CULTURE ... CULTURA

	CULTURE AND HISTORY
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Won't know where your going if you don't know where your from.... Daso and the Lower East Side LATIN MUSIC AND THE LOWER EAST SIDE IN THE 1970s *(William Millán)* The decade of the 1970s on the Lower East Side (LES) was a vibrant and fertile period in the annals of latin music history. Not only was the area rich with live music venues but it also produced a substantial number of popular latin ensembles and successful solo artists. Puerto Rican culture and artistic expression seemed to permeate just about every aspect of LES life during those special years. Back then, it was not uncommon for a person to walk out of their tenement apartment and be treated to the live sounds of musicians like Ray Baretto, Joe Bataan, Típica '73, or even Eddie Palmieri performing on the Jazzmobile. I can recall one occasion in particular when I had the good fortune of witnessing Héctor Lavoe perform one of his block-party serenades to a couple of giggling young Pentecostal women who were taking in the sounds of the Willie Colón orchestra from their 3rd floor fire-escape balcony. Those were the days when you could see real joy in the people's faces as they shared in the celebration of that special community! Without a doubt, the rhythmic pulse of Loisaida was quite a tangible phenomena. Electricity flowed throughout that culturally rich neighborhood bringing together people of different backgrounds and ages. The memories I have of those extraordinary days are quite unique and always seem to bring back to mind my first real encounter with live latin music. I was still in my teens when I first saw the Eddie Palmieri Orchestra performing on the Jazzmobile truck. It was a hot summer's afternoon on East 6th Street (Avenue C) and I remember watching in awe as the band worked itself into a rocking frenzy during a sizzling performance of La Malanga. The hypnotic sway of the Jazzmobile stage created by the band's explosive energy had the listeners mesmerised. The crowd appeared to meld together, moving in rhythmic unison as Chocolate Armenteros soloed saliently above the band's orchestral spewings of vintage Palmierian contrapuntal swing. As the flatbed drove off, la gente jubilantly followed the ornate iron float like a trail of colorful smoke dissolving into a puff of magic dust. That extraordinary day felt like a utopian fantasy; there were no signs of misery, tension or poverty on Avenue C that afternoon, only an atmosphere of collective merriment. Loisaida's music and musicians were all part of the intricate encaje of the sur-este. That wondrous area was sprinkled with the talents of such distinctive artists as Ismael Miranda and Markolino Dimond (who could be heard practicing his Brujeria on East 13th street). A couple of doors down from Mark's place you could witness latin music history in the making as they filmed Orchestra Harlow performing their latest recording atop a concrete stoop for the movie "Our Latin Thing". Loisaida was also host to many spontaneous (and creative) sessions that took place in a variety of places such as store fronts, roof tops, street corners, church vestibules, park benches and dirt basements. Many of those informal get-togethers resulted in the creative works of such groups as Sublime, La Flamboyán, Conjunto Saoco, Frank Bello Y Su Charanga, Yambú, Tambó, Cimarrón, Sociedad '76 Ralphi Santi, and the René Gran Combo. During the 70s, Avenue D and 11th Street was also fast becoming una plaza de rumbones complete with weekly jam sessions and philosophical street-bench forums. On any given day you could catch some of the members of Sublime, Andy Harlow, Saoco or Los Kimbos jamming together in the plaza accompanied by the likes of Tato Laviera and Sammy Tanco on coro, cans and clave. Lamp posts provided electrical power for baby bass amplification as well as Ray Santiago's piano (which, incidentally, could be heard for blocks as well as from his mom's kitchen window). The neighborhood also had its own latin music center - the Third Street Music Settlement. Through the tireless efforts of a young musician by the name of Ramón Rodríguez (who at that time was both program administrator and director of Orchestra Yambú), the neighborhood was afforded its own learning center for latin music studies. The school, which employed instructors such as Louis Bauzo (Orchestra Tambó), Dave Chamberlain (Tambó), Johnny Almendra (Tambó), Ron Davis (Orchestra Cimarrón) and Milton Hamilton (Orchestra Yambú) produced a number of notable percussionists like Jaime Delgado, Eddie Montes, Pete Gómez and Rey Alcántara. Years later, the program was transformed into the Boys' Harbor Music School and moved into El Barrio. The weekly jam sessions had a great impact on many of the area's younger musicians because they brought together both aficionados and professionals in an informal performance setting. The younger