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From Bomba to Hip-Hop: Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity
Neither immigrants nor ethnics, neither foreign nor "hyphenated Americans" in the usual sense of that term, Puerto Ricans in New York have created a distinct identity both on the island of Puerto Rico and in the cultural landscape of the United States. Juan Flores considers the uniqueness of Puerto Rican culture and identity in relation to that of other Latino groups in the United States―as well as to other minority groups, especially African Americans. Architecture and urban space, literary traditions, musical styles, and cultural movements provide some of the sites and moments of a cultural world defined by the interplay of continuity and transformation, heritage and innovation, roots and fusion. Exploring this wide range of cultural expression―both in the diaspora and in Puerto Rico―Flores highlights the rich complexities and fertile contradictions of Latino identity.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 20, 2015
College professors are preoccupied constantly with getting Tenure. In order to get tenured and for salary promotions, they are required to publish. Their reading audience is other academics. As a result of trying to impress their peers, they construct sentences with as many multi-syllabic words they can find. It becomes a pretentious exercise. Get my drift? Regarding culture (art, literature, music), they have a tendency to give these topics a socio-political or philosophical treatment. This unnecessary, dense study of popular culture makes for very challenging reading, as is the case here. Prior to his recent death in December 2014, I was fortunate to consult with author Juan Flores. Regarding his book, I raised this observation. He received my assessment graciously. Moreover, Professor Flores acknowledged its validity with an accepting wink and a hearty laugh.
For my money and time, the 33-page Chapter 5 was the most relevant and valuable section of the book. Titled “Cha-Cha With a Backbeat,” this survey on the origins and development of Boogaloo was the most thoroughly researched and illuminating I had come across. To date, it is still the best review of the genre. The chapter had its origins in an earlier published article, which Flores expanded for inclusion in the book. It analyses key players and songs, such as Lookie, Lookie; I Like It Like That; Boogaloo Blues; etc. With the songs, Flores is able to flesh out a number of components of the genre. In his examination of the hit record Bang Bang, Flores was able to list the various elements common to much of the genre – handclapping, emotive outbursts, boisterous chorus, use of English and Spanish words, repeated Latin-R&B/Funk fusion vamps, overall party atmosphere, etc.
Chapter 5 is greatly enhanced with the observations of key players from relevant bands amongst others, singer Willie Torres (Joe Cuba Sextet) and percussionist Benny Bonilla (Pete Rodríguez y su Conjunto). It is chock full of nuggets, including the one regarding Ray Barretto’ hit recording, El Watusi. Here, I discovered that Willie Torres sang on this recording. His vocal “character” was the subject of the song – a fact not widely known. I consulted Flores on several points and included his work in the sources section for my book, The Willie Torres Discography. (See my Goodreads author profile for more info). A minor quibble: The classic Latin-Soul recording of To Be With You was listed as included on the “1967” Joe Cuba Sextet album Steppin' Out. In actuality, the album and tune were recorded five years earlier in 1962.
Despite my earlier qualms regarding language and treatment, Flores was an excellent researcher. Also, he was a very decent person. I last spoke with him a few months before his untimely passing. Happy and excited, he was wrapping up work on a biography of Latin pianist Eddie Palmieri. Let’s hope it emerges in book form someday. Recommended for: academics on the one hand; Boogaloo fans on the other.
For my money and time, the 33-page Chapter 5 was the most relevant and valuable section of the book. Titled “Cha-Cha With a Backbeat,” this survey on the origins and development of Boogaloo was the most thoroughly researched and illuminating I had come across. To date, it is still the best review of the genre. The chapter had its origins in an earlier published article, which Flores expanded for inclusion in the book. It analyses key players and songs, such as Lookie, Lookie; I Like It Like That; Boogaloo Blues; etc. With the songs, Flores is able to flesh out a number of components of the genre. In his examination of the hit record Bang Bang, Flores was able to list the various elements common to much of the genre – handclapping, emotive outbursts, boisterous chorus, use of English and Spanish words, repeated Latin-R&B/Funk fusion vamps, overall party atmosphere, etc.
