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Today would be the 100th birthday of Lucho Bermudez, a personality who speaks to us in 2012 through his classic Colombian costeño songs and continuing reverberating impact on the sonic landscape of Latin America.

Born on January 25th, 1912, in an inland town close to the beautiful beach city of Tolu, Colombia, this sartorial gentleman who is immediately recognizable from his patented slicked-back hair and thick-rimmed glasses got his big break by directing the influential Orquesta del Caribe of Cartagena. As early as the late 1930s, the band was pumping out Porros and Mapales that lit up ballrooms across the Colombian Caribbean coast in stark contrast to the popular waltzes of the day. His orchestra was largely responsible for bringing music that at the time was associated with the black lower classes into elite clubs & radio stations, first on the coast, and then into the capital of Bogota and other mostly white cities of central Colombia.

Feliz cumpleaños centenario, Lucho!

My personal favorite Bermudez track would have to be “Plinio Guzman”, a heavy Gaita that features a wicked back and forth between Lucho’s stylish clarinet and the wall of brass of his orchestra. A true Colombian masterpiece!

Lucho Bermudez: “Plinio Guzman” (Zeida, 195?)

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Lucho Bermudez: “Gaiteando” & “Mi Pueblo” (Silver, 196?)

Another incredible album by Bermudez is his Gaiteando LP, released on the famed Silver label in the 60s.  It features the classic “Arroz Con Coco” (which I won’t include here since it has been comped), along with a host of other solid music such as “Gaiteando” and the slept-on “Mi Pueblo”, a track that showcases a ridiculous trumpet player as it slowly builds up into sureshot dancefloor heat.  A classic!  Now, who has a mint copy for me?

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For more tracks by Lucho Bermudez, I strongly recommend tracking down his original Colombian LPs through eBay.  Alternatively, the Soundway Records collection that came out last year (licensed properly through the correct channels and everything) is a great way to familiarize yourself with his classics!

Click here to listen to the mix!

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What’s often misunderstood about La Onda Chicana – the Tex-Mex musical/socio-political movement of the early 1970s – is that the ‘new sound’ emanating from Texas didn’t just incorporate American r&b and rock music, as it is popularly understood.  Tex-Mex orquestas associated with La Onda Chicana also incorporated música tropical of Caribbean and South American influence, though to a discernible lesser degree than Latin groups in New York and Chicago. The Colombian cumbia became wildly popular in Mexico by the early 1960s in part by Eduardo Baptista and his Mexico City-based musical powerhouse, Discos Peerless – one of the oldest and most influential Latin American record labels of the 20th century. As late as the mid ’60s, Peerless and its various subsidiary labels were licensing, pressing, and distributing Colombian cumbias across Central American and into the American Southwest, feeding the infectious cumbia frenzy on both sides of the border. Meanwhile, tropical groups started popping up across Mexico, emulating the great cumbia and tropical bandleaders of Colombia – Pacho Galan and Lucho Bermúdez were particularly popular figures of Mexico’s tropical scene. Though the craze wasn’t as profitable as the mambo or cha-cha-cha of several years prior, cumbia has enjoyed an arguably longer shelf life than many other of the ‘trendy’ Latin musical styles. Later re-imagined by Selena and her early ’90s pop crossover sensation, cumbia remains a genre favorite for Tejano bands even today. Needless to say, the synth-heavy and all-too-’80s sound of the modern cumbia tejana is a far stretch from its Colombian Afro-Caribbean roots, but these early Texas cumbias were remarkably pretty close to the big band sounds of Colombia’s golden age. Most Texas cumbias were covers of Colombian and Mexican hits, so while there weren’t tropical arrangers in Texas per se, Tex-mex bands of La Onda era were definitely bit by the cumbia bug.

Subtle changes to band arrangements and instrumentation can be found in La Onda records of the late ’60s/early ’70s, which had evolved from the basic bass-and-accordion conjunto instrumentation known throughout most of South Texas to big brass bands and full-bodied orquestas. Considering that both the Colombian cumbia and Tex-Mex conjunto are characteristically accordion-driven musical styles, the genre melding during La Onda heyday sounds quite natural, though notably distinct than the original Colombian compositions.

All history/ramblings aside, big up to Adam and Música del Alma for inviting me to share a few of my favorite cumbia tejana sides. Gracias compadre! Enjoy!

Sunny and The Sunliners – “La Pollera Colorada” & “Cissy Strut” from The Missing Link LP (Key-Loc, 1970)

Though Sunny and The Sunliners’ The Missing Link LP is well-known in latin funk circles (and it does get super fonky – check their rendition of The Meters’ “Cissy Strut” below for the non-believers), this record contains one of my all-time favorite cumbia covers. Sunny takes a swing at the immortal cumbia classic – “La Pollera Color·” – written by Colombian costeÒo Wilson Choperena of Pedro Salcedo y su Orquesta fame. Though no one could ever really top Choperena’s original, Sunny’s version easily qualifies for honorable mention. Wilson Chopenera recently passed on (a week ago as of this writing), but his legacy lives on with this timeless Colombian anthem and countless other compositions. R.I.P. maestro.