players not only got a chance to listen and dialogue with the more seasoned musicians but were also afforded the opportunity to participate in the jams. More importantly, musicians shared information and resources at these sessions and often referred the younger players to the Settlement for formal music instruction as well as gigs. In time, the plaza jams gradually evolved into mini drum clinics that generated a substantial interest in latin music throughout the neighborhood. The sessions worked in conjunction with the music school in showcasing the music and promoting hispanic culture within Loisaida. Those unique forums had an undeniable and often indelible impact on many of the local youth. The place to be in Loisaida on Sunday afternoons was at the bank of the East River on South Street (under the FDR drive). That was where informal summer week-end fairs took place providing local residents with a taste of Guavate and its alcapurrias, fri-itas and live music. There, one could go to relax, converse, dance, play dominoes or just reminisce to the melodic rhythms of the legendary tresista/composer Mario Hernández and his sonorous "vente tú". Club hopping was another popular activity during that period in Loisaida. One could catch El Conjunto Saoco at the Lismar Lounge then easily walk over to the Godfather II Club, the Chaphouse or Del Monte to listen to the sounds of bands like Típica New York, Cimarrón (with Rafael DeJesús) or Pipo Vélez' Quinteto Del Monte. On East 14th street, you could experience the swing of the Eddie Palmieri Orchestra at La Mancha or Tito Puente at Casino 14 (which ironically was located in the same spot where the new Virgin Records Megastore that sells those very artists' recordings now stands). Casa Galicia, which was another popular night spot located on East 11th street, catered to an older crowd and featured such popular orchestras as the René Gran Combo. During that same period, the New Rican Village club opened on Avenue A (between 6th and 7th Street) and began sponsoring musicians like the González brothers of Conjunto Libre. Featured artists at the club included performers like Miguel Algarín and the late Eddie Figueroa. "El Coco que habla" was another popular fixture on the street of Loisaida, often reciting his poetic verses at sidewalk forums. Around that same period, Bimbo Rivas could be found hopping from forum to jams with his compatriota - Angel, el trombonista/conguero, as he spread his philosophical tidbits and humor. Loisaida also had its own quintessential plenero during that era El Amable Gigante, who was seldom seen in the neighborhood without his pandereta in hand as he played and sang his enchanting jíbaro songs. And then there was Chino Campos, who painted neighborhood murals when he was not sculpting cork or playing his flurried conga solos in Tompkins Square Park. Artists like Henry Fiol also contributed to the tenement canvas with his paint brushes when he wasn't honing his guaguanco in street jams or promoting his "art on drums". The vibrancy of that culturally rich neighborhood could be felt and heard all over. On any given day, you could walk down one of those short avenues and catch the rhythm section of the late Frank Malabé, Nicky Marrero and Reynaldo Alcántara rehearsing for a session or hear Luisito Ayala soloing on gazoo to the incendiary Mayarí in a jammed-packed storefront social club. Second Avenue resonated with by the thunderous sounds of the late Eddie Colón's trap set (who alternated his work schedule with acts like Larry Harlow, Nona Hendrix and Al DiMeola). A few block over, Flamboyán leader Frankie Dante could also be seen discussing his latest project with Markolino on First Avenue while Johnny Pacheco was in the middle of filming the movie Our Latin Thing in an East 6th street lot (just a few doors down from the legendary Godfather II movie set). For many, music on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was a God-send; it was an antidote to the harsh reality of low wages, overcrowded tenements and the cultural oppression that existed. Music elevated the spirit of the neighborhood by bringing the arts to people who otherwise had little access to them and shifted the focus away from the burdens of a sometimes rote existence. Its engaging power brought those people together and fostered a sense of pride and solidarity in a neighborhood that was experiencing immense growing pains. The power emanating from that creative period was so intense that it radiated beyond the perimeters of Loisaida and the decade of the 1970s, reaching the most exotic corners of the globe and making its own place in latin music history through its recorded legacy. Three decades later, el espíritu de Loisaida continues to live on in those old recordings and serves as a reminder to us all of what can be accomplished when people get together to nurture and support each other. _REV1 A Little More History... The Taino are