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El Cantor De La Monta​ñ​a, Vol. 6

by Ramito

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In "Ramito El Cantor de la Montaña, Vol. 6," Ramito explores a variety of subjects related to the Christmas holidays, world history, cultural pride and love for women.

Christmas is celebrated in the opening song, the aguinaldo jíbaro “Mil felicidades” and the closing theme, the aguinaldo cagueño “Tristeza en navidad.” In the first, Ramito sends his best wishes (“felicidades”) to the people of his hometown, the “Barrio de Bairoa” in Caguas, Puerto Rico; “the Latinos, wherever they may be”; and those in the Bronx, where he had settled in 1960. Musically, the most interesting feature is the unexpected presence of the 3-2 son clave that is so emblematic of Cuban son and salsa but not really a feature of jíbaro music. The wood-sounding rhythmic pattern is quite perceptible during the instrumental sections of the song, though it is present throughout.

In “Tristeza en navidad,” an upbeat song that sounds like a variation on the aguinaldo cagueño, and which includes an awesome cuatro solo midway through, Ramito reflects on the sadness that he feels on Christmas Eve ever since he lost his loved one. The Christmas season, he sings, “brings me feelings [of sadness].”

The album also includes two songs related to the Stories of Charlemagne and the Twelve Peers of France, a book of chivalries of Medieval France that is related to the 11th-century epic poem "The Song of Roland." Ramito explores some scenes of this epic in two aguinaldos cagueños: “Los pares de Francia” and “El conde Olivero.” In the first, he highlights Roland’s achievements fighting against “four thousand Turks,” and the moment when he purportedly breaks his sword against a rock before dying (in the actual text, Roland is unable to break it) (1). The musical highlight is the polyphonic texture created between the muted trumpet and the cuatro. In “El conde Olivero,” Ramito pays homage to Roland’s friend, the paladin Oliver. He praises him for “making history by fighting in Turkey” and for defeating the “the giant.”

Several songs are dedicated to celebrating Puerto Rico. “Jardines de Borinquen” classified as an aguinaldo, highlights the natural beauty of Puerto Rico. “Dulce patria mía,” an aguinaldo cagueño, does likewise. Calling Puerto Rico “my sweet homeland,” Ramito sings about the songs of the birds, the mighty rivers, the meadows and the mountains. “Amanecer borincano,” another aguinaldo, focuses on Puerto Rico’s beautiful dawn. In his decimillas Ramito sings about the sugar cane plantation, the coffee plantations, and the land’s fertility. The lyrics of this song, according to The Cuatro Project, were actually written by Paco Roque (2). “Tesoro en el Caribe,” a seis enramada, also comments on the Island’s landscapes, as well as its hospitality and the mix of African, Taíno, and Spanish traditions that, according to Ramito, make up Puerto Rican culture. Puerto Rico, however, is also described as “a glory of the Americans” that enjoys “sovereignty.” Here, Ramito is presumably arguing that under the Commonwealth, or the Free Associated State established by Governor Luis Muñoz Marín in 1952, Puerto Rico had acquired its sovereignty. Despite its poverty, Ramito adds, Puerto Rico is a “treasure in the Caribbean” that should not be disrespected. “Más respeto a Puerto Rico” is the story of an American judge who “disrespected” Puerto Rico. It is unclear to me who Ramito is referring to or what exactly the judge did. But, according to Ramito, this American judge ended up losing his job because of his “hatred for Puerto Ricans.” Ramito concludes by stating that “those who throw trash at us” need “to be punished,” and forcefully claims that “it is a crime to mistreat the Puerto Rican people.”

Other songs worth mentioning are “El juego de la vida” and “La cruz de tu dolor.” The first is a bolero in which Ramito reflects on how “life is like a game” that we all have to play. The goal should be to play fairly, and live and let be. For those who do not have money, however, there are only four possible outcomes: the hospital, the prison, the church and the cemetery. In “La cruz de tu dolor,” a seis enramada, Ramito sings about a woman who “carries a cross” (in the metaphorical sense) on account of having made him “sad.” He stresses that, though he derives no pleasure from seeing her in this state of suffering, she most certainly deserves it: this is how she can pay him back for her “mistakes” and her betrayal.

As is common with Ramito, this album exposes us to his myriad interests and concerns. The presence of the clarinet in several of the songs is a major musical highlight.

(1) See Historia de Carlo-Magno y de los doce pares de Francia, Librería y Casa Editorial Hernando (S.A.), no date, page 30.
(2) See : www.cuatro-pr.org/node/199

-Mario R. Cancel-Bigay

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released July 28, 1965

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