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The Music of Ritmo Oriental - 1977-Saludos amigos

by Kevin Moore

cuban music, musica cubana

The CA-1210 Session

Before returning to the parallel universe of Los Van Van, we should briefly touch on Ritmo Oriental's mysterious CA1210 session, probably from 1976 and probably the only recordings la Ritmo made that year.

CA1210 Enséñame tu baile Lola Juan Crespo Maza b-gu   
CA1210 Yo tuve un amor y fui feliz Juan Crespo maza b  
CA1210 Oriente cuna florida Emiliano Ponciano s  
CA1210 La juventud en el campo Perera/Lazaga s  

These were apparently never included on an LP, but a copy of Enséñame tu baile Lola somehow came into my possession, so it must've been included on an EGREM compilation LP. It's similar in many ways to Un matrimonio feliz. The other three tracks remain a mystery. Hopefully someone reading this will find them!

 

January, 1977 - Tema de saludos amigos
cuban music, musica cubana
1977 - LD-3622 - The CA-1389-1390 Sessions

cuban music, musica cubana

CA1389 Tema de saludos amigos Juan Crespo Maza s LD3622
CA1389 Por hacerme caso Rodulfo Vaillant s-mt LD3622
CA1389 Pensamiento Rafael Gómez canción LD3622
CA1389 Pero soy así Tony Lama s-mt LD3622
CA1389 Pero déjame mirar Enrique Lazaga b LD3622
CA1389 La Ritmo suena Areíto Roberto Núñez on-areíto LD3622
         
CA1390 Qué rico bailo yo Rolando Vergara s-mt LD3622
CA1390 Grandes cosas para tí Juan Crespo Maza s-mt LD3622
CA1390 Qué es lo que hay Enrique Lazaga s-mt LD3622
CA1390 Si te vas no voy a llorar Juan Crespo Maza s-mt LD3622
CA1390 Yo traigo panetela Juan Crespo Maza s-mt LD3622
CA1390 Temo de saludos amigos (reprís) Juan Crespo Maza s-areíto  LD3622

1977 Ritmo Oriental- Tema de saludos amigos (J.C. Maza)
bass: Humberto Perera - arranger: JC Maza
source: write EGREM

Perhaps inspired by Van Van, La Ritmo's third album of the 70s is given a degree of thematic unity by reprising the opening track at the end, and by re-using the lyrical theme of onda areíto in the closing track of side A, La Ritmo suena Areíto, the album's musical climax.

Throughout the album, Humberto Perera's bass playing rises to an even higher level than his previous work -- in terms of creativity, virtuosity, and compositional interplay with the string guajeos.

The basic pattern of bass tumbao 1 is just doubled bombo-doubled ponche, but Humberto makes it melodically distinct and marks every other 3-side with a singing figure that jumps into the upper register to fill a hole left by the strings:

xx0x 0xxx 0xx0 xxx0 2-3 rumba clave
000x xx00 xxx0 000x string guajeo
xxxx xxxx xxx0 0x00 (bass pickups)
xxx0 0x00 xxx0 0x00
xxx0 0x00 x0x0 0x00 tumbao 1 -- MIDI

Bass tumbao 2 accompanies the song's catchiest coro (vengan a bailar con Areíto). The tumbao is basically bombo-ponche but Humberto never plays it exactly the same way twice.

Bass tumbao 3 switches from bombo-ponche to guajeo style. Humberto plays many variations, but the signature upward hammer-on melody remains intact and he always hits the downbeat of the 2-side:

xx0x 0xxx 0xx0 xxx0 2-3 rumba clave
0xxx xx00 xxx0 0x00 bass variation 1 - MIDI
0xxx xx0x xxx0 0x00 bass variation 2 - MIDI

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Tuesday, 22 March 2011, 07:31 PM