the pre-Hispanic Amerindian inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The Taino are the seafaring relations of the Arawakan peoples of South America. Those of the Bahamas were known as Lucayan. Their language is a member of the Arawakan linguistic family, also found in South America. The Taino culture ceased to exist in the 16th century, wiped out by genocide, introduced disease, and assimilation into the plantation economy that Spain imposed in its Caribbean colonies, with its subsequent importation of African slave workers. It is well documented that the Spaniards who first arrived in the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispanola in 1492 and later in Puerto Rico in 1508 did not bring women. They would come to take Taino women as wives in civil marriages, having many mestizo Taino children in the process. Taino Indians had been noted in Puerto Rico's island census of 1771 and 1778. [1] (http://www.taino-tribe.org/tainos.htm). In Hispanola, a Taino Chieftain named Enriquillo also mobilized over 3000 remaining Taino in a rebellion on that island in the 1530s. At the time of Columbus' arrival in 1492, there were five Taino "kingdoms" or territories on Hispaniola, each led by a principal Cacique (chieftain), to whom tribute was paid. Another indigenous group called the Carib lived in the islands. This group is said to be another Arawakan related people originaly from South America. The Tainos and the Carib sometimes battle each other but there were many instances of mutual respect and cooperation recorded in the pre and post-colonial contact periods. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, the largest Taino population centers are said to have contained around 3,000 people or more.
TAINA WOMAN It has been stated that everyone in Puerto Rico originated somewhere else as they are a people comprised primarily of Taino, African and European origin. This high frequency of matrilineal Native American and patrilineal European markers, moderate frequency of matrilineal and patrilineal African markers, and low frequency of patrilineal Native American and matrilineal European markers, correlate perfectly to the colonial history of the island. European settlers were almost exclusively men seeking fortune. These men fathered children with native women, and some African women. Native and African men on the other hand, had smaller input into the genetic pool since native men were wiped out from introduced European diseases and indentured native labour and the percentage of the population comprising imported African slaves in the impoverished island of Puerto Rico was small. Men of European origin also likely had greater status in socio-racial hierarchy increasing the competiveness to sire children. Although pure Taino numbers had dwindled due to disease, warfare and forced intermarriages, many, if not most, of the marriages between Spanish men and Amerindian women were actually quite amicable. The "Limpeza de Sangre" documents on the island (used until the 1870's) sheds light on this reality. This document was used by Mestizos and Amerindians to move up in their society ---becoming "whiter" was the only way they could achieve that status. Later, waves of Corsican, French and Portuguese Europeans, along with a large amount of immigrants from the Canary Islands, arrived in Puerto Rico. Many other persons from Spain's other colonies migrated into the island as well. The mestizos (Taino mixed with European) were fully absorbed into the general population. Other settlers have included Irish, Scottish, Germans and many others who were granted lands from Spain during the Cedula de Gracias of 1815. This decree allowed "white" European Catholics from anywhere in Europe to settle in the island with a certain amount of free land and enslaved persons. A noticeable Asian minority also settled in Puerto Rico. Most Asians are Chinese, who were brought as railroad workers. Another group of Chinese also settled Puerto Rico, most of them are victims of World War II, Mao Zedong's republic, and return of Hong Kong and Macau to mainland Chinese control. They came from other places in mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Some Chinese from other Latin American countries also came to Puerto Rico. Other Asians also settled in Puerto Rico” mostly ethnic Japanese and Koreans. According to the 2000 census, 95% of the population consider themselves of Puerto Rican descent (regardless of race or skin color), making Puerto Rico one of the most culturally unified societies in the world. Since its colonization, Puerto Rico has become the permanent home of over 100,000 legal residents who immigrated from not only Spain, but from other Latino Nations as well. Cubans, Dominicans, Colombians, Panamanians, Curacaoans, can also be accounted for as settlers. The variety of surnames which exist in Puerto Rico suggests widespread immigration to the island from many regions.
