Los Ángeles – Cali
March 1973–December 1974
Discography
That the author, in writing this book, has made use of the following songs84 will be obvious to the observant reader. I have done my best to list the best version (all stemming from one ancient African melody) and the label (including bootlegs). But I’ve heard most of the music she mentions through open doors, on radios or on buses. Consequently, as the list progresses, the information is scarcer. Songs marked with an asterisk are cheesy caballerías of no interest whatever.
Rosario Wurlitzer85
‘¡Qué viva la música!’, Ray Barretto (Fania)
‘Cabo E’, Richie Ray/Bobby Cruz (Alegre)
‘Si te contaran’, Ray/Cruz (Fonseca)
‘Here Comes Richie Ray’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Guaguancó triste’, Ray/Cruz (Vaya)
‘Guaguancó raro’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘White Room’, Cream (Phillips)
‘Moonlight Mile’, Rolling Stones (RSR)
‘Ruby Tuesday’, Rolling Stones (London)
*‘Llegó borracho el borracho’
‘Salt of the Earth’, Rolling Stones (London)
‘She’s a Rainbow’, Rolling Stones (London)
‘Loving Cup’, Rolling Stones (RSR)
‘Amparo Arrebato’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Toma y dame’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘Bailadores’, Nelson y sus Estrellas (PON)
‘Bembé en casa de Pinki’, Ray/Cruz (Vaya)
‘A jugar bembé’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘Piraña’, Wille Colón (Fania)
‘Lo altara la araché’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Sonido bestial’, Ray/ Cruz (Vaya)
‘Te conozco bacalao’, Willie Colón (Fania)
‘Feria en M.’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘El diferente’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘Convergencia’, Johnny Pacheco (Fania)
‘Agúzate’, Ray/ Cruz (Alegre)
*‘Sufrir …’
‘El Guarataro’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘Ay compay’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘Bomba en Navidad’, Ray/Cruz (Vaya)
‘Bomba camará’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Yo soy Babalú’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Adasa’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Agallú’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘El hijo de Obatala’, Ray Barretto (Melser)
‘Iqui con iqui’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘La música brava’, Andy Harlow (Melser)
‘Ponte duro’, Robertico Roena, Fania ’73 (Live) (Fania)
‘Ricardo y Chaparro’, Ray/Cruz (UA)
‘On with the Show’, Rolling Stones (London)
‘Play with Fire’, Rolling Stones (London)
‘The Last Time’, Rolling Stones (London)
‘Heartbreaker’, Rolling Stones (RSR)
‘It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll (But I Like It)’, Rolling Stones (RSR)
‘I Got the Blues’, Rolling Stones (RSR)
‘Richie’s jala jala’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Colombia’s Boogaloo’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Pa chismoso tu’, Ray/ Cruz (Fonseca)
‘Che che colé’, Willie Colón (Fania)
‘Quien lo tumbe’, Larry Harlow (Fania)
‘Que se rían’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Colorín colorao’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Lluvia’, Ray/Cruz (Vaya)
‘Lluvia con nieve’, Mon Rivera (Alegre)
‘Ahora vengo yo’, Ray/Cruz, Fania ’73 (Live) (Fania)
‘Traigo de todo’, Ray/Cruz (Alegre)
‘Guasasa’, Larry Harlow (Fania)
‘Mambo jazz’, Ray/Cruz (Fonseca)
‘Suavito’, Ray/Cruz (Fonseca)
‘Comején’, Ray/Cruz (Fonseca)
‘Qué bella es la Navidad’, Ray/Cruz (Fonseca)
‘Micaela se botó’, Pete Rodríguez (Alegre)
‘Se casa la rumba’, Larry Harlow (Fania)
‘El paso de Encarnación’, Larry Harlow (Fania)
‘Vengo virao’, Larry Harlow (Fania)
‘Tiembla’, El Gran Combo (Melser)
‘Anacaona’, Cheo Feliciano, Fania ’73 (Live) (Fania)
‘Tengo poder’, La Conspiración (Fania)
‘Si la ven’, Willie Colón (Fania)
‘La voz de la juventud’, La Conspiración (Fania)
‘El día que nací yo’, La Conspiración (Fania)
‘Alafia cumayé’, Ray/Cruz
‘La peregrina’, Ray/Cruz
‘El Abakuá’, Ray/Cruz
‘Trumpet Man II’, Ray/Cruz
‘The House of the Rising Sun’, Animals
‘Canto a Borinquen’, Willie Colón
‘Salsa y control’, LeBrón Brothers
‘Bongó loco’, LeBrón Brothers
‘Monte adentro’, Monguito con Fania ’72 (Live) (Fania)
‘Seis tumbao’, La Protesta
‘San Miguel’, La Protesta
‘¿Mi guaguancó?’, Ray/Cruz
‘¿A mí qué?’, Típica Novel
‘La ley’, Sexteto Juventud
‘La canción del viajero’, Nelson y sus Estrellas
*‘El gavilán pollero’
*‘Vanidad’
*‘La vida no vale nada’
*‘Yo perdí el corazon (¿Qué será de mí?)’
