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The Cajón throughout history

The main artists who put on a show always get the lead on stage, but nothing much is being said about the instruments accompanying them, which are a fundamental part of music as we know and enjoy it. One of these is the cajón, which has a most interesting and a little bit controversial origin, so there are certain considerations to express this regard.

This is the cajón — This is how the cajón looks today

What is the cajón?

The cajón, also known as the Paruvian cajón or flamenco cajón, is a percussion instrument consisting of a wooden box on which the musician sits and taps with his fingers and palms to produce the desired sounds, whether bass or treble. On certain occasions, it is used as a substitute for the drum kit and has gained popularity in jazz, flamenco, and some Latin genres.

One reason it is so popular is because of its versatility, transportability, and ease to be played, even if the musician does not have much experience. Therefore, many prefer it to the drum kit, which is bigger and more cumbersome in certain cases.

Origins of the cajón

What is known about the origin of the cajón is that by the end of Spanish colonization, African slaves bound for America were not allowed to use their drums because the Catholic Church saw them as sinful and pagan tools. Not to mention that these prisoners also used these drums to communicate with each other, which is why the Spanish nicknamed them “talking drums.”

This led to the aforementioned instruments and several of their musicians being burned. Not to mention that slavers wanted to ban black songs that sent messages about slavery through their melodies.

By the early 1800s, there was absolutely no record that the drum had existed in what we now know as Peru, and any viceregal document mentioning it disappeared. However, there is evidence of the existence of the cajón from 1840, and it is believed that the first to use it were Afro-Peruvians.

fiesta de amancaes with the cajón — Painting by the German Painter Mauricio Rugendas on the occasion of the “Fiesta de Amancaes”

Afro-Peruvians encompass a collection of African ethnic groups who, unable to express themselves through music as they did before, had no choice but to find other instruments with which they could do so. They then saw wooden crates used to transport goods as a way to do percussion and thus continue to practice their sacred rites and play their music.

Initially, the cajones were used to play coastal and traditional dances to central and north Peru, which gradually popularized them. They also began to be used to play the “Fiesta de Amancaes,” which is a Limean festival held during the time of the Viceroyalty. This event usually brought together horse breeders, artisans, and bohemian musicians from the north and center of the country.

The arrival of the cajón in Spain

Many years later, specifically the year 1977, the cajón arrived in Europe. It was Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist Paco de Lucía who discovered the instrument during a tour of Latin America when he attended a reception hosted by the Spanish ambassador at the time. On that occasion, Paco heard Brazilian musician Rubem Dantas play it during a show by singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda, and he instantly realized that those sounds combined very well with flamenco percussion, which was always done with the palms, although it was not as consistent and precise as required. The cajón achieved this without a hitch.

It is for this that Paco decided to take the cajón to his country and only added some inner strings to adapt it and tinge its sounds, thus becoming one of the most important elements of a flamenco show today. Both Paco and Rubem decided to release it at an open-air concert at the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid of the Casa de Campo, and the Peruvian instrument was a resounding success, marking the beginning of its addition to flamenco guitarists’ shows.

At the time, Paco said that this contribution to flamenco culture in his country made him very proud and with good reason, as it was a great revolution that continues to bear fruit.

The cajón today

Today, the flamenco cajón has three screws that allow the musician to adjust the tone and a system of strings that gives the Peruvian version a different resonance and offers a range of many different sounds in which the musician’s body plays a very important role. The Peruvian version remains the most traditional of all because it gets no strings and its sounds are deeper, while the Spanish version incorporates strings or bourdons in order to make more tearing and vibrant sounds.

There are also more modern versions that include the use of drumsticks and pedals to expand their sound range a lot further.

Son 14 The History of the Orchestra and the Success of “A Bayamo en Coche”

The Son 14 orchestra was founded in Santiago de Cuba in 1977 by vocalist Eduardo “El Tiburón” Morales (born in Cuba in 1935) and pianist and musical director Adalberto Álvarez.

As the name suggests, it is a 14-member ensemble dedicated to performing son, the national musical genre of Cuba. In 1978, Lázaro Rosabal (born in Santiago de Cuba in 1953) joined the group.

