October 8, 2015

Salsa, Soca, and Reggae: Popular Musics of the Caribbean

Concert Report #1
On Friday September 25th, I went downtown to listen to the Pedrito Martinez Group perform
at Subrosa for their 8pm concert. The club was packed all of the tables were full and dozens of
people were standing in the back. People even began to crouch on the edges of the already small
dance floor in order to listen to the band. Dancers needed to be bold and nimble in order to navigate
the small dance floor that was also used by servers to bring food and drinks to the guests. I was
impressed by how diverse the crowd was on this particular night. The crowd ranged from young
adults to middle aged adults, although they were a few elderly audience members too. The crowd
was also racially and culturally mixed. For some, many of the songs were old favorites, and they
sang along with Pedrito. For others, the songs were obviously newer, but everyone seemed to enjoy
the performance nonetheless.
Pedrito Martinez was the lead vocalist, and he sat in the center of the low stage and played
three bat drums. He sang with a powerful, high-hitting voice. Directly behind him, Alvaro
Benavides played the electric bass. Jhair Sala sat to the side and used the cowbell to keep the beat as
well as to improvise. Edgar Pantoja-Aleman sat on the other side of the stage and accompanied the
group on the keyboard. The pieces typically were played at a relaxed, mid-tempo pace. The band
moved in and out of the four-part harmonies easily. The were several short solos interspersed
throughout the pieces, and these solos often overlapped and played off of each other.
A close look at even just the instruments the band members played demonstrates the blending
of African and Western traditions. The bat drums, for example, are derived from Santera religious
practices and were used during ceremonies. Santera is a Yoruban derived religion from Cuba
(Manuel, 23). Devotees believe that gods or orishas, are powerful presences who can be of great
assistance if they are regularly honored (Manuel, 23). The cowbell is derived from West African bell

patterns and, moreover, reflects the legacy of colonization. Slaves would use cowbells to make music
because they often lived on plantations with cows. The electric bass and keyboard are derived from
rock and roll as well as soul. Lastly, the solos represent the influence of jazz in the music. At
different moments, lyrics were sung in Spanish, Yoruba, and English. The mix of languages
represents the fusion of African and Western traditions. The use of English also demonstrates how
New York has been part of the evolution of AfroCuban music.
I loved watching the interaction between the performers and dancers. Pedrito often would call
to the audience and ask them to come up and dance. When they were people on the dance floor, the
musicians would often extend their solos or play rhythms in a way that complemented what they
were seeing on the dance floor. I also noticed some dance moves that date from the historical
traditions of Rumba guaguanc. In one particular couple, the male dancer used the rooster while the
female dancer used her skirt to deflect the advances of her partner. At several times during the
performance there was only one couple dancing on the floor, similar to traditional rumba (Manuel,
27).
One of the most powerful moments of the performance was when Pedrito Martinez sang a
praise song to one of the gods while playing the drums. He sang in Yoruba with his eyes closed to
one of the gods. This song reflects a traditional toque, or Santera ceremony, in which just drums and
vocals are used. The inclusion of this song in the set list is evidence of the influence of Yoruban
traditions in the groups music.
The groups music reflected a fusion of several different traditions we have discussed in class.
On the spectrum of NeoAfrican to Western traditions, I would place Pedritos group in the middle.
The bat drums, cowbell, and Santera represent strong NeoAfrican traditions, whereas the electric
bass and keyboard are derived from Western traditions. Ultimately, I would characterize the music as
Latin jazz. The performance overall sounded to me like a combination of rumba and jazz. The bat

drums, vocals, and cowbell were similar to the three conga drums, clave, and vocals that would be
used during a traditional rumba performance. The electric bass and keyboard bring in elements of
jazz.
Pedrito Martinezs big drum solo towards the end of their performance was the highlight of
the evening. As we discussed in class, the bat drums are typically played by three people with one
person playing each drum. It was incredible to watch Pedrito Martinez masterfully play all three
drums at once. He played the drums at an Olympic speed and changed the way he was hitting them.
At one point, he was hitting the drums so fast that the rhythms blended into a single sound. Toward
the end of the solo, he broke into a huge grin as he stood up and grooved his hips to the rhythms he
was playing on the drums.
At the end of the performance, the band left before I could talk to them about the pieces they
had played for us that evening. I asked the bands manager over email for a copy of the set list from
the evening, and he sent me the set list as close as he can remember. According to his list, they
played The Chicken (Pee Wee Ellis), Habana Dreams (Pedrito Martinez), I Had a Dream
(Pedrito Martinez), La Habana (Pablo Alonso), and Que Palo (Juan Formell).
I am glad that I had the opportunity to see the Pedrito Martinez group perform because I think
this group brings together several of the traditions we have discussed in class. The performance also
gave me the opportunity to witness in person the dynamic interaction between the audience and
musicians that Professor Washburne described in class. From this concert, I learned that many
groups, such as the Pedrito Martinez group, do not fit neatly into a specific genre but rather bring
together elements of several different traditions. Moreover, groups can represent several different
traditions in one performance such as when Pedrito Martinez sang in Yoruban but then shifted to a
jazzy piece shortly thereafter.
Works Cited

Manuel,Peter,KennethM.Bilby,andMichaelD.Largey.CaribbeanCurrents:CaribbeanMusicfromRumbatoReggae.Rev.
andexpandeded.Philadelphia,PA:TempleUniversityPress,2006.