El Guincho - It’s Genius, I Swear
By: Various Scribes
I pick Bossa Cubana by Los Zafiros. I just think it's a masterpiece. It's honestly the best record sung in Spanish I've ever heard. It has everything that I love in music. Every drum beat is amazing, the reverb is beautiful, the vocal harmonies make you cry. I love the lyrics - so simple, they seem to find the perfect word for every line, and how they mix the American vocal groups' doo wop style with their own Cuban stuff and the bossa thing... they end up sounding like nothing else. And even though they use pop song structures, there is a huge sense of freedom in their music. I think I discovered this record like 4 or maybe 5 years ago, but I'm in still so in love with it! It's going to sound fresh for me forever. It's a great way to open Anglo-centric minds. You cant help but loving this record!
I first heard it in Barcelona. I don't know why but I ended up going to this kind of rock and roll/rockabilly party. I remember feeling really weird being surrounded by all these people who I didn't have anything to do with. To them I think I looked like a total stranger too. But then the DJ played this great song and I was instantly shocked. So I asked them and from that day tried to find that record so bad!
Right away, I was really impressed. I was really into listening to American music by that time, like jazz records and hip hop, but when I first heard this I just became obsessed with South American music sang in Spanish, specially boleros sung by the likes of Olga Guillot, Julio Jaramillo, Beny Moré, etc. It was influenced by Cuban classics, bossa nova, all kinds of latin rythms, rumba, American doo wop, bolero... So I decided I wanted to do the same thing with my music.
I'm listening to it right now. It's sooooo good. I still think it's a great record. The only thing that has changed about it for me now are what are maybe my favourite songs on the album. They used to be 'Mírame Fijo', 'La Caminadora' and 'Y Sabes Bien' but now I'm more into 'La Luna En Tu Mirada' and 'Puchunguita Ven'. I don't know... they're all really, really good.
They are one of my biggest influences for sure. Every time that I show it to someone they instantly love it. It's just that it's so hard to find it. Well, it was for me. It is re-issued but I think they deserve more recognition.
It reminds me of my childhood with my dad in the car listening to Fania records. I wouldn't change a single thing of it. I'm just sad that there isn't that much material from them. It makes me feel excited to be writing music in Spanish.
BY EL GUINCHO
Artists in this article: El Guincho