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ABOUT JÍBARO Although the actual origins of the word Jíbaro are unclear, it was originally used to describe criollos or mestizos (people of African, Spanish and Native descent) from La Española—today the Dominican Republic and Haiti—Puerto Rico and other islands. In the 17th and 18th centuries the criollos maintained, at least on the surface, the traditions and values of their Spanish colonizers. However they never completely abandoned their own culture and customs. On the contrary, they camouflaged them in order to appear more loyal to the Spanish. It is from this “merging” of cultures that some of the richest elements of Puerto Rican culture, including La Música Jíbara, were born. La Música Jíbara La Música Jíbara (or Jíbaro Music) is considered by many to be one of the most important elements of Puerto Rican culture. Although often referred to as “music from the mountains”, this music developed primarily in areas on or close to the coast (in Puerto Rico, the mountains are located at the center of the Island). Consequently, it would be much more accurate to say that La Música Jíbara is from the countryside. Although it is melodically and harmonically linked to the Spanish Villancico and Arabic music (another by-product of colonization), its rhythmic core can be found in the music brought by African slaves. It is believed that the Cimarrón (a term used to describe African slaves that escaped their masters and fled into the countryside) are the ones who provided the rhythmic elements that give La Música Jíbara its unique personality. These rhythms come from a music called Bomba, one of the strongest indications of African culture on the Island. Seis and Aguinaldo With very few exceptions, Jíbaro Music is divided into two major categories: Seis and Aguinaldo. In many Latin-American countries the word Aguinaldo means, “gift”. And considering the huge influence of Christian religion in the cultural landscape of these countries, it more specifically refers to a “Christmas Gift”. By studying the Promesa, another very important Puerto Rican tradition, we can clearly see the relation between the “gift” side and the “musical” side of the Aguinaldo. The Promesa consist of an individual making a promise of a deed to a figure from the Christian religion (it could be God, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a specific Saint) in exchange for a granted petition or prayer. The fulfillment of this promise usually takes place around Christmas and involves the individual gathering a group of people and paying a surprise musical visit (or parranda) to a family member or close friend. It is not unusual for these Promesas to take place on the same day of every year and for as many years as possible. The Aguinaldo plays a very important part in the Parranda de Promesa because it is the first thing that is played once the group arrives at the selected house. It is always played outside of the house in order to make the host aware of the musician’s arrival. In this way, the musical Aguinaldo serves as a “gift” to the owner of the house and in return the musicians receive the “gift” of food and drink. In contrast, the historical information that explains where the style of Seis (Six) got its name from is not very clear. It could refer to the sixth string on the guitar; the sixth figure in the Contradanza (a dance from colonial times); or even come from the Niños Seises, a group of six children that performed altar dances at the traditional celebration of the Corpus Cristi. What is clear is that the Seis, like the Aguinaldo, plays an important role in the tradition of Promesa. It is performed once the musicians are inside of the house, and it has a more festive or dance-like quality (as opposed to the Aguinaldo, which is often slower and more reflective). There are some other key differences between Seis and Aguinaldo:
La Décima Like many examples of popular music, La Música Jíbara relies heavily on vocals and lyrics. The themes range from nostalgia to humor to love or to just plain confrontation. But structurally, what gives this music its identity is the Décima (which means tenth in Spanish), a word used to describe how each verse is organized. The Décima has a very specific and consistent rhyme pattern. Below is a classic example by one of the masters of the music, Chuito el de Bayamon. It is called “Ochenta Años”, (an Aguinaldo Jíbaro) and it tells the story of a son who is worried that his 80-year-old father is too old to be a womanizer:
With examples like the Punto Cubano from Cuba, Los Cantos de Saloma from Panamá and also music from places like Brazil and Venezuela, we can clearly see that the Décima plays a very important part in the music of many Latin American countries. About the Music There have been various attempts to bring together Jíbaro and Jazz music. These “fusions” have always retained the “traditional” Jíbaro instrumentation of bass, guitar, cuatro (a guitar-like instrument with five double strings), bongo, güiro, and vocals. They have also stayed very close to the traditional style with little or no rhythmic, harmonic or melodic variation. The music on this disc is an attempt to take the Jíbaro/Jazz Fusion in a different direction. First of all we use traditional jazz instrumentation: Saxophone, Piano, Bass and Drums. Also, instead of dealing with the music on a literal level, we attempt to deal exclusively with what I consider to be the essential elements of each style. These elements are then used as points of reference and become subject to extensive harmonic, melodic and rhythmic expansion .An example of the essential elements in question can be found in the style of Seis Villarán.
In addition to this, the concept of the Décima and the numbers 10 (or 5 in some cases) are intended to be the main motifs that carry through the whole project. We want the music to be able to stand on its own, but without losing its Jíbaro stamp (or “Mancha de Plátano”, as we say in Puerto Rico). Here is some background information about the compositions:
La Musica Jíbara and what it is to be a Jíbaro is a subject that as yet to be fully researched, but that presents countless possibilities for exploration. I feel truly honored to have finally come to realize just how important this piece of Puerto Rican culture is, and hope that it will remain an inspiration for years to come. Hope you enjoy the music, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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