Though sadly not as widely recognised for his brilliance at the time, Arsenio Rodríguez (born Ignacio de Loyola Rodríguez Scull, 1911–1970) was a Cuban musician, bandleader and prolific composer of African descent known for his development of the son montuno and other Afro-Cuban-based rhythms.
These vital rhythms created by this dynamic arist formed the basis of what became known as salsa in the 1960s and 70s, and although he was not widely known before his death, today he is seen as one of the most important figures in Latin music!
His influence has not only inspired a wealth of Latin music, but has helped shape African popular music as well. He is also recognized (along with Israel ‘Cachao’ López and Dámaso Pérez Prado) as one of the creators of the mambo, which Rodríguez himself often referred to as ritmo diablo.
As you can imagine, there is a wealth to discover about this pioneering artist and instead of pasting the detailed write-up I’ve just found, I shall link you to the Bandcamp page it appears on, for this also accompanies a great collection of his music. Issued by Asonia Records, this Independent Latin and Afro-Caribbean label reissued Arsenio Rodrigueza’s Y Su Conjunto record which was first released in 1963. This isn’t the record from which today’s song appears, but it’s a lovely listen and is also accompanied by a very interesting bio – which you can find here
With regards to Dundunbanza, I’m not 100% of its original release date and need to do some further research to determine this – but if anyone can assist, please get in touch! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy it!
thelisteningpostblog.wordpress.com 