Puerto Plata (musician)
Encyclopedia
Born in the resort town of Puerto Plata
in the Dominican Republic, José Cobles (nicknamed Puerto Plata) (born 1923) sings in a style reminiscent of the Dominican guitar tradition of the 1930s and 40s, when bolero
, merengue
, and son
were all variations of the same Afro-Iberian fusion.
Under the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
, few recordings were made of guitar music in the Dominican republic. Trujillo favored merengue tipico, a rural style of merengue
played with the accordion. While guitar music was still immensely popular among the poor, it was looked down on by the nation's elite, and few opportunities were given for guitar based groups to record or perform is classy venues. After Trujillo's assassination in 1961, guitar music continued to be stigmatized, but an industry began to coalesce around popular guitar acts who by then were evolving a style which has come to be known as bachata.
Puerto Plata gives one of the few surviving examples of the style of music played in the Trujillo period - before Dominican guitar music evolved into bachata. Compared to modern bachateros, Puerto Plata's style, while strongly Dominican, is closer to that of contemporary Cuban masters like Trio Matamoros
and Antonio Machin
.
Puerto Plata's band is made up of some of the Dominican Republic's finest musicians, including virtuoso guitar legends Edilio Paredes
and Frank Mendez.
Mujer de Cabaret, Puerto Plata first internationally distributed album, was released by iASO Records in September 2007 to much critical acclaim including glowing reviews in the New York Times and France's Liberation. Puerto Plata's followup, "Casita de Campo", was selected by National Geographic as one of the ten best albums of 2009.
Puerto Plata has performed at festivals and performing arts centers throughout the USA and Canada, including Montreal Jazz Festical, Seattle's Meany Hall, World Music Festival: Chicago, Madison World Music Festival, Globalquerque in Albuquerque
, NM
and many more.
San Felipe de Puerto Plata
San Felipe de Puerto Plata, often referred to as simply Puerto Plata, is the capital of the Dominican province Puerto Plata.The city is famous for resorts such as Playa Dorada and Costa Dorada, located east of San Felipe de Puerto Plata. There are a total of 100,000 hotel beds in the city.The only...
in the Dominican Republic, José Cobles (nicknamed Puerto Plata) (born 1923) sings in a style reminiscent of the Dominican guitar tradition of the 1930s and 40s, when bolero
Bolero
Bolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
, merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
, and son
Son (music)
The Son cubano is a style of music that originated in Cuba and gained worldwide popularity in the 1930s. Son combines the structure and elements of Spanish canción and the Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion instruments of Bantu and Arará origin...
were all variations of the same Afro-Iberian fusion.
Under the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina , nicknamed El Jefe , ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. He officially served as president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952, otherwise ruling as an unelected military strongman...
, few recordings were made of guitar music in the Dominican republic. Trujillo favored merengue tipico, a rural style of merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
played with the accordion. While guitar music was still immensely popular among the poor, it was looked down on by the nation's elite, and few opportunities were given for guitar based groups to record or perform is classy venues. After Trujillo's assassination in 1961, guitar music continued to be stigmatized, but an industry began to coalesce around popular guitar acts who by then were evolving a style which has come to be known as bachata.
Puerto Plata gives one of the few surviving examples of the style of music played in the Trujillo period - before Dominican guitar music evolved into bachata. Compared to modern bachateros, Puerto Plata's style, while strongly Dominican, is closer to that of contemporary Cuban masters like Trio Matamoros
Trio Matamoros
The Trio Matamoros were one of the most popular Cuban trova groups. Formed in 1925 by Miguel Matamoros , Rafael Cueto and Siro Rodriguez...
and Antonio Machin
Antonio Machín
Antonio Machín was a Cuban singer and musician. His version of El Manisero, recorded in New York, 1930, with Don Azpiazú's orchestra, was the first million record seller for a Cuban artist...
.
Puerto Plata's band is made up of some of the Dominican Republic's finest musicians, including virtuoso guitar legends Edilio Paredes
Edilio Paredes
Originally from the small country town of La Galana, near San Francisco de Macoris, Edilio Paredes is one of the most influential figures in the development of the Dominican music tradition of bachata. In a career now spanning over 40 years, Edilio has...
and Frank Mendez.
Mujer de Cabaret, Puerto Plata first internationally distributed album, was released by iASO Records in September 2007 to much critical acclaim including glowing reviews in the New York Times and France's Liberation. Puerto Plata's followup, "Casita de Campo", was selected by National Geographic as one of the ten best albums of 2009.
Puerto Plata has performed at festivals and performing arts centers throughout the USA and Canada, including Montreal Jazz Festical, Seattle's Meany Hall, World Music Festival: Chicago, Madison World Music Festival, Globalquerque in Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, NM
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and many more.