Chapter 5 is greatly enhanced with the observations of key players from relevant bands amongst others, singer Willie Torres (Joe Cuba Sextet) and percussionist Benny Bonilla (Pete Rodríguez y su Conjunto). It is chock full of nuggets, including the one regarding Ray Barretto’ hit recording, El Watusi. Here, I discovered that Willie Torres sang on this recording. His vocal “character” was the subject of the song – a fact not widely known. I consulted Flores on several points and included his work in the sources section for my book, The Willie Torres Discography. (See my Goodreads author profile for more info). A minor quibble: The classic Latin-Soul recording of To Be With You was listed as included on the “1967” Joe Cuba Sextet album Steppin' Out. In actuality, the album and tune were recorded five years earlier in 1962.
Despite my earlier qualms regarding language and treatment, Flores was an excellent researcher. Also, he was a very decent person. I last spoke with him a few months before his untimely passing. Happy and excited, he was wrapping up work on a biography of Latin pianist Eddie Palmieri. Let’s hope it emerges in book form someday. Recommended for: academics on the one hand; Boogaloo fans on the other.
January 27, 2018
Each chapter is about an entirely different aspect of Puerto Rican diaspora culture, and I was interested in all of it even if I had been expecting something about Bomba y Plena continuities in hip hop... totally absent... zero musicology... anyway...
My favorite bits were: The chapter on las Casitas... little houses in el Barrio built on the ruins of the decade of fire. I remember all those community gardens in the lower east side and marching to protest their proposed demolition. Well, uptown, the gardens have these casitas in them where there are concerts and meals and cultural events and the little houses are built like they are on the island -- shacks on little stilts -- essentially squats, so they're built to be easily dismantled and rebuilt if things get too difficult with the authorities.
The chapter on the boogaloo was also cool. I have been kinda snobby about boogaloo... I mean, only a heartless bastard would hate on "I Like It Like That" or "Bang Bang," but most of it is just such obvious crap and I don't have the patience to study it and find the other goodies. But Flores did, apparently, and goes on at length about some crazy sounding psychedelic travesty called "Boogaloo Blues." He interviewed some of these people and brings it back to these second generation Nuyoricans playing for African American audiences... taught me to respect it a little more... these guys were just kids, they couldn't really hang when sleazy low budget record companies got them to turn out piles of disposable novelty records. But the best of it is definitely "Latin Soul" ... this chapter also completely turned my head around about Joe Bataan... definitely need to go back to his stuff and check it out with different ears.
Another high point of this book, maybe the most fun, is when Flores just savages Oscar Hijuelos. Just pages and pages of ruthless savagery. Hijuelos should just go off the grid and change his name and hope that everyone forgets his stupid Mambo Kings book forever. In the same chapter, Flores bigs up some other authors and throughout this book he praises and references Spidertown. I am feeling that. Not that Latinos have to be all street to be legit or something... but... you know... Hijuelos is a jerk. And Abraham Rodriguez is a punker in Germany. Case closed.
One thing that I do think is kinda weird about this book... and I am not Puerto Rican or anything so who am I to even think this... but like Flores talks a lot in this book about cleavages between the Island and the Puerto Ricans on the mainland... and, like, the book is all about the 90s more or less... and for me, an outsider looking in, living in their neighborhood and all that, it seemed to me that there was a lot more connections than Flores makes out. Lots of people rocking Coqui or Chupacabra shirts to show their connection to the Island and then even more important and deeper was all the stuff in NYC about Vieques ... about stopping the US military from bombing the bejesus out of Vieques. Doesn't even get a mention in here. Weird. I think. What do I know.
On the other hand, a whole lot of pages near the beginning about "the Madonna Incident" when the pop star ran the Puerto Rican flag between her legs and against her crotch... a scandal so big (and yet suddenly so over) that people who didn't really care about it had to explain why they didn't care. Hilarious.
A definite low point in the book is a long very academic chapter near the end about the future of "Latino/a Studies," "Chicano Studies," and of course "Puerto Rican Studies" in universities. Not only is the chapter about the borders between academic disciplines and not about the real struggle to get these programs going and to keep them, but the whole thing unfortunately twenty years later feels like... hey man... we are fighting now to keep Latino/as in the country let alone in the university and we're fighting to keep the university open, let alone the ethnic studies programs... you know? I mean, as I am writing this, the US Congress is getting ready to slash the hell out of financial aid for the neediest, and to make the whole student debt trap even more painful and inescapable. So, like, whether Latin@ Studies should merge with a new, critical Latin American Studies ... I don't care. sorry. Much bigger things to fight about. Like if there will even be students and universities. So yeah. sorry to end so blah. This is a good book.
