Pello el afrokan

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PELLO AND THE MOZAMBIQUE: A rhythm that galvanized Cuba BY RAFAEL LAM (Special for Granma International) September 25, 2000 IN 1963, Pedro Izquierdo, known as Pello el Afrokán—who recently passed away—created the mozambique, one of the hottest and most debated modern rhythms on the island. In the wake of Eduardo Davidson’s pachanga rage, like a wizard or African griot Pello produced a primitive or more authentic sound of tom-tom and metal drums. It was like a call from the earth which scandalized many academics, but won public acclaim. It was a renewal of the conga lines dating back to the colonial period, and had the crowds dancing down the streets. El Afrokán was born in 1933, a time of hunger and desolation for Cuba with the toppling of dictator Machado. He was the grandson of Mandingos who reproduced the drumming and rhythms of Africa on the island. "That’s the blood running through my veins," Pello told me when we met in his musical enterprise, named after Ignacio Piñeiro. "My father was one of the first percussionists in Belisario López’ band. I’m a cousin of Mongo Santamaría and the kings of percussion used to visit my house." The creator of the mozambique started playing wherever he was needed, as well as working as a stevedore on the docks in his Havana barrio of Jesús María. He did commercial jingles for CMQ radio and in 1959 founded his own group, playing at the Havana’s mecca of cabaret, the Tropicana. In 1962 he was already experimenting with the great tribe

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Funny Afrokan

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Cuba - Fully Charged

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Revolucion! Original Cuban Funk Grooves 1967-1978

Revolucion! Original Cuban Funk Grooves 1967 - 1978

Maria Caracoles

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Cuban Funk Experience

Nace en Cuba el Mozambique

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Gems of Cuban Music Vol. 2

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Afro Cuban Roots Presents Rhythms Of Cuba

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La Rumba De Cuba

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110 Cuban Hits, Vol. 2

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Pello El Afrokan Y Su Ritmo Mozambique

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