They quickly recorded several albums for the local EGREM label, many of which became bestsellers throughout Latin America, allowing them to undertake extensive tours across the Americas and Europe.

In 1992, co-founder Álvarez left the band to form his own group. Nevertheless, Son 14 continued its journey under the musical direction of Rosabal.

In addition to their continued success in the Latin market, the band began to gain international recognition, first with the song “El Son De La Madrugada,” included on the compilation Cuba – Fully Charged (Earthworks Records, 1993), and later with the release of Son – The BIG SOUND (Tumi Records, 1995), a compilation of their material from the Álvarez era.

After introducing a modern, vibrant version of son and its variations (son montuno, bolero son, etc.) to non-Latin audiences, Tumi Records commissioned a new recording at Cuba’s EGREM studios. Released in 1996 as part of the Cuba Explosion series, the album Cubanía proved that the band had not lost an ounce of its musical talent and energy under Rosabal’s direction. Three years later, the group released La Máquina Musical, which incorporated Colombian tropical rhythms into their sound, promoting the album with a European tour that included a performance at the Cuba Presente Festival at the Barbican Centre in London. (Source: AllMusic)

The Milestone of “A Bayamo en Coche”

The album A Bayamo en Coche (A Bayamo by Carriage) was released in 1979, with its biggest hit being the title track itself. The album’s opening song, composed and arranged by Adalberto Álvarez from Camagüey, instantly transformed him into one of the leading figures in popular Cuban dance music from that year on.

The song “A Bayamo en coche” not only revives traditional son and enriches it with new sounds but also artistically recreates a cherished tradition rooted in Bayamo, the cradle of Cuban nationality. In this city, coches (horse-drawn carriages) are used for pleasure rides and recreation, and the song’s lyrics narrate these moments.

The album contained other tracks that were hugely popular in Cuba between 1978 and 1980, such as “Calle Enramada” (a son elegy to that main Santiago street), “El Son De La Madrugada” (with a beautiful later version by Omara Portuondo), “Se quema la trocha,” and “Elena la cumbanchera,” which turned the record into a landmark within this genre of Cuban music. Most of the tracks were performed by Tiburón Morales, the group’s lead vocalist.

Tribute to The Gentleman of Son

Recently, Son 14 founder Adalberto Álvarez, known as “El Caballero del Son” (The Gentleman of Son), was honored with a concert at the Karl Marx Theatre. This event celebrated his 46 years in music and the 35th anniversary of his later orchestra, Adalberto Álvarez y su Son.

The concert was a memorable tribute to the work of the composer of “A Bayamo en coche.” Some of his best songs were performed by notable Cuban musicians:

Septeto Santiaguero (Son para un sonero)
Pancho Amat and Alain Pérez (Tu fiel trovador)
Alexander Abreu (Pura imagen)
Paulo F. G. (Fin de semana)

At other points, Frank Fernández performed a duet accompaniment with the voices of Adalberto Álvarez and Jorge Luis Rojas, “Rojitas,” on Santa Cecilia.

Additionally, Rojitas sang with Tania Pantoja (Vivir lo nuestro) and solo (Y qué tú quieres que te den). Robertón and Lele, vocalists from Van Van, performed Agua que cae del cielo, while the orchestra Adalberto Álvarez y su Son took on De Cuba pa’l mundo entero, Son de la madrugada, and Los caminos de Ifá.

En La Sala Show “El Saraito” Adalberto Álvarez (R.I.P) Fundador, Director. Arreglista y Pianista del Son 14 de Cuba, Dj. Augusto Felibertt y Vicente López

That night, Maestro José Luis Cortés highlighted Álvarez’s musical quality, focusing specifically on “A Bayamo en coche,” the song that, in 1979, announced the existence of a great artist to the public. Álvarez was capable of bringing son to Cuban art schools and has defended Cuban son with grace and artistry, all while staying true to the essence of one of the dance music genres that best represents Cuban identity. (Source: Joel del Río, Cibercuba)

“A Bayamo En Coche” Album Details (1980)

