Customer Reviews

Lamento Borincano--Early Puerto Rican Music: 1916-1939

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4 star:		(2)
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I was captivated by this CD set. Cannot put it down. As part of the process of teaching my kids about Puerto Rican culture and history, this music is an invaluable treat. AY Bendito! what memories. Highly recommended for its historical content.

If you want to delve deep down into the primorial history of Puerto Rican acoustic music, this collection is pretty hard to beat. These recordings include some of the oldest examples of the various danzas, plenas and guarachas that immigrant performers brought with them during the interwar exodus to New York City... On the whole, this 2-CD set may be a bit too stark for all but the most dedicated fans, but it's certainly an amazing collection, drawing on dozens of rare 78s by bands such as Canario Y Su Grupo, Los Reyes De La Plena and the Sexteto Flores... Also of note are the rigorously PC liner notes, which see the development of Puerto Rican pop strictly in terms of cultural colonization and commercial cooptation... Politics aside, this is a mighty fine collection, ideal for any serious student of PR musical culture.

Received this 2-CD set as a Christmas present and I have been enjoying it since. It is a great compilation with a lot of history. There are groups that I have never heard off and interpretations of rythms that are very different from the way they are played now. But it is a very good representation of the music played in New York for the Puerto Ricans inmigrants there. I know very well they enjoyed that music at the time, the very same way we present time inmigrants enjoy the modern salsa and the "jibaro" music. VIVA PUERTO RICO!!!!

A rare find and a true classic in every sense of the word. If you want to delve deep down into the primorial history of Puerto Rican acoustic music, this collection is pretty hard to beat. Lamento Borincano is a wonderful collection of early recordings of Puerto Rican music that cover an astonishingly wide range of styles. These recordings include some of the oldest examples of the various danzas, plenas and guarachas that immigrant performers brought with them during the interwar exodus to New York City. All these tracks were recorded in New York between 1916 and 1939, and because most of the musicians were recent immigrants making music for their homesick countrymen, the music still retains a strong island feel.

The engineers at Arhoolie have done an excellent job of cleaning up these old records, and even though the recordings were made in the first part of the last century, they are still very easy to listen to. The fidelity of these recordings are surprisingly clear and exhibit almost none of the scratchiness that can mar reissues of 78s. Lamento Borincano is a strong reminder that Cuba is not the only Caribbean island that has produced exciting music played by world-class musicians. Of note are the rigorously PC liner notes, includes a meticulously annotated 56-page booklet that contains biographies of the musicians, lyrics in Spanish and English, and a description of the musical styles. The booklet touches (briefly but detailed) the development of Puerto Rican popular music in reference to American colonization and cultural cooptation... Politics aside, this is a outstanding collection, ideal for casual and/or serious student of PR musical culture. This two-CD set Recommended.

1. Heroes De Borinquen - Canario Y Su Grupo
2. Sara - Quinteto Borinquen
3. Laura Y Georgina - Orquesta Euterpe
4. Si Me Quieres - Trio Borinquen
5. A Mi Madre - Trio Boricua
6. Purupita - Trio Boricua
7. Pobre Gaviota - Grupo Quisqueya
8. Bon Ye - Grupo Borinquen
9. Mi Patria Tiembla - Trio Borinquen
10. No Le Llores Miguel - Pleneros Surenos
11. Las Navidades - Pleneros Surenos
12. Antiguo Seis Borinqueno - Los Jardineros
13. Josefina, Josefina - Los Reyes De La Plena
14. El Nuevo Gobernador - Los Reyes De La Plena
15. Los Misterios De Lenox - Los Reyes De La Plena
16. Que Dulces Son Las Canciones - Los Reyes De La Plena
17. Adios Borinquen - Trio Ponceno
18. Cusita - Trio Ponceno
19. Mercedes - Los Jardineros
20. Anhelos - Trio Boricua
21. Fuego En La Cantera - Grupo Antillano
22. Fausto Y Su Ford - Grupo Antillano
23. Lolita, A - Grupo Antillano
24. Todo Es Mentira - Grupo Antillano
25. Esperame En El Porton - Los Reyes De La Plena


1. Lamento Borincano - Canariou Y Su Grupo
2. Quejas Del Ausente - Los Reyes De La Plena
3. Amor Sin Dolor - Canario Y Su Grupo
4. Cantares De La Sierra - Canario Y Su Grupo
5. Suenos De Vestales - Lira Boricua
6. Mis Amores - Lira Boricua
7. No Juegues Con Candela - Sexteto Flores
8. Mamita, Que Frio - Sexteto Flores
9. Siboney - Sexteto Flores
10. Polongui - Cuarteto Flores
11. Consejo A Las Mujeres - Canario
12. Llanto Del Campesino - Canario
13. Alegria Boricua - Grupo Aurora
14. Alma Boricua - Grupo Aurora
15. Mi Bien Baila El Son - Grupo Aurora
16. Pepina - Orquesta De Paco Duclerc
17. Alla Va - Canario Y Su Grupo
18. Tras La Tempestad - Canrio Y Su Grupo
19. El Home Relief - Canario Y Su Grupo
20. Estan Tirando Bombas - Canario Y Su Grupo
21. Que Vivio - Canario Y Su Grupo
22. El Portal - Quinteto La Plata
23. La Joven Que Yo Amaba - Quinteto La Plata
24. El Dia De Los Sorullos - Conjunto Tipico Ladi
25. Para El Ano Nuevo - Conjunto Tipico Ladi

As the author of three guidebooks to Puerto Rico (Explore Puerto Rico is the latest: pub. date Dec. 2001), I highly recommend this compilation as a great introduction to Puerto Rican music.

I purchased this for my father and he totally loved it. This was the music he grew up listening to in Puerto Rico.

This is the music the people listened to before the dump called "Raggeton". My father is 95 years old an a victim of Alzheimer's, I played this it was like someone woke him up he started dancing. Do I need to say more, you young one's listen and pay attention. Don't be absorbed by the music of someone else.

This CD gives an overview of old Puerto Rican songs that came to be in the early 1900's the songs are nice and melodic, the recording is a little grainy but given the equipment at hand at the time it forgivable. It would be a great music to listen to with a cup of coffee, toast and cheese.

This collection is truly on a par with the iconic Harry Smith "Anthology of American Folk Music". As authentic as it gets. My Dad was born in 1921 outside of Coamo. So this is literally music he grew up with. I gave him this collection several years ago. He loves it and his mood lights up every time he plays it. Now and then (particularly over the holidays) it goes into heavy rotation. The title track is his favorite. The tail of the poor jibaro, returning to the campo, from town, after a long day of little to no sales, after setting out with such high hopes, brings back bittersweet memories of his youth. Times were hard on the island back then, but the memories are still fond.
If you, like me, are still lucky enough to have family from those days that are still around, this is a wonderful gift for them. Get it for them, listen to it with them and wait for the stories of the old days to start. A great time will be had by all. Better yet you will be constructing some great memories of your own for future reference. So this can honestly be a gift that keeps on giving.
If you are not lucky enough to still have them around, this can offer you a time transport of sorts, to those days of long ago. Enjoy this rare gift to Boriquas everywhere.

Unique opportunity to listen to original recordings of Puerto Rico's music. A true valuable and musical document of a true musical island.