In "Los Decanos De Los Cantores," Jesús Sánchez Erazo “Chuíto el de Bayamón” and Natalia Rivera are accompanied by Afro-Puerto Rican virtuoso güiro player Toribio and Ladislao “Ladí” Martínez’s El Conjunto Industrias Nativas. The album includes songs where Chuíto sings alone, and songs where he is joined by Natalia Rivera. Among those in the first category are “Un matrimonio en Jayuya,” “El arrebata’o,” “Lo que le pasó a Vey” and “No creo en amigos.”

In “Un matrimonio en Jayuya,” a seis milonga (in its major key version), Chuíto sings about his experience visiting an impoverished couple, Rigoberto and María, who live in the mountain town of Jayuya. They have ten children, and another one is on the way as Chuíto states quite poetically: “the ship is arriving to the port.” In the second décima, he asks the couple: “why do you have so many children?” To which Rigoberto, sung by Chuíto, humorously replies: “The issue is that here we go to bed early.” In the third décima, stressing his disapproval of the couples’ reproductive practices, Chuíto asks them: “how do you support these children? With malanga and yautía [starchy root vegetables]?!” adding, in a judgmental tone that: “it’s a sin not a crime to have so many children.” To this, María, filled with resignation and despair (and again impersonated by Chuíto) replies: “I will complete a full dozen because in these lands, that are soooo entertaining, there is nothing else to do.” The musical interlude, played after the second décima, is particularly interesting: two harmonized cuatros play in “conversation” with the bongo and the awesome repiques of Toribio’s güiro (a Taíno Indian percussive musical instrument).

“El arrebata’o,” a seis enramada, showcases Chuíto complaining about his life as a married man. Whereas before marriage he could go out and flirt with women, now he is constrained by his wife who “doesn’t let me breathe and fights all the time.” Chuíto has been reduced to “feeling the pain of he who was single and then got married.” This comparison leads him to conclude, somewhat dramatically, that “he who is single and marries should hang himself” and “be ashamed.” In addition to the hyperbolic lyrics, don’t miss the awesome polyphonic texture that is developed between the guitar and the cuatros as they “talk” to one another after the second décima as the bongo repiques.

In “Lo que le pasó a Vey,” a seis fajardeño, Chuíto tells the story of Vey, husband of Antonia, who went to California in search of a job. As a responsible husband and father of two, he sends his wife a check on a regular basis. But when Antonia gets the check, she puts on make-up, and leaves her children alone and “al garete” (to their own devices). Soon enough, Antonia gets pregnant, and gives birth, all unbeknownst to Vey. As Chuíto emphasizes, it has been two years since Antonia “le calentaba el frío” (was intimate with Vey). Vey returns home only to discover Antonia caressing the baby. As he looks at it, he realizes that it is not his, exclaiming: “uy, mira que te faja el buey.” By referencing the “buey” (ox) Chuíto implies that Vey is a “cornudo” (a cuckhold). But because “buey” rhymes with “Vey,” the broader implication is that this was bound to happen. Vey, who already is close to being a “buey” insofar as his name nearly sounds the same, becomes ipso facto a “buey,” not the day that he returns to Puerto Rico, but the day that he left for California, ironically in search of a better life.

Of Chuíto's solo songs, the last worth discussing is “No creo en amigos,” sung to the beat of a Cuban guajira (think “Guantanamera”). Here, Chuíto sings about some friends who have betrayed him throughout his life. One such friend would come home, bathe, and eat at his home. But that was not all, he stole from Chuíto and, what is worse, “he left behind my mother-in-law but took my wife!” Yet another friend stole his savings, taking along the way his mother-in-law’s false teeth. As if to make the comedic aspect of this song more pronounced, in the first décima Chuíto uses a quote that he attributes to Lord Byron (though a host of authors have been attributed its invention): “the more I learn about men, the more I love my dog.” As you listen to this guajira, don’t miss the spectacular cuatro solos, in particular, after the second décima.

If Chuíto’s solo songs are quite amusing, those with Natalia are even more so. In the aguinaldo “Llegó Chuíto y Natalia,” Natalia Rivera opens by stating that she wants to go back to Puerto Rico to sing in Chuíto’s hometown of Bayamón. Chuíto adds that they will go there to dance and eat “chicharrón”—Bayamón is known as the town of “chicharrón” (pork rind). In the process, he promotes his musical group by naming himself, Natalia and bandleader Ladislao “Ladí” Martínez. In the third decimilla Natalia praises Chuíto by noting that he was the first jíbaro to sing in the radio, at a time when “there was no T.V.” Chuíto concludes by stating that he wants to go to Natalia’s hometown as well, where they will be “received with pride.” Throughout, Toribio’s masterful güiro playing is a major highlight, particularly in the instrumental introduction and the musical interludes. So is “Ladí’s” brilliant musical arrangements: the accompaniment provided by a pair of Puerto Rican cuatros, for instance, changes from singer to singer. When Natalia sings, the instrument’s lower register is explored; when Chuíto intervenes, it is the higher register which is stressed. Thus, each singer is provided his/her own musical background. Described as an “aguinaldo controversia” in the LP’s back side, “Llegó Chuíto y Natalia” can be more accurately described as an aguinaldo jíbaro. Presumably, the tag “controversia” is meant to highlight that this is a back and forth between Chuíto and Natalia. But because they are not really arguing/debating with one another, the label “controversia” is somewhat inadequate. A similar labelling issue can be seen in “Flores les traemos,” another aguinaldo classified as “controversia” though the singers are not arguing with one another. They are merely singing their own decimillas that evolve around a similar topic: a desire to return to Puerto Rico, eat local foods, dance and thank God. An interesting musical detail of “Flores les traemos,” present in other songs song by the duo, is that it modulates. That is, in order to accommodate the singers’ differing vocal registers, the key is shifted throughout the song: Natalia sings in Cm; Chuíto, in Gm.