No.	Track	Genre	Composer
01.	A Bayamo En Coche	Son	Adalberto Álvarez
02.	El Son De La Madrugada	Son guaguancó	Adalberto Álvarez
03.	Se Fue Mi Amor Y No Lo Vi Partir	Bolero son	Adalberto Álvarez
04.	Calle Enramada	Son	Pedro Gómez
05.	Elena La Cumbanchera	Son	Gerardo Martínez
06.	Se Quema La Trocha	Bachata-Son	Adalberto Álvarez
07.	Tal Vez Vuelvas A Llamarme	Son montuno	Adalberto Álvarez
08.	Gimen Las Rosas Por Una Triste Ilusión	Bolero	Adalberto Álvarez
09.	Vamos, Háblame Ahora	Bachata-son	Adalberto Álvarez

Musicians who participated in the recording (1979):

Director, Acoustic Piano, Keyboards: Adalberto Álvarez
Vocals, Minor Percussion: Eduardo “El Tiburón” Morales, Héctor Wedderbron, Daniel Carmenates
Bass: Jorge Machado
Guitar: Efisio Barroso
Trumpet: Eduardo Sánchez, Guillermo Femández, José Fernández, Dagoberto Rodríguez
Trombone: Lázaro Rosabal
Tumbadora (Conga Drum): Ubaldo Canes
Bongó, Cowbell: Guillermo Viera

Recorded at: EGREM Studios (1979)

Collaborators:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: Luis Conte: The Cuban-American percussionist who fuses Cuban son with global music

Dámaso Pérez Prado and the Succession of the “Mambo King”

Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban musician, composer, arranger, and orchestra conductor, known worldwide as the “Mambo King.”

On December 3, 1983, Pantaleón Pérez Prado, an excellent bass player and composer, passed away in Milan, Italy. He was born on December 27, 1926, in Matanzas, Cuba.

Pantaleón’s Beginnings and Career

Pantaleón followed in the footsteps of his famous older brother, Dámaso Pérez Prado. At age 18, he formed his first orchestra, which he left in 1950 to join Dámaso’s group as a double bassist, accompanying him for several years.

He also played for a short time in Havana with the Laito Castro Orchestra. In the mid-1950s, Pantaleón Pérez Prado went independent and traveled to Europe, where he led an orchestra of Cuban musicians. This group achieved great success performing the songs that Dámaso had popularized.

Dámaso Pérez Prado and the Succession of the King of Mambo

The Legal Dispute

In 1956, a dispute between Dámaso Pérez Prado and his younger brother, Pantaleón (1926–1983), led to an unusual legal conflict. Dámaso sued his brother for $500,000, accusing him of impersonation.

In Hispanic culture, it is common for children to receive both parents’ surnames. In this case, the brothers’ birth names were Dámaso Pérez Prado and Pantaleón Pérez Prado, respectively, with Pérez being the father’s surname and Prado the mother’s.

In Portugal, the song Pantaleón performed, “Mambo del Estudiante” (Student’s Mambo), became the “official anthem” of the University of Coimbra. He also succeeded in Spain, France, and Italy, where he was introduced as “Pérez Prado, Rey del Mambo” (King of Mambo), which produced intentional confusion with his brother Dámaso.

Dámaso initiated legal action that concluded with Pantaleón being prohibited from using the title “Mambo King,” while also being required to use his full name. Some suggest that, beyond the lawsuit, there was a tacit agreement between the two brothers, based on the fact that Dámaso visited Europe infrequently, focusing his activities in the Americas, while Pantaleón permanently settled in Milan.

Name Confusion and The Conflict’s Revival

Originally, RCA credited the recordings to Dámaso Pérez Prado. However, when his records began appearing in the US, the record company shortened his name to the more alliterative Pérez Prado. In 1955, Dámaso dropped his full name and legally changed it to Pérez Prado.

Around that time, Pantaleón, who played bass with his own group, appeared at the Alhambra theater in Paris under the name “Pérez Prado, el Rey del Mambo.” Pantaleón was subsequently restricted by court order from passing himself off as Pérez.

