Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
POPULAR MUSIC & ITS ROOTS
To cram for your history lesson on Puerto Rican music in under four minutes, cue up
'Tradicional A Lo Bravo,' a hugely popular single from Puerto Rican reggaetón hitmaker
Tego Calderon. Calderon's rapid-fire lyrical delivery and the pounding syncopated bass line
is emblematic of the reggaetón movement, but the song also borrows a little something
from the important musical traditions of the island. The brassy horns pay homage to salsa
bands from the 1960s. The nylon string guitar nods to colonial traditions and
jíbar
o (rur-
al troubador) music. The loping syncopation of the hand drums reference African-rooted
Puerto Rican
bomba
. Somewhere, hidden among Calderon's macho swagger, you'll even
hear the grinding scrape of a
güiro,
a percussion instrument made from a notched, hollowed
gourd which was a part of the musical battery of indigenous Taíno tribes.
Menudo was one of the original boy bands conceived by producer Edgardo Diaz in 1977. It went on to record phenomenal world-
wide success with a light brand of teen pop music and celebrated former members such as Ricky Martin.
From the lilt of precolonial folk music to the macho assault of reggaetón, Puerto Rican
music has always been an evolving part of, not a departure from, past traditions. Puerto
Rico is a musical melting pot and remains so today. The island's musical genres can shift
as quickly as they are defined, influenced by an ever omnivorous range of influences from
the US, Europe and across Latin America. These dynamic hybrids, whether present in reg-
gaetón or contemporary rock, are a fundamental quality of the music. Then and now, these
traditions often place as much importance on dancefloor expressions as the sound itself.
PUERTO RICO PLAYLIST
It's nearly a crime to distil three generations of Puerto Rico's vibrant club music into
an iPod playlist, but the following romp includes singles spanning half a century, from
classic salsa to contemporary reggaetón. If nothing else, use this as a starter to discov-
er the diverse and unexpected charms of Puerto Rican music.
» Tito Puente: 'Ran Kan Kan,' from
Babarabatiri
(1951)
» Cortijo Y Su Combo: 'El Bombon De Elena,' from
…Invites You to Dance
(1957)
» Celia Cruz: 'Chango Ta Vani,' from
La Incomparable
(1958)
» Willie Colón: 'Te Conozco,' from
Cosa Nuestra
(1969)
