Decimas Controversias y Guajiras de Salon

• Track Listing

The music of the guajira is a form of Cuban musica campesina, or Cuban country music, with lyrics that extol the virtues of country life and the lifestyle of the guajira; similar to that of the American cowboy of the old west or the South American gaucho. Guajiros are often sung by a single musician accompanying himself, later joined by other musicians who improvise on the original theme using a rhyme scheme similar to decima poetry. It is a very social music that often incorporates audience participation. Guajira was refined and popularized by the Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist Guillermo Portabales, whose graceful style has become known as guajira de sal+¦n. Patria Guajira were a group consisting of Cuban emigres living in Miami, whose controversial lyrics and dark humor made them a favorite attraction in the clubs of Little Havana. These wonderful recordings feature singers improvising off each other and shows the remarkable spontaneous creativity of the music of the guajira de salon. Recorded in Miami in the mid-1970's - all selections newly remastered.