TAINOS, AFRICANOS, ESPANOL Taino Indians inhabited Puerto Rico before Christopher Columbus so called discovered the island, with Puerto Rico becoming a Spanish territory soon after. There is some evidence that Africans in Mali may have been trading with Caribbean Amerindians and Brazilian Natives before the arrival of the Europeans in the "New World". Thousands of Native American words match the language of the West African groups. Also, the lightness of the wooden materials used in West African boatmaking allowed them to withstand the treacherous waves and storms of the Atlantic Ocean. The wind currents upon which hurricanes tended to follow ("Hurricane Alley") may have been a natural push for these early African voyagers. After Christopher Columbus Soon after Christopher Columbus took over Puerto Rico (and the rest of Latin America), they began to sell slaves to rich, Spanish farm or land owners who came over from Spain to all of Latin America. Many of the slaves who came to Puerto Rico were from Congo (Mayombe religions such as "Palo Monte" were an intrinsic part of Puerto Rico's early spiritualist history before Allan Kardec ), others were members of the Ashanti tribe. 31 known African tribes were brought to the island from Central and West Africa. It is believed that many slaves entered Puerto Rico through the island's east side, hence the large population of blacks from San Juan to Vieques. Ponce and Mayaguez have large populations that came from Cuba, Haiti and Colombia. During the years of Indigenous and African slavery, miscenegation was rampant. Tainos were raped by Spaniards and intermarried with the incoming Africans. In Puerto Rico, like in many other countries, slave-owners would insult black workers and make them work under poor working conditions and for little money. They would abuse them physically too, sometimes injuring them or killing them. Some slave owners also would rape black women and girls, including wifes of the slaves. These types of abuses, of which most Puerto Ricans born during the 20th century had little knowledge about, were exposed in many of Abelardo Diaz Alfaro's books written during the 1940s. Diaz Alfaro opposed racism. Just like in most countries where slaves were brought over from Africa, in Puerto Rico, slaves were assigned new last names, in Spanish. Slaves usually got their owner's last names, passing the adopted last names to their children and so on. Many slaves worked in sugarcane fields, others in manufacturers or other types of jobs. In the mid 1800's there were many Spanish creoles, mestizos and freed "people of color" who developed a social consience in regard to slavery. They were called Abolitionists. Among them were, Ramon Emeterio Betances, Segundo Ruiz Belvis, Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg and Lola Rodrguez. De Betances even formed a secret society which helped many slaves gain their freedom. On September 23, 1868, many slaves participated in the failed uprising against Spain, headed by Manuel Rojas known as "El Grito de Lares, with the promise that they would be freed. On March 22, 1873, a law proclaiming the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico was passed. Modern society The term Negro(a) or Negrito(a), which means small black person, originated during the African slave trade and was used to describe a person of visible African descent (ie. Negro Jose or Negra Maria). Today the word has lost its negative connotations and is often applied to another as a term of endearment regardless of their background. In 2003, several major DNA studies done at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez discovered that 61%, 27% and 12% of Puerto Ricans have Taino, African, and European ancestry through matrilineal lines respectively. This was due to the fact that the Spanish Conquest was mostly male and the Spaniard and Moorish men who accompanied Christopher Columbus came into the Caribbean's "New World" to take their share of gold and "exotic" native women. The Spaniards also abused the enslaved African women. While some had consented marriages, the majority did not. "Race" could no longer be defined clearly as the various populations became blended to the point of social obscurity. The Spanish culture dominated all aspects of island life. Taino culture disappeared into the conquering culture as did the African one. They were overshadowed and relegated to the backburners of Puerto Rican society until today. As Puerto Rican culture moves towards a better understanding of itself and what it means to be Puerto