Arsenio Rodríguez – Primitivo
Mas Records 1965

One of the key figures in latin music was this great man.
Arsenio Rodríguez is considered father of the modern afro-cuban
sound. His musical roots lay in the Congolese rituals of his
family, instilled in him by his grandfather who was a slave,
and it is said that he brought many of the toques used to
adress deities into son. He was a predigious composer –
his sones remain dominant in the repertoire – and his group,
which he expanded with first congas and later an extra trumpet,
more percussion and piano, became the most influential of the
1940’s. Rodríguez also changed the structure of son, expanding
the montuno with a descarga section of improvised solos.
Arsenio Rodríguez ( 1911 – 1970 ) was blind from age eight,
he was kicked by a horse. He was a superb tres player and one
of Cuba’s all time great bandleaders and son composers. Arsenio
grew up in a ‘solar’, a small neighbourhood community. It was his
custom to play the guitar, his neighbours would join in both
vocally and instrumentally, using sticks, pieces of chairs, boxes
or anything they could find to create a musical sound. On such
a night, someone used a cowbell as their contribution to this
primitive music and it was from this that the cowbell evolved as
part of the instrumentation of today’s Latin-American rhythm
sections. ( Rough Guide and backsleeve )
Congolese composer Grand Kalle was called the father of rumba,
he became inspired by Cuban artists like Arsenio Rodríguez, so now
we can see the circle close, afro-cuban getting round and round.
tracks like Independence cha cha and Africa Boogaloo are typical
examples, from Congo to Cuba and back,
music works miracles don’t you think..
listen to Arsenio Rodríguez,
( do we hear Monguito
there ? )

tracks;

1 La pasion
2 Me engañastes juana
3 Lo que dice justi
4 Rumba guajira
5 Coplas de españa
6 Que mala suerte
7 Fiesta en el solar
8 Me equivoque contigo
9 A gozar mujeres
10 No lo niegues
11 El lema del guaguancó
12 Guaguancó de puerta tierra