Ethnomusicologist and event producer Lani Milstein joins Rebecca to talk about Santiago de Cuba's quintessential musical practice: conga, an Afro-Cuban percussion and song genre linked to the city's famed Carnival celebrations. It involves mass participation by people parading along with the mobile percussion ensemble and continues to be a major symbol of santiaguero identity. Songs played: Abre, Conga de Los Hoyos Va a llover, Conga de San Agustín Añoranza por la conga, Sur Caribe La mujer del ...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min
No new episode this week, but a quick note from Rebecca, followed by a slow, juicy yambú from the legendary Havana rumba group Clave y Guaguancó. Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! If you like this podcast, please hit "Follow" and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts Find The Clave Chronicles on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @clavechronicles https://theclavechronicles.buzzsprout.com...
Nov 10, 2023•7 min
Rebecca speaks with musician/producer/historian Ned Sublette , author of the most comprehensive history of Cuban music in English, Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo . Sublette is leading trips to Cuba through his organization, Postmambo, and in January will embark on La Ruta de los Fundamentos, a tour focusing on Afro-Cuban sacred sites in western Cuba (email postmambo@gmail.com for more info). We talk about the dense and entangled networks of Afro-Cuban religious practice an...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min
The most well-known African-derived religion in the Americas is La Regla de Ocha or Lucumí, more popularly known as Santería. The music used to accompany rituals and ceremonies involves complex, polyrhythmic drumming and a huge repertoire of songs for the different orishas (Yoruba-derived deities), like Yemayá, Oshún and Changó. Rebecca breaks down some basic features of the religion and its diverse musical ensembles, as well as its widespread influence on Cuban popular music. Songs played: Eleg...
Oct 26, 2023•50 min
Cuban son, under the label "rumba," became incredibly popular following the success of "El manicero" in 1930, including in the two Congos (at the time colonized by Belgium and France). Congolese musicians heard echoes of their own traditional music and began creating a new genre (Congolese rumba) largely based on son, mambo and cha cha cha and sung in a mix of Spanish, French and Lingala. French historian Charlotte Grabli joins Rebecca to talk about the bi-directional musical exchanges between C...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr
Grammy-nominated musician, ethnomusicologist, and professor Benjamin Lapidus joins Rebecca for a deep dive into the eastern Cuban roots music called changüí, considered to be one of the antecedents of son. Songs played: Nengón, Kiriba y Nengon de Baracoa Así Es El Changüí, Grupo Changüí de Guantánamo Fiesta en Cecilia, Grupo Changüí de Guantánamo 21 de Mayo, La Orquesta Revé Quiriba, Los Universales del Son Ochún, Las Flores de Changüí Cuidemos La Capa de Ozono, Popó y su Changüí Documentary, Or...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Timba star Tirso Duarte (pianist, singer, arranger, songwriter) passed away tragically on Sept. 29 in Colombia. Timba.com creator Kevin Moore, who worked closely with Duarte and wrote a book about him, joins Rebecca to pay tribute to "el angel negro" and discuss what made him so special as a musician. Songs played: El bla bla bla, La Charanga Habanera Iala, Tirso Duarte Aquí Están, Los Ases de la Timba Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becomin...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Gloria Estefan walked so Shakira and Ricky Martin could run. She's the OG Latin crossover star, the artist who broke through to the mainstream with Miami Sound Machine and their massive hit "Conga" in 1985. She was also one of the best female balladeers of the 1980s, with songs like "Anything For You" and "Don't Wanna Lose You." In 1993 she released her first solo Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra , an homage to Cuban music. It spent a whopping 58 weeks at the top of the Billboard Top Latin Albu...