Rican, confidence and pride is shown towards its original roots than ever before. Today, racism has not really taken a foothold amongst the populace as it had in the U.S. though the American influence has brought a greater awareness of skin tones. Given the historical awareness Puerto Ricans have had of their own nation, the "cultural guards" will always remain up. Children in Puerto Rican schools are taught about by Puerto Rican teachers the three main "races" that they are composed of from the time they first enter kindergarten, and most public residential areas feature famous statues and murals of Taino, African and Spanish celebrities. Neighborhoods in Puerto Rico are often populated by groups of people who become united as they get to know each other, and it is not uncommon to see blacks, brown-skinned, mestizos, and even Chinese sharing together in neighborhood parties or talking. Most Puerto Ricans enjoy Salsa music, a musical blend of African and Caribbean rhythms developed by Cubans and Puerto Ricans who came up together in the streets of New York. Salsa was imported back into Puerto Rico and Cuba as "popular"' music in the 30's, 40's and 50's. On the island of Puerto Rico, Bomba (from Loiza, Mayaguez and Ponce), which has origins in Ghana, West Africa, had always been one of the major forms of music enjoyed by all Puerto Ricans. The Taino-Spanish influence (also included in Salsa and evidenced by the use of the "clave" and the "maracas" as integral musical instruments) comes from the mountain regions where the last vestiges of Taino culture stood out the longest. Plena (which many say came from Barrio San Anton in Ponce) is another major form which probably came from the English-speaking African immigrants who arrived from the British Caribbean islands through the island's Southern ports at the beginning of the 20th Century. "Reggaeton", a form of music which blends Puerto Rican Bomba with Jamaican Reggae rhythms, has also entered the popular Puerto Rican musical arena. Among the towns with the largest black populations in Puerto Rico, apart from San Juan and Vieques, are Loiza, Canovanas, Carolina, Fajardo, Ponce and Mayaguez. Other cities, such as Caguas and Bayamon also have significant numbers of black residents. It is interesting to note that, for Puerto Ricans, a person is not considered black because his/her ancestors were black, like in the United States but by the color of the skin. So, for example if someone has a grandparent or other ancestor who was black, if the person looks white he/she is considered white for a Puerto Rican. List of Important Black Puerto Ricans Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, the Puerto Rican symbol of Identity and Freedom. Wilfred Benitez, three time world boxing champion, youngest world champion in boxing history. Jose Campeche Bobby Capo Roberto Clemente, only Puerto Rican to reach 3,000 hits in MLB baseball history. Orlando "Peruchin" Cepeda, baseball Hall of Famer Carlitos Colon, former WWE wrestler Jesus Colon, writer and politician, "Father of Nuyorican Movement" Santitos Colon, former mayor of Cabo Rojo, and first Puerto Rican to win an election as an independent candidate. Rafael Cordero, educator who set up a school for children of all races. Eva Cruz, volleyball player. Jose "Cheo" Cruz, Baseball player Tite Curet Alonso, composer Rafael Jose Diaz Maria Falcon, television host. Ruth Fernandez, international singer. Pedro Flores, composer Rafael Hernandez, composer that wrote La Borinquena. Jerome Mincy, basketball player. Juan Morel Campos, composer Pedro Rosa Nales, television reporter. Emilio "Millo" Navarro, first Puerto Rican to Play in the Negro Leagues Victor Pellot, baseball player Victor Santos, owner of the Miss Piel Canela (Miss Cinnamon skin) beauty contest franchise. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, educator and black historian Pedro Telemaco, first black to star in a Puerto Rican telenovela. Piri Thomas, writer Felix Trinidad, world boxing champion. Otilio Warrington, better known as Bizcocho, popular television comedian.
	SAN JUAN These were built high by the ocean as look outs. The spaniards wanted to make sure no one would sneak up on them.
SAN JUAN El Morro in San Juan was built as a looking tower. This was the way spanish soldiers would be able to anticpate any ships that were invading the island.
	LA COTORRA Africanos had awesome hunting and fishing skills.
FISHING IN AFRICA The tainos incorporated alot of their fishing skills from the africanos which the spaniards brought via ships for the slave trade.