Stirring Rhythms From Los Muñequitos de Matanzas

For the first time in nine years, Cuba’s leading rumba music and dance group is returning to the United States for a 16-city tour, and its only performance in New England will be at MASS MoCA in North Adama, MA, in a co-presentation with Jacob’s Pillow, April 30 and May 1. Founded in 1952, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas was first composed of musicians and percussionists who gathered casually in the sugar cane-producing region of Matanzas in Cuba. The original members were port workers, plumbers and masons, who were hanging around a cafe one day. They began playing along with the juke box, using spoons on glasses, bottles and tables to tap out the rhythms. The applause from the other patrons inspired them to start a group. The name “Los Muñequitos” means “Sunday cartoons” and came from the title of their first record. From these modest beginnings, playing at festivals and weddings, the group grew in popularity and acclaim, and by 1965 had incorporated dancers into their ensemble. Today, the group is still composed of three generations of one extended family. Rumba is based on the complex rhythms and dances which were born in the latter half of the 19th century in Cuba. Although these dances and rhythms had powerful African influences, they also had Spanish elements which make this genre of music a uniquely Cuban creation. Played on cylindrical wooden sticks called claves (clave is also the name for the basic 5-beat rhythm of the rumba) and conga drums, the music of Los Muñequitos is traditional, folkloric rumba, mixing elements of the east African Yoruba tribe, the Columbia. The rural rumba was danced only by men, who used knives and machetes. Some rumba is secular, used to tell stories about everyday Cuban life, and permits musicians and dancers to use a large degree of improvisation. Other forms are based on the various religions brought to Cuba by African slaves, calling out the names of deities such as the trickster Eleggua, or Oggun, the god of war. This is not the popularized rumba of “Dancing with the Stars,” although the show will contain some lively ballroom-style dancing. Rather, it has been called trancelike, even monotonous. It is authentic, powerful and these performances provide a unique cultural opportunity for North American audiences. The program, Tambor de Fuego en Homenaje a los Ancestros (Drum of Fire in Tribute to the Ancestors), features two performances highlighting work from the group’s latest recording, tributes to legendary members and new pieces created especially for this tour. Los Muñequitos de Matanzas is presented at MASS MoCA on April 30 and May 1. For tickets, call 413-662-2111 or go to www.massmoca.org.