Sep 27, 2023•40 min
Esteemed scholar of Latino/a popular culture and identity Frances Aparicio joins Rebecca to speak about the most significant women in salsa, beginning with the Queen herself, Celia Cruz. We talk about the many struggles female salsa musicians have faced in the music industry over the decades and the different strategies they've used to speak/sing back to the patriarchy and claim space. Songs played: Yerbero Moderno, Celia Cruz with La Sonora Matancera Burundanga, Celia Cruz with La Sonora Matanc...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Musicologist, dancer and educator Sarah Town joins Rebecca to speak about the history and evolution of Cuban social dance, specifically casino and a particularly intricate and complex style called rueda de casino, danced in a circle. These styles of dance have become a global phenomenon since the 1990s and the rise of timba, and there are many local scenes across the U.S. and around the world. Check out this incredible clip of a rueda de casino group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZAjkXAhlXU ...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr
Part 2 of Rebecca's conversation with Kevin Moore focuses on several major timba groups and their unique styles: Pupy Y Los Que Son Son, Paulito y Su Élite, Bamboleo and Elito Revé y Su Charangón. Songs played: De La Timba a Pogolotti, Pupy Y Los Que Son Son La Borrachera, Pupy Y Los Que Son Son Enredadera de Amor, Paulito FG Ya No Hace Falta, Bamboleo Dale Agua al Dominó, Elito Revé y Su Charangón Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a ...
Aug 30, 2023•54 min
Finally, a timba episode! Rebecca speaks with Kevin Moore, the mastermind behind Timba.com , the largest Cuban music website in the world, who explains what makes timba unique and how it revolutionized Cuban dance music. This episode focuses on the pioneering innovations of NG La Banda and La Charanga Habanera. Check out Kevin's book Beyond Salsa For Beginners for an incredibly comprehensive musical breakdown of timba. Songs played: Los Sitios Entero, NG La Banda Picadillo de Soya, NG La Banda N...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 16 min
In the past two decades, reggaeton has become the soundtrack of Cuba, eventually resulting in the birth of a more localized genre called reparto. Ethnomusicologist Mike Levine speaks with Rebecca about how reggaeton took hold first in the eastern part of the island, where Jamaican and Caribbean influences are much stronger, and how artists in Havana have transformed it into a uniquely Cuban genre that represents their contemporary lives. Songs played: Señor Oficial, Candyman Soy Cubanito, Cubani...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Part two of the Los Van Van series, where Rebecca covers the band's evolving lineup, sound, and song themes in the 1990s and 2000s. Songs played: Disco Azúcar Un Socio La Fruta Soy Todo Ven, Ven, Ven Después de Todo Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! If you like this podcast, please hit "Follow" and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts Find The Clave Chronicles on Instagram, Facebook, &a...
Aug 09, 2023•49 min
Los Van Van has been Cuba’s premier dance band since its formation in 1969, with its longevity earning the band the nickname El tren de la salsa (the salsa train). Rebecca covers the band's first two decades and the innovations of Los Van Van's founder/bassist Juan Formell, as well as other musicians like drummer Changuito and pianist Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, such as the group's signature rhythm (songo). With its charismatic lead singer Pedro Calvo, in the 1980s Los Van Van achieved an almost-perfe...
Aug 03, 2023•43 min
Nueva trova is one of the few Cuban genres that is for listening and reflecting instead of dancing - it's sung poetry, much like other Latin American singer-songwriter genres, namely nueva canción. Rebecca has an in-depth conversation with independent scholar and former Cuban diplomat Eva Silot Bravo about the major figures of nueva trova and how it came to be closely identified with the ideology of the Cuban Revolution. The genre's relationship with the government shifted in the wake of the eco...
Jul 19, 2023•59 min
Part 2 of a conversation with Pablo Herrera on Cuban hip hop, including a discussion of the relationship between rap cubano and repartero, or Cuban reggaeton. Songs played: Madre Tierra, Las Krudas Tengo, Popy y La Moda El Rap es Guerra, Los Aldeanos Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! If you like this podcast, please hit "Follow" and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts Find The Clave Ch...
Jul 12, 2023•29 min
We've got an amazing conversation with Pablo Herrera , an anthropologist and one of Cuba's most influential hip hop producers. Pablo speaks about how he got interested in hip hop and the ways Havana's scene of the 1990s sought to emulate American hip hop, especially east coast styles, before becoming more localized and grounded in Cuban culture. The Special Period, Cuba's deep economic crisis, was the backdrop for the emergence of Havana's hip hop scene, and we discuss its influence on Cuban rap...
Jul 06, 2023•54 min
Cuban dance genres of the 1950s, specifically mambo and cha-cha-cha, were hugely popular in the U.S. and all over Latin America. Both were outgrowths of the danzón, but each had its own distinct sound. Different styles of mambo are discussed, including the original style that emerged in Antonio Arcaño's band in the late 1930s and the vastly more well-known style of the "King of Mambo," Pérez Prado, who partnered with Benny Moré and popularized the mambo globally. In New York, it was Tito Puente'...
