Johnny Pacheco (March 25,1935 - February 15, 2021) was a Dominican-American… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Pacheco (March 25,1935 - February 15, 2021) was a Dominican-American musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. He became one of the leading exponents of a new dance in the late 1950s called the pachanga, a blend of Cuban rhythms and merengue, which propelled him to worldwide notoriety, and had an important role in the evolution of Latin music.

Pacheco inherited his passion for music from his father, Rafael Azarias Pacheco, who was the bandleader and clarinetist of the “Santa Cecilia Orchestra”. In the late 1940s, when Pacheco was 11, his family moved to New York City from his native Dominican Republic. He continued polishing his musical skills, learning to play accordion, violin, saxophone and clarinet. He attended the Juilliard School of Music to study percussion.

Playing the flute, saxophone and assorted percussion, Pacheco performed with Charlie Palmieri‘s Latin orchestra for a number of years before forming his own band in 1959. Experimentation was the focus of his new band, blending African music of Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican heritage into what came to be known as salsa.

In 1960, he organized his first orchestra, “Pacheco y Su Charanga”. The band signed with Alegre Records and its first album “Johnny Pacheco y Su Charanga” sold over 100,000 copies within the first year. Beginning then and through the end of 1963, Pacheco introduced a new dance craze called “Pachanga”. He became an internationally renowned star and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Moreover '"Pacheco y Su Charanga", was the first Latin band to headline the Apollo in 1962 and 1963.

The early Fania All-Stars band was made up of Johnny Pacheco, musical director and flute; Larry Harlow on piano, Bobby Valentin on bass guitar, Ray Barretto on conga, (replaced by Eddie Montalvo later on) Roberto Roena on bongo, Orestes Vilato on timbales, (replaced by Nicky Marrero later on); Willie Colón, Barry Rodgers, and Renaldo Jorge(replaced by several others) on trombones, Larry Spencer , Roberto Rodriguez (replaced by Victor Paz) and Hector “Bomberito” Zarzuela on trumpets, and Yomo Toro on the cuatro (a small Puerto Rican guitar with ten strings). The lead singers included vocalists from the Colon, Pacheco, Barretto and Harlow bands. Hector Lavoe, Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, Adalberto Santiago, Ismael Miranda, were joined by Santitos Colon (from the Tito Puente band) and Jose Cheo Feliciano (from the Joe Cuba band). Early Fania All Stars guests were Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Joe Bataan, Monguito, Mongo Santamaria, Jimmy Sabater, La La, Louie Ramirez, Ralph Robles, Yomo Toro, Nicky Marrero, Ricardo Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz. The 1970’s line-up included Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Papo Lucca, Eddie Palmieri, Andy Montañez, Jorge Santana (Carlos’s brother), drummer Billy Cobham and the Cameroonian sax player Manu Dibango, who appeared as a guest in concerts and live recordings in Africa and New York.

Químbara
Johnny Pacheco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Ee mama ee mama
Ee mama ee mama

La rumba me esta llamando bombo

Dile que ya voy
Que me espere un momentico asi
Mientras canto un guaguancó
Dile que no es un desprecio
Pues vive en mi corazón
Mi vida, es tan solo eso
Rumba buena y guaguancó

Ee mama ee mama

¿Cómo? ay dios mio
Pero que lio, y dice
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Ay, si quieres gozar
Quieres bailar
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba

Pero lo baila Teresa y lo baila Juanito
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba

Pero lo baila Teresa y lo baila Joseito
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba

Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba

Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba (Quimera)
Ay, Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba, quimera

Overall Meaning

The song "Quimbara" by Johnny Pacheco is a classic salsa song that is beloved by many. The lyrics are highly rhythmic, using repetition and chant-like refrains to create a sense of excitement and energy. The song is a celebration of the joy of dance and of Latin rhythms, with the singer explaining how the "rumba" (a type of Latin dance) is calling to them and they cannot resist its pull.

The lyrics are highly influenced by Afro-Caribbean music and culture, with many references to traditional styles of dance and music like the guaguancó. It is a song that is meant to make people move and dance, with its highly percussive rhythms and infectious energy.

Overall, the song is a joyful celebration of dance and the power that music can have to move people. It is a tribute to Latin music and culture, and remains a beloved classic among salsa and Latin music fans to this day.

Line by Line Meaning

Quimbara quimbara quma quimbamba
Repeated chant serving as the chorus and expressing a joyous feeling

Ee mama ee mama
Expression of enthusiasm and excitement

La rumba me esta llamando bombo
The rhythm of the rumba music is calling me to dance

Dile que ya voy
Tell the music that I'm coming to dance

Que me espere un momentico asi
Ask the music to wait for a moment while I sing a guaguancó

Mientras canto un guaguancó
While I sing a guaguancó, a style of Cuban music and dance

Dile que no es un desprecio
Explain to the music that it's not an insult to ask it to wait

Pues vive en mi corazón
Because the love for music lives in my heart

Mi vida, es tan solo eso
For me, it's just a way of life

Rumba buena y guaguancó
Two different styles of Cuban music, expressing the love for both

¿Cómo? ay dios mio
Expression of surprise and excitement