It’s a new day in Venezuela, and so it’s a new day here at BoRev, tambien. And, really, nothing says “fresh start” quite like free music downloads, right? Starting today we are psyched to introduce a partnership with the University of Iowa’s own token ethno-musicologist, T.M. “Tomás” Scruggs, who got back this January from an 18-month stint in the Bolivarian Republic, where he documented, catalogued and recorded the diverse musical sounds of a revolution in progress.
You can listen to his kick-ass hour-long ethno-musical journey through the country here. And in the weeks and months ahead, you’ll also find a frequently updated archive of Venezuelan music on this site, complete with pix and Ph.D. quality descriptions, or your money back!
This week we’re starting out with streaming, but soon (i.e. “once we figure out how to do it”) we’ll be offering actual free MP3 downloads of music, never before heard outside Venezuela. Let’s kick it off with a fierce all-woman salsa band from the Caracas barrios.
Let the healing begin! After the jump…
The Cut:"Oye Mujer," or, "Listen Up Woman"
The Band: Grupo Aliaje
Grupo Aliaje is an all-woman salsa band from a working class community in the southern part of Caracas. They’ve been playing professionally for around five years, and bill themselves as “Venezuela’s only 100% female salsa band.” They are dynamite in live performance, great musicianship and explosive presentation without the visual glitter and fluff that salsa bands sometimes deck themselves out with. Unfortunately my photos of them fell victim to a rip-off on a flight back to the U.S., but I do have a couple from the band themselves and in this “corner to corner” shot you can at least get an idea of their no-frills style. The music is classic “salsa dura” – “hard salsa” – based on the late 60s/early 70s Puerto-Rico-fication of Afro-Cuban dance music that is still a mainstay in the mixed race barrios of working folks that make up the big majority of Caracas.
This is exactly the type of music that the mainstream commercial music industry wouldn’t touch with a three meter pole: what, not distributed by Sony/BMG/Columbia/etc.? lyrics about whaaat?! --forget about it. The avalanche of new community radio stations has offered Aliaje some radio play within Caracas, but the band remains virtually unknown in their home country. This track is from a 4 song home-produced CD not available anywhere but at their own gigs.
LYRICS (SPANISH)
all transcriptions and translations by T.M. Scruggs
Oye mujer
Grupo Aliaje
letras
Oye mujer, no seas esclava
del hombre que te quiere someter,
estudia, trabaja, y verás un nuevo mundo renacer. (x2)
Yo no pretendo con esta canción
ser la lider de una revolución
pero me duele al corazón
cuando en ti pienso
y veo que tus sentimientos
los maltratan sin razón.
Pero me duele al corazón
cuando en ti pienso
y veo que tus sentimientos
los maltratan sin razón.
Oye mujer, no seas esclava.
¿Por qué, por qué le vas a pegar? ¡No! ¡No!
¿por qué os le trates mal?
Los petales, sus valores, no le vayas a maltratar
[coro:] A la la, mujer, un jardín de rosas
ven a brindar todas las cosas hermosas.
Sácala, sácala a bailar
sácala, pero sácala, sácala pasear,
que esa chicha si te quiere
sacala ya a cumbachar.
A la la, mujer, un jardín de rosas
(que lindas rosas)
ven a brindar todas las cosas hermosas.
(y a gozar con Aliaje: ¡Aliaje!)
--solo: piano.
(dedos de sera)
[coro:] Oye mujer, oyer mujer,
valorizate, valorizate.
Vive la vida, vive la vida
vive la vida, tu ves,
vivala como tu quieras,
pero no la trates mal
porque no es una cualquiera.
[coro:] Oye mujer, oyer mujer,
valorizate, valorizate.
Tengo una pena en el alma,
tengo una pena y dolor
por culpa de aquel canalla
que ha maltratado tu corazón, -sorón -són son,
Oye mujer,
valorizate, valorizate.
Dale valor, dale valor a tu vida.
Oye mujer.
(cierrela hermanita)
LYRICS (ENGLISH)
all transcriptions and translations by T.M. Scruggs
Listen up, woman, don’t be a slave
to the man that wants to dominate you
Study, work and you’ll see a new world be reborn. (x2)
I’m not trying in this song
to be the leader of a revolution
but it pains my heart
when I think of you
and see how your feelings
get trampled on for no reason.
But it pains my heart
when I think of you
and see how your feelings
get trampled on for no reason.
Listen up, woman, don’t be a slave.
Why are you going to hit her? No! No!
why do you treat her bad?
The petals [of this flower], her values and feelings, don’t mistreat them.
[chorus:] A la la, woman, a garden of roses
offer you all beautiful things possible.
Take her out, take out to dance
take her out, just take her out, take her out,
it’s that this girl loves you,
take her out to party.
A la la, woman, a garden of roses
(such pretty roses)
offer you all beautiful things possible.
(let’s enjoy with Aliaje: Aliaje!)
--solo: piano
(fingers of silk)
[chorus:] Listen woman, listen woman
know your own worth, know your own worth.
I have a pain in my soul
I have a pain and a hurt
the fault of that jerk
that has mistreated your heart, e-art, art art.
Listen woman,
know your worth, know your worth.
Grant value, grant value to your life.
Listen woman.
(close it on out, sister.)
