Cuban Country

Years ago, while them American cowboys sat around the campfires concocting wild Western tales of cheatin’ and deceivin’, them Cuban folk were rattlin’ out some of their own country music. Sure, theirs had a stronger African influence and was sung in a different kinda tongue, but life out there in...

By Julienne Gage

December 13, 2007

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Years ago, while them American cowboys sat around the campfires concocting wild Western tales of cheatin’ and deceivin’, them Cuban folk were rattlin’ out some of their own country music. Sure, theirs had a stronger African influence and was sung in a different kinda tongue, but life out there in the cane fields was just about like it was up north in the wheatlands: tough.

Maybe it was the island nation’s unique combination of stimulants -- coffee, tobacco, sugar -- that made Cuba’s version come out a little less honky-tonk and a little more loosey-goosey. From danzón and guajira to rumba and son, the Cuban countryside cooks up a sonic stew spicier than any chili con carne you’ll find in Texas. Tonight, as part of Miami Dade College’s Two Shores Cuban cultural preservation series, Cuban musicologist Eduardo Blanco will present Guateque Navideño, an event that shares some of his people’s secret recipes through Spanish-language discussion and performance. The event takes place at 6:30 at the Tower Theater, 1508 SW Eighth St., Miami. General admission is $10, and the box office opens at 6 p.m. Guayaberas and straw hats strongly encouraged.
Thu., Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m., 2007

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Julienne Gage is a Miami-based anthropologist and journalist who has worked as a reporter and as a civil rights and international aid communications specialist in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. Her fieldwork has exposed her to many forms of cultural expression, and during her master’s in anthropology, she studied at Cuba’s Center for the Investigation and Development of Cuban Music.

Contact: Julienne Gage

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