My favorite bits were: The chapter on las Casitas... little houses in el Barrio built on the ruins of the decade of fire. I remember all those community gardens in the lower east side and marching to protest their proposed demolition. Well, uptown, the gardens have these casitas in them where there are concerts and meals and cultural events and the little houses are built like they are on the island -- shacks on little stilts -- essentially squats, so they're built to be easily dismantled and rebuilt if things get too difficult with the authorities.
The chapter on the boogaloo was also cool. I have been kinda snobby about boogaloo... I mean, only a heartless bastard would hate on "I Like It Like That" or "Bang Bang," but most of it is just such obvious crap and I don't have the patience to study it and find the other goodies. But Flores did, apparently, and goes on at length about some crazy sounding psychedelic travesty called "Boogaloo Blues." He interviewed some of these people and brings it back to these second generation Nuyoricans playing for African American audiences... taught me to respect it a little more... these guys were just kids, they couldn't really hang when sleazy low budget record companies got them to turn out piles of disposable novelty records. But the best of it is definitely "Latin Soul" ... this chapter also completely turned my head around about Joe Bataan... definitely need to go back to his stuff and check it out with different ears.
Another high point of this book, maybe the most fun, is when Flores just savages Oscar Hijuelos. Just pages and pages of ruthless savagery. Hijuelos should just go off the grid and change his name and hope that everyone forgets his stupid Mambo Kings book forever. In the same chapter, Flores bigs up some other authors and throughout this book he praises and references Spidertown. I am feeling that. Not that Latinos have to be all street to be legit or something... but... you know... Hijuelos is a jerk. And Abraham Rodriguez is a punker in Germany. Case closed.
One thing that I do think is kinda weird about this book... and I am not Puerto Rican or anything so who am I to even think this... but like Flores talks a lot in this book about cleavages between the Island and the Puerto Ricans on the mainland... and, like, the book is all about the 90s more or less... and for me, an outsider looking in, living in their neighborhood and all that, it seemed to me that there was a lot more connections than Flores makes out. Lots of people rocking Coqui or Chupacabra shirts to show their connection to the Island and then even more important and deeper was all the stuff in NYC about Vieques ... about stopping the US military from bombing the bejesus out of Vieques. Doesn't even get a mention in here. Weird. I think. What do I know.
On the other hand, a whole lot of pages near the beginning about "the Madonna Incident" when the pop star ran the Puerto Rican flag between her legs and against her crotch... a scandal so big (and yet suddenly so over) that people who didn't really care about it had to explain why they didn't care. Hilarious.
A definite low point in the book is a long very academic chapter near the end about the future of "Latino/a Studies," "Chicano Studies," and of course "Puerto Rican Studies" in universities. Not only is the chapter about the borders between academic disciplines and not about the real struggle to get these programs going and to keep them, but the whole thing unfortunately twenty years later feels like... hey man... we are fighting now to keep Latino/as in the country let alone in the university and we're fighting to keep the university open, let alone the ethnic studies programs... you know? I mean, as I am writing this, the US Congress is getting ready to slash the hell out of financial aid for the neediest, and to make the whole student debt trap even more painful and inescapable. So, like, whether Latin@ Studies should merge with a new, critical Latin American Studies ... I don't care. sorry. Much bigger things to fight about. Like if there will even be students and universities. So yeah. sorry to end so blah. This is a good book.
July 23, 2011
while the book is titled from Bomba to Hip hop it actually had little focus on the art forms.The book highlighted more the differences in latino communities and cultural experiences.Also gave me some valuable information on the Puerto Rican struggle
March 2, 2009
I've been reading this for a class I'm teaching, but I would read it for fun. A great tour of lit & music cultures of the people que brincan el charco.
March 4, 2008
Outdated collection of essays that over-rely on a handful of sources. His most engaging and informative essay was on the history of boogaloo.
December 19, 2007
A number of good essays about Puerto Ricans in America, primarily New York.
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July 15, 2012Just grabbed this at a friend's yard sale- sure to soothe my never-ending homesickness for NYC!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews