What Happened to Black Spanish?

It was with much dismay I previewed the Latin Grammys show that took place on Thursday, November 11, 2008. I have wondered for years what happened to the great Black voices and musicians in Spanish-American music. Chano Pozo and his Afro-Cuban All Stars was the best remembered for our times. He was followed by Beny Moré, Celia Cruz, La Lupe, Mongo Santamaria, Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera. These musicians dominated popular music in Latin American countries from the late 1940s to mid 1980s. I am sure there are blacks left in these countries that produced talents such as Rafael Ithier, the leader and creator, of the greatest salsa band ever El Gran Combo. I am sure there are neighborhoods where the talent from their descendants is ensconced.

I believe this is the type of travesty that comes from stereotyping. The image in the popular media of an Hispanic-American is non-black; maybe brown skin with wavy straight hair. Tego Calderón is one the few who have been able to break through despite race; even though it took him many years to gain popularity. I first listened to what is called Salsa somewhere around 1966. It was brewed out of several musical genres originating in Cuba and took hold in New York City in the 1950s. It was not always Salsa, and this nomenclature has has it own controversy among purists including the likes of Tito Puente who hated the word. A lot of the talent came from Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican neighborhoods in New York; names such as Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez, Joe Bataan, Roberto Roena or Cuban expatriates such as Monguito, mostly black men. Most orquestras were mixed and integrated compared to the bleached bands of today.

Reggaetón which originated in Panama by black West Indians is now popularized by people such as Daddy Yankee, even though there are several equally talented black performers in Panama; and I am sure in his homeland Puerto Rico. An interesting aside, is in the videos for Ivy Queen, a female reggaetón singer, her interests are black males or Daddy Yankee black women are feature prominently contrasting the videos by Hispanic black performers who have white or indigenous women as their prize or love lorn interest. Of course, much of this seems to be nit-picking about racial issues that may not matter to many, but consider that in Latin American there are close to 180 million black Spanish speakers which double or triple the amount of blacks whose first language is English. It is hard to imagine that with that that many people are bereft of talent that is not adaptable to the USA.

Of course, this purification of music goes back to the start of recorded music. The point with Spanish popular music is best described by what Elvis Presley did with re-interpreting black music in the 1950s. Consider that Rock and Roll had mainly black artists until 1955. Revisionists now call that early R&B, but it was Rock and Roll. It morphed to what is now considered modern Rock and Roll with an occasional black face but mostly white performers. Today's black Rock and Roll artist are excluded much the way music from the tropics excludes the black faces that once dominated the genre. Of course, in the USA Rap and Hip Hop became outlets for expression typically done by Rock and Roll. Black artist have a way of reinventing sound to make it pleasurable. It is my hope there are some alchemists of sound in Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, Venezuela, etal, that have something we will all enjoy but they can use to rise to prominence.

Something akin to Rap and Hip Hop that cannot be easily usurped.

Two Poems one for Panama and one for the USA

The Eviction and the Conviction
By Daniel Webster
I am naked and in despair
walking through the streets
with two pillows to cover me
past 3 churches
all with the name Gospel
on their building
with the following music playing
in my head
songs for the love who is pregnant
songs for the soul that needs saving
damnation for the soul that is lost
and songs for the loved one who is crazy
congas roll, congas roll, congas roll, congas roll
past the pretty black skin
interrupted by the loud colors
of clothing
shouting up to the sun
that blesses the skin and sweat upon their beings
with a harmonious glow:
pink, red, yellow
the colors yell proud and loud back
YES, we are pink, yellow, green, blue
on our way to church
songs, songs, songs…
I float by a bus sitting in front of a church
a brother looks at me as if to ask:
“Is he going in there or he is just going to travel?”
I look for salvation
from my sacrifices
I look for redemption
for my good deeds
I look for ACCEPTANCE
instead of reluctance
I beg for a pen from a man armed for batttle
I say, please I need to write, I have paper but no pen;
they do not want me to write…
songs for the one who is pregnant
songs for the soul who needs saving
songs for the damned who wouldn’t be saved
and songs for the one who is crazy
if I could sing, I would not write
if I did not sin, I would not think
that the psalm of purity
does not exist
It is carried in the wind
we forsake as time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Los Prietos del Caribe
Saludos to the earth of my birth, Panama, one hundred plus years old.

Si tienen nada mas agua y bendiciones le hacemos un brindis to the land that gave seed to our roots with the United States; and makes us the unique tri-cultural beings that roam these lands.
Con Voz de Cholo y Ser de Chombo
brown was the land

> just like our fathers' hands

> that united the Pacific and Atlantic

> oceans

> over hills filled

> with monkeys

> in this county named after fish;

> their blood not wasted in vain

> though many a body was on that train

> that brought money and the pain

> of being paid silver for work

> now valued as gold...

> their genius, cunning and grace

> made it possible for Panama

> to be the honored place

> in the center of earth's face

> > Viva el 3 de noviembre...