However, hostilities resumed when an angry French visitor called the Hollywood Palladium, where Pérez Prado was performing, and yelled at the management for featuring an “imposter,” claiming he had danced with the “real” Prado (actually Pantaleón) in Deauville a few weeks prior.

Dámaso Pérez Prado fue un músico, compositor, arreglista y director de orquesta cubano, conocido mundialmente como el Rey del Mambo.

The ensuing lawsuit effectively put Pantaleón out of commission, but the younger brother had a form of posthumous revenge. When Pantaleón died in 1983, a widely circulated obituary was headlined “Mambo King Dies in Milan,” leading many people to (erroneously) believe it was Dámaso who had passed away.

Pantaleón’s Career and Legacy

Pantaleón Pérez Prado performed in Greece and traveled to Iran at the invitation of the Shah himself and his wife, Princess Soraya. He remained active until shortly before his death in 1983.

Dámaso Pérez Prado’s Notable Hits

Dámaso Pérez Prado’s best-known songs include:

“Mambo No. 5”
“Qué rico el mambo” (also known as “Mambo Jambo”)
“Mambo No. 8”
“Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White,” which was a number one hit in the United States.
“Patricia,” which was a worldwide hit and was included in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita.

Legacy: In addition to his recordings, Dámaso Pérez Prado participated as an actor and musician in several Mexican films. His music was key to the international popularization of the mambo, and his style remains influential in Latin music and jazz.

Collaboration:

Los Mejores Salseros del Mundo

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: Israel “Cachao” López, a Cuban musician and composer, has been hailed as “the Inventor of Mambo

Cache Live Music puts Miami to dance to traditional Latin music

Roland Cache graced this edition with his presence to tell us about his beginnings, the subsequent creation of his band Cache Live Music, and his current career. The American of Cuban descent honors his roots with the music he and his collaborators play to delight their fans at any event they are hired, indicating the pride he feels in representing his parents’ country and how passionate he is about his craft.

Roland shared many interesting details about his musical life, and we are more than happy to share them with our readers in the following lines.

Roland Cache playing drums live at an event

Roland’s musical beginnings as a teenager

As a child, Roland lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where some high school friends convinced him to play drums with them. Their favorite genre was the rock of the day, which was the 1960s. A few years later, specifically in 1973, another friend took him to a salsa concert at Madison Square Garden, and he liked what he heard so much that he became more involved in Latin music and left American music aside.

Seeing great artists such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and other artists of Puerto Rican descent, he learned to play timbales, tumbadora, and bongos, which allows him to play a combination of conga, timbales, and clave at the same time.

Orchestras prior to Cache Live Music

Before creating his own band, Roland was part of other projects that were training him for what was to come in his career later. One of them was a band from New Jersey, whose members formed La Charanga Casino, which became very popular in that city.

Some time later, Roland could not play for a while, so he has been throwing himself into selling cars and other area businesses. Then, in 1998, he returned to music and created an American band that played rock and jazz with a touch of Latin music.

Roland Cache and the rest of the band — Roland Cache and the rest of Cache Live Music

Creation of Cache Live Music

Eventually, he left the American band and founded a Latin band called Cache Live Music with a group of musicians, some of whom remain alongside Roland to this day. He met most of them through another musician friend who introduced them so he was knowing other artists who joined his project.

Cache Live Music was officially started in 1999, and according to its founder, the hardest thing about keeping a band like this together for so long was the search of opportunities in clubs and other kinds of places. However, Roland says that his experience as a salesman and negotiator has helped him a lot in winning contracts and the best conditions for him and his bandmates.

Current status of Cache Live Music

Today, the core of the band consists are three of its members: the guitarist, the bassist, and Roland, who is a multi-instrumentalist. More recently, Cache included a flutist, a trombonist, and sometimes a singer. This is how, depending on the requirements for a particular event, the group’s leader decides which members and instruments to include for every occasion in order to offer something different.

Cache at an Amazon event — Cache Live Music at an Amazon corporate event

Regarding the repertoire, they only perform covers, but they ensure that each and every song has their personal touch so that they resemble as little as possible to the original versions.

