Previously on Momentos Musicales I shared the story of the Mexican born singer-songwriter María Grever. She invested almost all of her career as a songwriter in New York City, but never forgot her Mexican roots. Grever once said she sought to appeal to the universal audience and continued by saying the music of Mexico is a music worth spreading; there is such a cultural richness in Mexican Music where melody and rhythm merge.
We do get an unmistakable Latin rhythm in “Jurame,” thought by many to be her finest song.
Perhaps it's because of all the years María Grever spent in the United States that her songs are often less driven by dance elements. However, all of her songs were written with Spanish lyrics. She entrusted Stanley Adams to provide translations, so when Dean Martin wanted to rewrite lyrics to “Te Quiero Dijiste” as “Magic is the Moonlight” . . .well, who could say no to Dean?
(That said, in the last minute of his version, Dean Martin finds a little Spanish in his toolkit, and it sounds pretty darn good.)
Many of the more remote musicians, composers, songwriters, and singers in Latin America never became big-name musicians in the United States, though thankfully some of the music did find legs of its own to play to an often niche public in North America. One such was Eladia Blázquez, known in Argentina as la poeta del tango (“the poet of tango”) because of her deep, socially reflective lyrics. Eladia was extremely well respected for her artistry and deep social consciousness.
Her lyrics often took on themes such as urban life, social inequality, and feminism.
“Honrar la vida,” perhaps the best-known song of Eladia Blázquez, has been performed and recorded by Mercedes Sosa, Susana Rinaldi, and others. It has become almost an anthem in Argentina.
You would likely have to look long and hard to find songs of Eladia Blázquez north of the Rio Grande, even harder to find any of her songs in English. But I suggest going ahead and listening to those songs, in Spanish. It's worth the search for the passion and striking beauty of the language.
Totó la Momposina (born Sonia Bazanta Vides, 1940) is a legendary Colombian singer, dancer, and folklorist who has become one of the most important ambassadors of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous traditions on the world stage.
There's a bit of Ethel Merman in Momposina's voice, which is a good thing since she is often surrounded by family and community in her percussion-laden call and response numbers. We will learn more about her tomorrow on Momentos Musicales.
Listen for more episodes of Momentos Musicales every weekday afternoon, 2:00 on KPAC 88.3 FM throughout Hispanic Heritage Month.