Jun 28, 2023•28 min
Part 2 of Rebecca's conversation with ethnomusicologist Chris Washburne , author of Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City , and professor at Columbia University. This episode discusses salsa's evolution away from the Cuban son, the ways it became a symbol of pan-Latin identity, and the different ways Celia Cruz and La India navigated the genre's heteronormative gender politics. Songs played: La Murga, Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe La Negra Tiene Tumbao, Celia Cruz Ese Hombre, L...
Jun 21, 2023•42 min
Rebecca is joined by ethnomusicologist Chris Washburne , author of Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City , and professor at Columbia University. As a professional trombonist, he played with Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Ruben Blades, La India, and many others. We discuss the influence of Cuban music in New York in the first half of the 20th century, the controversy around the term "salsa," and the way Puerto Rican and other Latinos built on this foundation to create ...
Jun 14, 2023•41 min
Rebecca is joined by Raul Fernandez , author of Latin Jazz: La Combinación Perfecta , to discuss the musicians who created Afro-Cuban jazz in the 1940s, and the way this movement paved the way for Latin jazz. Songs played: Tanga, Machito & His Afro-Cubans U-Bla-Ba-Du, Graciela with Machito's band The Peanut Vendor, Stan Kenton Manteca, Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo Guachi Guaro, Cal Tjader Watermelon Man, Mongo Santamaria Afro-Blue, Mongo Santamaria Send us a text Support the show You can s...
Jun 07, 2023•53 min
Ethnomusicologist David Garcia speaks with Rebecca about the significance and musical legacy of Arsenio Rodriguez, the prolific Cuban composer, tres player and bandleader. He spent the later decades of his career in New York, and his music was foundational for the emergence of salsa in the 1960s. Songs played: No hay yaya sin guayacán Mi china me botó La vida es un sueño Dame un cachito pa' huele Pa' huele, Eddie Palmieri Quítate tu, Fania All-Stars Send us a text Support the show You can suppor...
May 31, 2023•49 min
Learn about rumba, the quintessential Afro-Cuban music and dance genre that's sometimes referred to as the heart and soul of Cuban music. Rebecca breaks down the different rumba styles and dances, discussing the historical and social context of its emergence in the later 19th century, and its wider influence. Songs played: Conga Yambumba, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas Maria Belen, Yoruba Andabo Oyelos de nuevo, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas Recuerdo a Malanga, Columbia del Puerto Clips of guaguancó da...
May 24, 2023•51 min
Rebecca is joined by Cuban music scholar Robin Moore to delve into the long and deep history of the Cuban danzón, including its links with American jazz, the ways it was initially denigrated as too "African" by elites, how it was eventually fused with other Cuban popular music genres, and how it came to be one of the most beloved genres in Mexico. Songs played in the episode: El Sungambelo Las Alturas de Simpson Campoamor, Frank Emilio Flynn La Patti Negra, Orquesta Pablo Valenzuela El bombín de...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min
This episode traces the Cuban roots of the quintessential Latin American romantic song, the bolero, which has been one of the most popular genres across Spanish-speaking countries for the past century. Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! If you like this podcast, please hit "Follow" and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts Find The Clave Chronicles on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @c...
May 10, 2023•38 min
The Buena Vista Social Club was a massive success 25 years ago, spawning numerous albums, Grammy awards, a documentary film, and decades of international tours. This episode traces the roots and evolution of the genre the Buena Vista Social Club project set out to revive, the Cuban son , which had its heyday from the 1920s to the 50s. Send us a text Support the show You can support this independently produced podcast by becoming a monthly subscriber - even $3/month helps! If you like this podcas...
May 03, 2023•41 min
An introduction to The Clave Chronicles, a new podcast about the history of Cuban music and its global influences, hosted by Rebecca Bodenheimer. More about Rebecca's research on Cuban music: https://rmbodenheimer.com Check out her book, Geographies of Cubanidad: Place, Race, and Musical Performance in Contemporary Cuba (2015, University Press of Mississippi): https://www.amazon.com/Geographies-Cubanidad-Performance-Contemporary-Caribbean/dp/1496813154 Send us a text Support the show You can sup...
Apr 24, 2023•14 min