‘Pachanga que no cansa’, Manolín Morel
‘Oye lo que te conviene’, Eddie Palmieri
‘Changa con pachanga’, Randy Carlos
‘Charanga revuelta con pachanga’, Randy Carlos
‘Con la punta del pie, Teresa’, Cortijo y su Combo
‘Pal 23’, Ray Pérez
Unidentified lyrics from unknown songs:86
‘¿Quieres más bugalú?’
‘Sambumbia y saoco en el bugalú’
‘Cómete ese piano, Richie’
Notes
The following notes deal with some of the more curious allusions in Caicedo’s novel. A list of the lyrics that run like a thread through the story, inflecting dialogue and suffusing María’s narrative, can be found in the ‘List of Song Lyrics’ (p. 171), while a (more) complete list of the songs, together with the singers, can be found in the ‘List of Songs’ (p. 177).
1 Babalú: Babalú is the spirit of the earth and an Orisha, or god, in the Yoruba pantheon. Salsa lyrics routinely use Yoruba words relating to Santería, a system of beliefs combining the Yoruba religion with Roman Catholic and Native American traditions.
2 Jeanette MacDonald … Indian Love Call: Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy were the quintessential 1930s Hollywood musical couple, most famous for the song ‘Indian Love Call’, from the 1936 film of the musical Rose-Marie, which became their signature song.
3 John Gavin: Mexican-American actor (b. 1931) who played Sam Loomis in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960).
4 The Underdogs: Los de abajo, a novel by Mariano Azuela about the Mexican Revolution (1910–20). Published in 1915, it was translated into English as The Underdogs.
5 cover of a John Lennon album … bottom left corner: Probably a reference to the cloud on the cover of The Plastic Ono Band: Live Peace in Toronto 1969.
6 The People Next Door: A Canadian film made in 1970 about how a teenage girl descends from drug addiction to being committed to a mental ward. It was released in Colombia as Viaje hacia el delirio.
7 charanga: Salsa-style music played by a big brass band.
8 Cavorite: A fictional anti-gravity substance that would allow flight – ‘discovered’ by Mr Cavor in H. G. Wells’s novel The First Men in the Moon (1901).
> 9 “A Mile of Moonlight”: ‘Moonlight Mile’; the song title is deliberately mistranslated here to convey the awkwardness of Ricardo’s translation. For the sections from the song that follow, however, I have used the original lyrics, as – despite his protestations – Ricardo’s translation is entirely faithful.
10 The garden of Marienbad: Referring to the avant-garde 1961 French film L’Année dernière à Marienbad (Last Year in Marienbad) with its geometrical château garden that provides a striking setting for certain scenes in the film.
11 Nadaístas: Literally, ‘Nothingists’, a 1960s literary movement in Colombia which verbally challenged/desecrated Colombian society.
12 House of Usher … Corpses walled up behind mirrors: The first of a number of references to the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, whose work influenced Caicedo. Here the reference is to the burying alive of Madeline in a vault in Poe’s short story ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (1839).
13 Keith Richard: Richards spelled his name without the ‘s’ during the 1960s.
14 Bacillus: The first of many words (all beginning with ‘B’) that Caicedo uses to refer to a spliff. ‘Bacillus’, being a rod-shaped type of bacteria, resembles the shape of a joint.
15 La Pasionaria: Literally, ‘passionflower’, another nickname of Caicedo’s for marijuana.
16 guaguancó: A subgenre of Cuban rumba, a complex rhythmic music and dance style.
17 ‘Take It and Give Me’: Title in English of the song ‘Toma y dame’.
18 bembé: A feast in Yoruba mythology and hence, in salsa (which draws heavily on it – see note 1), a style of music. See also note 46.