Anyone who wants to hire Cache Live Music can do so through its profile on The Bash by making a deposit and sending a contract to agree on the conditions of the event. However, it is important to note that they are already booked for December and January with corporate parties and weddings, for which we wish them every possible success because they already have the talent.

Former Mayor of Miami Tomas Pedro Regalado and Roland Cache

Cristobal Verdecia and his quartet Son Qba in Miami

As we all know, Cuba is an endless source of talent and never tires of proving it. Today, we are really honored to be able to talk to one of its greatest exponents in the city of Miami and it is arranger, producer, bandleader, and bassist Cristóbal Verdecia, who very kindly agreed to talk to us for a few minutes about his life and career both in Cuba and in the United States, his home for more than 10 years.

Cristobal with his basses — Cristobal Verdecia with his two basses

Cristóbal’s beginnings and inspirations for entering the world of music

The first reference that Cristobal had at a musical level was his uncle Israel “Kantor” Sardiñas, who was the vocalist, bassist, and pianist for the legendary band Los Van Van. The artist always wanted his nephew to learn to play instruments, more specifically the piano, but Cristóbal had other hobbies at the time and did not pay much attention to him. Then, in 1982, Sardiñas packed suitcases and left Cuba in search of better opportunities, but not before leaving his piano, bass, and guitar to the young Cristóbal to use them in his place.

It was then that he finally became truly interested in music, and the instrument that most caught his attention at the time was the bass. Seeing this sudden love for the instrument, Cristóbal’s father decided to enroll him in the Guillermo Tomás Music Conservatory when he was about 10 years old. He greatly improved his skills with the bass and began playing with local jazz bands, but his academic training was not yet complete.

Some time later, he enrolled at the Ignacio Cervantes Conservatory, where his teachers, in his own words, were two of the best bassists to come from Cuba: Silvio Vergara, now deceased, and Carlos Del Puerto. At this institution, he studied electric bass and double bass.

From there, Cristóbal began playing with increasingly prestigious bands such as Pachito Alonso y Su Kini Kini, Paulo FG y Su Élite, Adalberto Álvarez y Su Son, Havana D’Primera, among many others. Being with Pachito, he had the opportunity to share with artists of the stature of Roberto Hernández “Robertón” (current Los Van Van singer), “El Lele,” the Mengual twins, among others. It was Robertón who gave him some advice about how to improve the quality and raise the level of his work.

Cristobal and his uncle — Cristobal Verdecia and his uncle Israel “Kantor” Sardiñas

In the case of Paulo G Y Su Élite, he had the opportunity to serve as musical director for about five years in the band, which provided great learning for the future.

Subsequently, Alexander Abreu, director of Havana D’Primera, had the idea of forming his own band with the best musicians in Cuba and that each musician had a substitute. That was where Cristóbal joined and became part of the first album, “Haciendo Historias.”

Move to the United States

When Cristóbal made the decision to leave Cuba, the first country he visited was Mexico, where he spent about four years and also played with many other bands. However, the idea of forming his own project was already on his mind for some time.

When he finally turned this idea into reality, the artist and his band accompanied singers who arrived alone, which provided him the expertise to face the future professional challenges that awaited him.

Julio Cesar, Cristobal, Marciano, and Franklin — Guitarist Julio Cesar rodriguez, bassist Cristobal Verdecia, percussionist Marciano Hernandez and tresero Franklin Reytor

Once his cycle in Mexico concluded, he moved to Miami in 2012 to continue growing in music, as he believed that the city offered him an opportunity that his previous country of residence did not. One of the first things he wanted to do was to revive his quartet Son Qba, which he had started in Mexico, but he was advised to take the time to learn how everything worked there first and then follow the path he wished.

This is how Cristóbal also managed to play with several local artists and bands to understand the dynamics of the place, such as Tony Succar, Issac Delgado, Timbalive, Aymée Nuviola, Grupo Niche, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Albita Rodríguez, Buena Vista All Stars, among others. All this path traveled finally led him to be able to resume Son Qba with the full works in 2019.

Today, Son Qba consists of our guest Cristóbal Verdecia, tresero Franklin Reytor, percussionist Marciano Hernández, singer and guitarist Julio César Rodríguez, and singer José “Pepito” Gómez.