Little Joe and The Latinaires – “Cumbia de la Media Noche” from the Arriba! LP – (Buena Suerte, 1968)

From José ”Little Joe” Hernandez’s Arriba! LP – the debut full-length of his Buena Suerte imprint (of legendary Brothers Seven fame for the funk heads) – “Cumbia de la Media Noche” is a personal favorite. The huge (huuuge!) horns and luscious, bright keys alone gives it my Colombian stamp of approval – trust me, used only sparingly. “Cumbia de la Media Noche” was a popular cover tune of early Mexican tropical groups, recorded and popularized by Mexico’s Carmen Rivero y Su Conjunto in 1964. To my knowledge, Little Joe was the first Tejano to take a crack at it.

Lalo Garciano y Su Orquesta – “Poquita Fe b/w Alegria” (El Zarape, 196?)

A relative unknown of the Tex-Mex music world (aka ungoogleable), Lalo Garciano y Su Orquesta’s “Alegria” (a typo from the real title of the song, “Alergia”, and coincidentally my Mom’s name – HI MOM!), “Alegria” is a big horn cumbia produced by Mr. Onda Chicana himself – Johnny Gonzales of the Dallas-based El Zarape Records.* Originally recorded in 1968 by popular Mexican tropical group Sonora Santanera for CBS Mexico, Garciano and his group faithfully execute a near note-to-note cover of Chico Navarro’s original. Gotta love that big bellowing “CUMBIA!” that kicks off at the top!

One of the more sought after titles on Disques Debs, the Ce Soir Grand Bal De L’A.J.S. LP is a split album between Les Maxel’s & Typical Combo, who were two of the top French Caribbean bands of the early 70s from the islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique.  What stood out to me immediately about this record were the covers of two classic NYC salsa tunes, one by Willie Colon (“Ghana’e”) and the other by Ricardo “Richie” Ray (“Guaguanco En Jazz”).  Both covers proceed with a Caribbean style that is equal parts heavy and jazzy, all the while coming across as totally playful and fresh.

The rest of the album is pretty standard fare for a Disques Debs release, with one major exception: the Les Maxel’s track entitled “Ni Longtemps Ou Po Ko Vine a Case”.  The track is a jazzy, uptempo burner of a jam that I cannot wait to try out on a packed dancefloor!  If anyone has any other recommendations for stuff that sounds like this, please drop me a line!

Les Maxel’s: “Ghanae” (Disques Debs, Guadeloupe)

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Les Maxel’s: “Ni Longtemps Ou Po Ko Vine a Case” (Disques Debs, Guadeloupe)

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Typical Combo: “Guacuanco In Jazz” (Disques Debs, Guadeloupe)

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Los Seven Del Swing: “Silencio” (Philips, Colombia)

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Los Seven Del Swing: “Descarga Improvisada” (Philips, Colombia)

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Los Seven Del Swing: “Celoso” (Philips, Colombia)

Some of the heavier things that I ended up finding on the trip were the Gaitas (think brass-heavy uptempo Cumbias) from labels like Tropical and Fuentes. The ferocious big-band, wall-of-brass sounds that are featured in this mix fit nicely together so I decided to put them alongside some other classic cumbias for your listening pleasure. The result is Sabor y Ritmo, the latest mix from DJ Slim Jenkins & Musica Del Alma. Gozala!

DJ Slim Jenkins – Sabor y Ritmo

RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Or stream below:

TRACKLIST:

Sonora Baranquilla: “Barranquillerita” (Discos Fuentes)
Edmundo Arias: “La Luna y El Pescador” (Codiscos)
Ramon Ropain / Combo Bonito: “Caracol” (Sello Vergara)
Pacho Galan: “La Funeral del Labrador” (Tropical)
Pedro Laza: “Monteria” (Discos Fuentes)
Ramon Ropain / Combo Bonito: “Cumbia Endominante” (Sello Vergara)
Los Playeros Del Caribe: “Cumbia Marina” (Melody)
Heber Macias: “Marly” (Atlantic)
Los Tiburones: “Descarga Tiburones” (Tropical)
Ariza y su Combo: “Descarga en Saxofon” (Tropical)
Pedro Laza y sus Pelayeros: “La Magdalena” (Discos Fuentes)
Manuel Villanueva: “Mi Calabazao” (Tropical)
Banda 20 de Julio de Repelon: “La Chamaria” (Tropical)
Lucho Bermudez: “Mi Pueblo” (Silver)

Searching out these lost Amazonian classics is Michael Piggott, who has been releasing tons of great Peruvian gems through the Light in the Attic imprint (Ranil y su Conjunto Tropical, etc).  His next project is an LP entitled El Destape by an obscure group named Grupo 2000 who were led by guitarist Tulio Trigoso.  I interviewed him recently about this recent reissue project, Peruvian music industry of the 60s & 70s, and about the Peruvian reissue game in general.

