Lamento Borincano--Early Puerto Rican Music: 1916-1939 [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 27, 2001)
• Original Release Date: February 27, 2001
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Arhoolie Records
• ASIN: B0000584VL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #106,080 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Lamento Borincano is a wonderful collection of early recordings of Puerto Rican music that cover an astonishingly wide range of styles, from sophisticated danzas, which have a strong European influence, to the earthier sound of the seis jibaro and plena, which were created by farm workers and laborers, to the bolero, son, and guaracha, which were imports from Cuba. 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. This two-CD set 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 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 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. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old, rare recordings from off the beaten track, January 4, 2003

By	Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Homesick!, March 9, 2002

By	Victor Caraballo (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great compiation!!!, January 8, 2003

By	Cruz A. Rodriguez (Gainesville, GA USA) - See all my reviews

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!!!!