarist Eliades Ochoa, whose vocal timbre borders on the sweet side. Accompanying them is Octavio Calderon on the trumpet countermelody, piano virtuoso Ruben Gonzalez, Angel ‘Terry’ Domech on congas, bassist Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez, laoud player Barbarito Torres, Amadito Valdes on timbales, and bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, who also performs on the guiro. This stellar lineup helped push not only Afro-Cuban music, but Hispanic music as well, to be a force of change in the world of music and in the world of international relations as the embargo has loosened gradually in recent years.

The group is a collected representation of the best Cuba’s music scene has to offer and, while many of the members have played together in past years, they were never a group until recently. Most had been members of other bands or ensembles, playing in clubs and bodegas in pre-revolutionary Cuba. The common tie is in the name of the current group: the Buena Vista Social Club. In the 1940’s, Cuba had several social clubs, or cabildos, around the island, centering around vocations, such as sports, medicine, or music. The Buena Vista Social Club was on such club. It was a place for not only concerts and dances, but social gatherings for its musician members where they could relax, play cards, and create music. These groups were formally abolished by the Cuban government in 1968, and, asides from officially recognized music forms such as the politically charged nueva trova, mostly went underground. It wasn’t until Ry Cooder and World Circuit Records producer Nick Gold traveled to Cuba in 1996 and sought out several musicians for another collaboration with some African musicians (which fell through) that the Buena Vista Social Club was reborn.

Compay Segundo has left us a great legacy with his music, most notably the signature tune “Chan Chan.” Based on a farmer song Segundo learned when he was twelve, his song is in the son or son cubano style, a music form that has origins in Spanish guitar and cancion using Bantu and Arara percussion. It utilizes a simple four-chord progression throughout the song, changing this progression only in the last chord while maintaining an easy-to-dance-to meter. The son style is the predecessor to the modern salsa, something that is easily heard in this recording, but it is arguably a unique form still. The opening four chords have become something of a calling card for the group, as it instantly brings crowds to their feet when played. I was surprised at the baritone counterpoint harmony by Compay Segundo (a nickname, it means ‘second voice’) at its rich layers and unique timbre; he is especially playful in the middle of the song. I actually thought I was listening to a younger man at first as it has a lot of power darkness in it. In addition, Ochoa is the perfect balance to Segundo’s voice, providing a ringing tenor melody that is never too harsh or forced, but just right. Over the vocals, we hear another countermelody in Calderon’s trumpet, filling in between vocal phrases. The instrumentation is classic son style, with two voices on melody/counterharmony with interspersed solo trumpet flourishes over a complex layering of multiple guitars, piano, bass, and percussion. It only near the end that one guitar takes a ride on a solo, but it is very laid back and relaxing, despite the shuffling 8-beat time of the piece. While “Chan Chan” definitely moves along and makes the listener want more

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at the end, it is still slow enough to savor every phrase and lick these seasoned superabuelos (‘Super-Grandfathers,” as they are now called in Cuba). This living educational experience can be enjoyed while learning at the same time and should not be missed by anyone who wishes to learn where most modern Hispanic comes from, whether they be professional musician or passive listener.