“Te casas o no te casas” is sung to the melody of the seis mariandá or a “mariandá controversia” according to the album’s description (a designation somewhat more accurate insofar as the singers are having an argument). Here Natalia and Chuíto have a debate over marriage. Whereas Natalia is eager to marry Chuíto, he—and this is an understatement—is not really open to the idea. Natalia begins by highlighting that Chuíto has conquered her but stresses that if he wants to be with her “we have to get married.” Chuíto acknowledges that he likes Natalia but likes his independence even more: “I don’t want to hear about marriage; I’m free like the wind. You are beautiful; and I’d do anything for you, but marry you, that I cannot do.” Unmoved, Natalia insists: “we have been dating for years, and I’m tired of being scolded by my parents!” In yet another failed attempt to convince him she adds: “I know how to wash clothes and how to iron.” Chuíto, unconvinced, replies that he can’t get married because things are expensive; moreover: “you don’t know how to cook or sew.” Adding insult to injury he concludes by stating that: “I will stay single; I will have my mom do the cooking; I can take you to the movies, but marry you, that I cannot do.” Similar to “Llegó Chuíto y Natalia” in “Te casas or no te casas” each singer is accompanied by a different cuatro arrangement. This time, though, Natalia’s cuatro accompaniment explores the instrument’s lower register whereas Chuíto’s explores its higher register: pay attention to that high pitch A note that fills several of Chuítos silences and that is also heard when he is finishing lines 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 of the two décimas that he sings. It has quite a presence!

If Natalia is rejected in “Te casas or no te casas,” in “Un viejo enamorao” it is Chuíto’s turn to be humiliated. This time, it is he who insists in marrying Natalia while she bluntly refuses his advances. Chuíto begins by praising Natalia’s beauty and charms although he acknowledges that he is married. As the seis controversia modulates from G minor to C minor (in order to accommodate Natalia’s vocal register) Natalia replies: “I can’t accept you. I’m too old. My time has passed.” Suddenly, an unexpected third voice joins the conversation. It is Chuíto’s son! Scolding his father, he sings: “I can’t allow you to do that to my mom. This is not okay given your age.” To this Chuíto replies: “this is none of your business!” Natalia, allying herself with the son, tells Chuíto: “The child is right to defend his mom. He is not being disrespectful. You are a prestigious person but you have a wife, and I have been taught to respect that which belongs to another person.” Throughout, each singer gets his own musical arrangement; the accompaniment to Chuito’s son décima is the most exciting as is that of Natalia’s final décima. Listen to the virtuosic cuatro playing!

“Nos comemos canto a canto” can be heard as a continuation of “Un viejo enamorao.” Both on account of being a seis controversia (though played at a slower tempo) and in terms of the subject matter, though here Natalia plays the role of Chuíto’s wife. Natalia forcefully tells Chuíto to stop following and threatening her: “If you touch me, I will break you into pieces. I will knock you down to the floor.” Chuíto replies by criticizing and threatening Natalia: “I work and work and you don’t cook for me. They say you were talking in the store; stop it! And stay put because next time I will kick you!” Unafraid, Natalia replies in kind: “I’m going to break your trachea (“gaznate”); if you kick me, I will break your legs with a bat. I won’t take it. I’m not afraid of you.” Chuíto escalates further: “I’m going to beat you if I see you in the street; I don’t care if you faint or if you scream like a cat; if I see you outside, I’m going to hit you in your legs.” While the song both depicts (and seemingly celebrates) domestic violence (a violence that for too long has informed Puerto Rican culture leading to the death of thousands of women), it is worth noting that Natalia is portrayed as a powerful woman who resists and fights back. Musically, notice how when Natalia sings, the cuatro plays scales in the middle to higher register. This changes when Chuíto sings: then the cuatro explores its lower register playing some riffs instead of scales.

Overall, this is a fun album with some great musical arrangements where Chuíto and Natalia sing about love, marriage, domestic violence, rural poverty, migration, nostalgia for the homeland, and even Christmas traditions as exemplified in the aguinaldo cagueño “Alegría navideña.”

-Dr. Mario R. Cancel-Bigay