Music of Panama
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Music of Panama Topics | ||
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Cumbia | Mejorana
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Saloma | Pasillo | |
Danza | Contradanza | |
Tamborito | Torrente | |
Bolero | Salsa | |
Merengue | Rock | |
Compas | Calypso | |
Reggae en Español | Reggaeton | |
Típico | Mambo | |
Jazz | Latin Jazz
| |
Pindín | ||
Punto | Timeline and Samples | |
Central American music | ||
Belize - Costa Rica - El Salvador - Guatemala - Honduras - Nicaragua - Panama |
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With this heritage, Panama has a rich and diverse music history, and important contributions to cumbia, saloma, pasillo, punto, tamborito, mejorana, bolero, jazz, salsa, reggae, calypso, rock, and other musical genres.
Saloma and mejorana
The
Cumbia
Closely related to its more well-known Colombian cousin, Panamanian cumbia, especially amanojá and atravesao styles, are domestically popular. Another important music is punto and the salon dances like pasillo, danza and contradanza. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the Pasillo music was very popular.
Tamborito
A folk dance, called
Congo
A somewhat similar genre called congo is popular among the black communities of the northern coast in Costa Arriba, which includes Portobelo, a province of Colón.
Tipico
Contemporary popular Panama folkloric music is generally called música típico[1][2] , or
Salsa
Panama's leading salsa musician, Rubén Blades, has achieved international stardom, after collaborating with other local musicians like Rómulo Castro and Tuira. Other world-famous musicians from Panama included Luis Russell, who played with Louie Armstrong in the 1920s, Mauricio Smith, a noted saxophone and flute player who played with Chubby Checker, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Machito and Mongo Santamaría, among others. Victor "Vitin" Paz, a pillar of the Latin jazz trumpet, was a cornerstone of the Fania All Stars for many years. *Gaitanes, La KShamba, Roberto Delgado and many others.
Jazz
Panama has a long history in
Calypso
Panama also boasts a vibrant history of calypso and mento music sung by nationally well-known musicians such as Lord Panama, Lord Delicious, Two-Gun Smokey, Lady Trixie, Lord Kon-Tiki, Lord Kitti, and Lord Cobra and the Pana-Afro sounds.
Modern times
By the 1960s, local doo-wop groups were evolving into what became known as the Combos Nacionales, five to ten musician groups using electric instruments and incorporating the diverse sounds of jazz, calypso, salsa, merengue, doo wop, soul and funk. Famous Combos Nacionales included The Silvertones, The Exciters, The Fabulous Festivals, The Beachers, The Soul Fantastics, Los Mozambiques, The Goombays, Los Juveniles, Roberto y su Zafra and Bush y sus Magnificos. By 1970, the dynamic Combos Nacionales sound dominated Panamanian popular music, only winding down toward the late 1970s.
The Pioneers of the International Reggae en Espanol movement out of Panama were Gary H. Mason aka: Big Daddy G., and Luis "Wicho" Phillips aka: The Karma Master. They introduced and produced the songs "El Meneaito" performed by Gaby, "Soy El Mas Sensual" performed by Renato, "Camión Lleno de Gunn" performed by Jam & Suppose, "El Marciano" performed by Cocoman, as well as hits by Reggae Sam, Aldo Ranks, Toby King, Reggae Kid, and many other well known Panamanian Artists.
While often still referred as Reggae, much of the current Panamanian reggae scene is based in Jamaica's dancehall scene. The genre still maintains some of the style of the earlier reggae en Español, such as the laidback lyrics and references to everyday life, but some details, like the common practice of taking Jamaican dancehall songs (or even non-dancehall songs, as the case of Benny Benassi's Satisfaction) and releasing them with Spanish lyrics but otherwise minor to no differences with the original track, is now often criticized as plagiarism, mainly due to Internet, which has allowed people to have more awareness about a song's origins.