19 butín, butero tabique y afuero: Lyrics from ‘Tin Marin’ roughly translatable as ‘eeny meeny miny moe’.
20 on the tips … of your toes: Lyrics from and a reference to the title in English of ‘Con la punta del pie, Teresa’.
21 López Tarso: Mexican film and stage actor Ignacio López Tarso (b. 1925).
22 ‘Get Sharp!’: Title in English of the song ‘Agúzate’.
23 ‘Changó, bestow … they gave me more drink’: Referring to the poem ‘Corta Changó, con tu espada’ (‘Cut, Changó, with Your Sword’) by Cuban poet Severo Sarduy (1937–93), which calls on Changó, the Yoruba god of fire, thunder and lightning.
24 King (Richie) Ray: Ricardo ‘Richie’ Ray (Richard Maldonado Morales – born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1945, of Puerto Rican parentage) is a virtuoso pianist, singer, music arranger and composer. He is most famous as one half of the duo Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, considered to be the foremost exponents of salsa brava. Ray met Bobby Cruz (Roberto Cruz Feliciano – born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, in 1937) in 1957 and played bass in his band. Though he gained admission to the Julliard School of Music in 1963, Ray left after a year and he and Cruz formed a group. They signed to Fonseca Records and in 1964 released Ricardo Ray Arrives/Comején. The albums recorded for Fania Records, Agúzate (1970) and El bestial sonido de Richie Ray y Bobby Cruz (1971), which marked the transition between virtuoso boogaloo to freewheeling salsa, are considered landmarks. The duo were hugely successful in Colombia in the late 1960s and their sound greatly influenced Colombian salsa.
25 Ray Barretto: Born to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Spanish Harlem, New York, Ray Barretto (1929–2006) was a Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz percussionist. He played congas with Charlie Parker and later with Tito Puente, and his highly individual style made him a regular with jazz combos. He released his first solo record, El Watusi, in 1961 and joined the Fania record label in 1967. Aside from his successful solo career, Barretto played congas on albums by the Rolling Stones and the Bee Gees.
26 Larry Harlow: American producer and salsa pianist (b. 1939) who studied music in Cuba before the revolution. Harlow has played with many of the greats of salsa and recorded and produced dozens of albums in his own right for the Fania label.
27 Alirio and His Rhythm Boys: Alirio y sus Muchachos de Ritmo.
28 saoco: In salsa, saoco means to have rhythm in your blood.
29 Obatala, Obatala who owns all heads: According to the Yoruba people, Obatala is the creator of human bodies, and the owner of all ori or heads. See also note 1.
30 Monguito: Monguito ‘El Unico’, a Cuban salsa singer (d. 2006).
31 The Abakuá … waiting for the signal: Paraphrase of lyrics from ‘El Abakuá’ containing a recitation in the tribal dialect of the Efik. Abakuá is an Afro-Cuban fraternity or secret society.
32 Enkame: A chant whose precise meaning is known only to members of the Abakuá – see previous note.
33 Parque Panameriquenque: A nickname for the Parque Panamericano in Cali.
34 the key ritual: Part of the rite of Santería (see note 1) in which colours (green, in this instance) are invested with certain powers.
35 jala jala: Jala literally means to be drunk, or to be up for anything, but here it refers to a specific dance rhythm (jala jala) and the dance associated with it.
36 Like a whole bunch of peace: His name, ‘Paces’, sounds like the plural of peace (paz).
37 Miki Vimari, Mike Collazos [sic], Russell Farnsworth and Pancho Cristal: After their initial success with Fonseca, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz signed to Alegre, where the famous Pancho Cristal was assigned to produce their new recordings. Among the musicians who worked on the seminal albums Jala jala y boogaloo, volumes 1 and 2 (1967 and 1968), and El bestial sonido de Ricardo Ray y Bobby Cruz (1971) were Miki Vimari (lead and backing vocals), Mike Collazo (timbales) and Russell ‘Skee’ Farnsworth (bass guitar).
38 Don Rufían: Rufían means a tough or a thug.
39 Guaguancó bizarro: Literally, ‘Bizarre guaguancó’, referring to a type of Cuban dance music related to salsa; in this case it also alludes to the song title ‘Guaguancó raro’.