PRE-ORDER the LP here!

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Musica Del Alma: How did your fascination with Peruvian music begin?

Michael Piggott: Well first we must start off with how my fascination with Latin music began…I was very much and still am into punk music from all over the world but I was hearing bands from Colombia that blew my mind and was trading with a pen pal from Medellin, collecting as many different 7″s as I could get. In one of his parcels he sent was a compilation of punk groups from all over South America and there were a few from Peru. Then I started to collect punk from Peru and a friend (tunchi/limafotolibre.com) was hooking me up with a lot of stuff and asked if I’ve ever heard Los Saicos and sent me a mix tape with Los Saicos and various other groups from the 60s and 70s.

Hence started my search for all things Saicos…I ordered 2 45s from someone and after a month of not getting anything in the mail thought I had been ripped off and finally one day a package showed up with the 2 singles and an LP by Paco Zambrano, I said “who the hell is this?” put it on and my life has never been the same, I was hooked on the tropical grooves coming from Peru!

MDA: What were the first Amazonian artists / groups that came on your radar, and can you remember the first impressions that they had on you?

MP: Well the first 45 and LP I bought were by Juaneco and Los Mirlos, at that time I still did not have a good grasp on it and I concentrated more on groups from Lima. The first group that I heard that I think really made me want to dig more into the Amazonian cumbia was Los Wemblers because they had such a unique sound and ended up working with different producers like Enrique Lynch for their Sono Radio period and had a sound to me that sounded what the SELVA would sound like. The IEMPSA recordings to me have amazing songs but the production is not as good as the Sono Radio stuff.

MDA: Who were the key musical producers / label people of this scene?  What were the regional differences within the Amazonian region in terms of sound, if any?

MP: Really, all the record labels were El Virrey, INFOPESA, IEMPSA, DINSA but there were also smaller labels that produced just as much great stuff from the Amazon as those labels. A label like Discos Universal produced many great lesser known bands and there were also labels that were created by bands themselves. I don’t think there were specific people that had a certain sound in the studio like Phil Spector or Joe Meek or anything like that, I think the two closest producers/engineers like that were Enrique Lynch and Luis Temple.

What sets it apart is the regional differences for example Juaneco come from Pucallpa off of the river Ucayali and has a great amount of Shipibo’s who chant/sing in what is called MASHA which you can hear if you look it up on youtube. In places like Tingo Maria and Tarapoto a musical style called Pandilla is very popular and has a Huayno flavor to it, there are so many different musical styles in the Amazon and all over Peru that have yet to be fully studied and documented.

MDA: Amazing.  Were there any recording studios / pressing plants in this area?  If not, how did this affect the quantity and quality of music coming out of the Peruvian Amazon?

MP: To my knowledge there were no actual recording studios in the Amazon, that goes along with pressing plants as well. All of this stuff would take place in Lima and most of the time the bands would have to travel by bus or plane to Lima and in many cases it was not the full band, maybe 3 members would fly to Lima and play with studio musicians that the labels had. In many cases these sessions were rushed and would get some really funky and amazing results. The thing about the Grupo 2000 LP which I think makes it work is that the whole band (plus studio musicians) are present and make it work energetically and sound wise. As for pressing plants I think its the same story they were all located in Lima at that time along with the studios, if there was anything going on it would have happened in Iqutios which is the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon but to my knowledge nothing like that took  place there.

MDA: I am struck by the diversity of musical styles on this LP, everything from jazzy descargas (“El Destape a Los 2000”) to heavy Latin psych (“Notas de Colores”).  In your discussions with Tulio Trigoso, did he talk to you about his main influences?  The QUALITY of stuff on here is extraordinary!

MP: Tulio stated very clearly that his 2 main influences on guitar were Enrique Delgado (LOS DESTELLOS) and Carlos Santana and went on to state that he is also very influenced by Pandilla music from the Amazon. We asked him about the brass and he went on to something else.  Ha.

“El Destape a Los 2000″

“Notas de Colores”

MDA:  What is your favorite track off the LP and why?

MP: Whew, well I have to say track 12 “Denisth” because it’s so driving and it almost incorporates all the different styles on the previous songs and wraps it into one song. The whole LP for me is a real masterpiece and I hope people dig and understand it!

“Denisth”

MDA: Do Grupo 2000 have any other records, other than this LP?

MP: This is their only recording, some of these songs were cut onto 45s and put onto compilations by DO RE MI (El Virrey) but Tulio left the label after this LP was recorded and joined forces with INFOPESA and changed the name to SONIDO 2000 and recorded just as many great songs and is still at it. He is 66 years old!

MDA: Are any other reissues in the works (that you can talk about)?

MP: I have a set of three 7″s that should be out in October, 2 of which are re-issues and one being a new band I recorded in May of this year. That is it all at the moment.

MDA: I wanted to get you on record and ask you how you perceive the recent “reissues” of Peruvian records by certain labels? In what ways do you differentiate your approach to reissuing records versus from *other* labels in the game?

MP: Well, I think it’s very important to choose something that you know people are already unfamiliar with and will open up their minds to new grooves. For example, LOS DESTELLOS are one of the most prolific groups in the history of cumbia in Peru and have a huge back catalog BUT that stuff has already been taken care of by Olivier Conan and Vampi Soul and it has already received rave reviews by people and for a reason: they were innovators and an amazing group. BUT I think when you do this stuff you have to take risks as well and release something that your heart feels like it’s a good idea to do it and not the fact that you think it will sell fast because someone else released it successfully. We all would like our money back that we put into these projects but it would feel boring releasing a record by the Beatles as compared to a group like Mystic Tide or The Golden Dawn. Someone once said to me “life is about balls and taking risks!”

I try to keep that in the back of my mind with my releases. I also think it’s important to contact the bands and let them know exactly what is going on, some of these bands were not treated with the proper respect by labels back then, I think when you re-issue something you need take this into consideration. THAT IS IT!

MDA: Thanks for your opinion on that. Lastly, who are your favorite Peruvian musicians and why?

MP: Wow, that is a very difficult question to answer. There are so many that I dig for so many different reasons.
I’m afraid I can’t answer this………

MDA: Fair enough!  Thanks, Mike, and good luck on your next projects!

Eventually, instead of simply covering North American songs, Colombian musicians branched out and explored amazing new avenues of sound in the late 60′s and early 70′s. This brings us to Harold’s 1975 album, Evolucion, with its incredible production of funky rhythms and lush soundscapes.  A true studio creation, recorded in Bogota between 1973 and 1975 at the legendary Ingeson Studios, you really get the sense that Harold’s musical vision has reached maturity.  My first impression of this LP when I heard it was that it was recorded by a Colombian musician who had relocated to the US (also, the LP’s cover photo looks like it was shot in the American Southwest, cover photo shot in Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert).  But after more detailed listening I think that this album is a unique Colombian creation.

“Latino” is a killer uptempo b-boy funk track that leads off with a stylish guitar and rumbling bass-line.  The brass section and vocals really make this track shine, though! And how about those breaks?  “Busque El Gato” sounds like it could be at home on a Wganda Kenya album with its Afro Funk guitar, and was recorded in 1973 (two years before all the others).  Again, this is b-boy catnip! I wonder what other stuff he recorded in the early 70s?

The last two tracks I’m including here, “Ansias de Vivir” and “Alguien”, definitely have obvious mid-70′s American funk influences.  I can hear Mizell Brothers vibes all over the place in “Ansias…” (RIP Fonce), and even some Barry White in “Alguien”!

Harold y su Banda: “Latino” , “Busque El Gato”, “Ansias de Vivir” , “Alguien”
From the Evolucion LP (CBS, Colombia, 1975)

-Slim Jenkins

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My goal when I started to put this mix together was to find songs that are as good as “Guaguanco Tropical” by The Brooklyn Sounds–a song that could surely cause a riot if played at the right club at the right time. In the end, after listening to hundreds of guaguancos over the course of a week, I only managed to find a small group that come close to matching the energy of that great Brooklyn Sounds track. Here they are.

-Reynaldo

Download Reynaldo’s Guaguanco Mix (LVJ 005)

01. “Baila Mi Guaguanco” – Mon Rivera Y Su Orquesta
02. “Mania” – Tito Puente & His Orchestra
03. “Sabroso Guaguanco” – Eddie Palmieri & His Conjunto La Perfecta
04. “Loco Y Contento” – Ray Terrace
05. “Play Boy” – Pete Terrace
06. “Canallon” – Alfredito Y Su Orquesta
07. “Mi Guaguancó” – Joe Pappy and His Combo
08. “A Los Muchachos De Belen” – Betico Salas
09. “Guaguanco Tropical” – The Brooklyn Sounds
10. “El Reloj Pulcera” – Orq. De Cuchon
11. “Salsa” – Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez
12. “Benita” – Pipo Y La Superior
13. “La Margarita” – Roberto Y Su Nuevo Montuno
14. “Recapacitacion” – Bobby Marin

NOTE: This is Reynaldo’s 3rd Guest Post for Musica Del Alma.  Check out his other two posts here.