One of such artists to often face said criticism is Japanese, who tends to release songs based on viral hits like Gangnam Style or "Moving like Bernie" (a song involving the "Bernie dance" dance moves), or popular songs like Wiggle. This criticism, however, is mostly related to what some people consider "uninspired lyrics". Some speculate that the plagiarism issue is what keeps Panamanian and Jamaican dancehall scenes rarely colliding in the form of music collaborations, despite the closeness of both cultures.
Parallel to this, reggae influences in Panama have also spawned several popular
A thriving and very popular
In recent years, the
Also worth mentioning is Pedro Altamiranda and his historically popular music spanning several generations and political moments. His songs have a comedic tone and are often satirical; some of which have been banned by leaders like Manuel Noriega. Despite this, his influence has persisted, and many popular phrases and slang used in Panama are lyrics from Altamiranda's songs.
Artists
Composers
- Narciso Garay, classical, symphonic interpretations of Panama Folklore
- Nicholas Aceves Nunez, Cumbia, Panama Folklore, Pasillo.
- José Luis Rodríguez Vélez, cumbia, bolero, pasillo
- Carlos Eleta Almarán "Dartañan", bolero
- Rubén Blades, salsa
- Omar Alfanno, Salsa
- Erika Ender, Latin pop, salsa, reguetón, ballad
- Gaitanes, Latin pop, salsa, merengue, ballad
- Luis Russell, jazz, swing
- Danilo Perez, jazz
- Roque Cordero, classical
- Samuel Robles, classical
- Marina Saiz-Salazar, classical
- Mr.Rico reggae Dance hall
- Nando Boom, reggae
- El General, reggae
- Jamilka Kennedy, Salsa
Music Directors
Singers
- Aldo Ranks, reggae and reggaeton
- Apache Ness, reggae
- Mr. Rico, reggae Dance hall
- Eddy Lover, reggaeton
- Edwin Benitez, rock
- El Roockie, reggae and reggaeton
- Flex, reggaeton
- Gaitanes, salsa and tropical singers
- Joey Montana, reggaeton
- Kafu Banton, reggae and reggaeton
- La Factoría, reggaeton
- Latin Fresh, hip hop, reggae and reggaeton
- Lorna, reggae and reggaeton
- Makano, reggaeton
- Mikk D'Wolff, rock
- Tony Moro, bolero, chachachá
- Barbara Wilson, jazz
- Sandra Sandoval, pindín
- Catalina "Catita" Carrasco, cumbia (d. 2012)
- Lucho De Sedas
- Omar Alfanno, Salsa
- Renato
Accordion
- Aceves Nunez
- Rogelio "Gelo" Córdoba
- Ulpiano Vergara
- Juan De Sedas
- Dorindo Cárdenas
- Victorio Vergara
- Yin Carrizo
- Samy Sandoval
- Osvaldo Ayala
- Ceferino Nieto
- Roberto "Fito" Espino
- Papi Brandao
- Alfredo Escudero
- Isaac de León
Trumpet
Mejoranera
- Juan Andrés Castillo
- Los Juglares del Dexas
Organist
Guitar
Violin
Musical producers
- Predikador
- Rubén Blades
- Roberto Blades
- Gaitanes
- Herman (chispa) Lawson
- Dino Nugent
References
- ^ "Música Típica de Panamá". May 13, 2013.
- ^ Chacón, David Alejandro (October 29, 2016). "La música típica popular vive en el panameño".
- Brill, Mark. Music of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2nd Edition, 2018. Taylor & Francis ISBN 1138053562
External links
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Tamborito drumming and Yin Carrizo. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Kuna Indians, Lord Panama and Cumbia. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- Panama Radio Stations where you can find all Panamanian radio broadcasters and listen to the music of your choice.
- Music of Panama at Panama1.com Videos and sounds of different national rhythms from Panama.
- Radicales Libres at myspace.com Radicales Libres - Music and Photos
- ROGAM Tribute Page in Facebook