40 El Viti: Santiago Martín (b. 1938), aka ‘El Viti’, a famous Spanish bullfighter.
41 El Cordobés: Manuel Benítez Pérez (b. 1936), aka ‘El Cordobés’, a Spanish toreador.
42 Marracachafa: Invented term for weed/marijuana.
43 mango biche: Literally, ‘green mango’, a powerful strain of Colombian marijuana.
44 punto rojo: Literally, ‘red dot’, another strong variety of Colombian marijiuana.
45 Red Birds: In Spanish, ‘seis de Secos’, referring to Seconal (barbiturates).
46 sacatión manantión … sacatión manantión mojé: Lyrics from ‘El Abakuá’ in Ñáñiga, one of the ritual languages of the Abakuá secret society (see note 31), thought to have originated from the religious worship of the Orishas (see note 1) during a bembé or celebration of the spirits.
47 ‘I Invite You to Get Down and Boogaloo’: Title in English of ‘Te invito a echar un pie’.
48 Hello, hello – okay – everybody happy: The address from the stage is all in English in the original text and is probably a paraphrase of what was said at the actual concert.
49 “El galiván pollero”: ‘The Chicken Hawk’, a terrible song by Pedro Infante whose lyrics run (in translation): ‘The chicken hawk took my chicken, / The chicken I love most. / Pour me another drink there, barkeep; / Without my chicken, I’ll be toast.’
50 Chow down on that piano, Richie: Words shouted just before the song ‘Viva Richie Ray!’ on the album Comején.
51 Yemayá: Also known as Yemanja, Yemayá is an Orisha (see note 1), a goddess of motherhood and the ocean.
52 Cándido: Cándido de Guerra Camero (b. 1921), Cuban-born percussionist credited with being one of the first musicians to use congas in jazz.
53 pass me the cauldron, Macoró: These are (deliberately?) misheard lyrics from the salsa ‘Agallú’: the actual refrain is ‘Give me the Ocha,
my love’, the reference to ‘Ocha’ (‘La Regla Ocha’) being another term for ‘Santería’, initiation into which invokes the guidance of the Orishas – see note 1.
54 ‘Suffering is My Lot in Life’: Title in English of the song ‘Sufrir me tocó a mí en esta vida’.
55 pum catapum viva Changó: The spoken introduction to ‘Cabo E’.
56 the Christmas bomba: The title and lyrics in English from ‘Bomba en Navidad’. A bomba is a kind of dance.
57 Ala-lolé-lolé … lo altare la araché: A freeform salsa scat from ‘Lo atara la araché’, written by Hugo González in an Afro-Cuban dialect and consequently incomprehensible to Spanish speakers, leading Caicedo to mistranscribe the recurring lyric ‘lo altara la araché’ as ‘le coge la noche’ (‘night has taken him’).
58 Edgar Piedrahíta: Another allusion to Edgar Allan Poe – see note 12.
59 El Jordan … El Renegado: The names of local rivers: El Turbio, ‘Muddy’; El Estrellón, ‘Starry’; El Claro, ‘Clear/Limpid’; El Bueno, ‘Good’; El Zumbón, ‘Mocker’; El Cojecoje, ‘Gimp’; El Renegado, ‘Renegade’.
60 Changó ta vení. Changó is coming: An invocation of the Yoruba god Changó (see note 23), from the traditional song ‘Changó ta vení’: ‘Changó is coming / with a machete in his hand / and the earth will tremble.’ Famously performed by Justi Barreto.
61 Don Julián Acosta: According to his sister, Rosario, Caicedo is referring here to a real person who lived as a hermit on the Pico de Loro. Caicedo apparently visited the deserted house where he ‘borrowed’ the notes left by visitors and included some of them in the novel.
62 And on what did they walk, my bare feet: Possibly alluding to the last lines of Pasolini’s Theorem (1968), ‘Ah, my bare feet, walking on the desert sands …’; Caicedo was a cinephile and a great admirer of the work of the controversial Italian film director and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–75).
63 Human teeth, ivory-looking teeth: Referring to Edgar Allan Poe’s short horror story ‘Berenice’ (1835), in which the narrator is obsessed with ‘the white and glistening, and ghastly teeth of Berenice’, his ailing fiancée. On being told that she is dead and buried, he has a blackout and wakes to discover she has been found alive in the plundered grave; knocking over a box on his desk, what tumble out and roll across the floor are ‘thirty-two small, white and ivory-looking substances’, while he himself is covered in mud and blood.
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