Paulito's band, the Élite, has always been exceptional, but in 1997 he assembled the truly amazing collection of musicians who collaborated to create one of Timba's crown jewels, Paulito's masterpiece, "Con la Conciencia Tranquila". This album is definitely the starting point for those getting into Paulito's music for the first time. It's his best, and also one of the best, if not the best of the entire Timba genre.
In the early years, Paulito had tours of duty with Dan Den and Adalberto Álvarez, but it was in Opus 13 that he met up with Juan Ceruto, who would be his musical director and arrange almost all of his compositions throughout the 90's. Ceruto, a saxophonist gifted with absolute pitch and a Mozartean ability to conceive entire arrangement in his head without the help of a piano or computer, is also a perfectionist in terms of intonation and phrasing in the horn section. Ceruto, now widely acknowledged for writing and recording exquisite horn arrangements on any number of recent Cuban productions, put together what might be the best horn section in the history of Timba, featuring among others, the brilliant Alexander Abreu on trumpet. Paulito and Ceruto had a special and enduring creative chemistry that resulted in four and a half excellent albums in which almost every song was written by Paulito and arranged by Ceruto. The first was "Tú No Me Calculas". They later latched onto one of Timba's finest trap drummers, Joel Paez, and recorded "Sofocándote". Next they added Tomás Cruz, an extremely creative young conguero who now plays with Manolín in Miami, and Yosvel Bernal, a multi-talented keyboardist/singer/trombonist, and the nephew of Los Van Van's Edmundo Pina. This group recorded the album prior to "Con la Conciencia" which was released twice, with the same eleven tracks in different orders. The Nueva Fania version is simply called "Paulito" and shows PFG in a white suit against a white background. The other release is called "El Bueno Soy Yo". I'll have a lot more detail on these three albums and as well as Paulito recording prior to the formation the the Élite when I do the full series of Paulito pages, but my current impression is that the Élite really began to leap into creative fray of the Timba revolution with this third disc.
Regardless, there's no question whatsoever that all of the pieces fell together when synth player Sergio Noroña took over on piano and young Joel Domínguez was added on bass. Noroña, (who also has an uncle in Los Van Van!) ranks among the top few figures in the history of Timba piano playing, and his ultra-creative tumbaos blended magically with Ceruto's horn arrangments, as did the bass tumbaos of Domínguez who himself would go on to become the top-notch arranger responible for the Grammy-nominated arrangement of Issac Delgado's "La Fórmula". Joel is currently in Spain and timba.com is close to completing an interview with him. More fiery creativity came from Paez and Tomás Cruz in form of potent bloques and improvised percussion fills.Not to be overlooked is the sparse and creative campana bell style of bongocero Luis Chacón and the pristine coros of Noroña, Bernal and Paulito's talented sister Ana, and the tasteful guitar-playing of Rogelio Nápoles, brother of Manolín's bassist Victoriano Nápoles.
The creative chemistry of this highly-disciplined and rigorously-rehearsed group was something to behold. "Con la Conciencia Tranquila" is the perfect amalgamation of Paulito's songs, Ceruto's arrangements, and the ultra-creative rhythm section hooks of Noroña, the two Joeles, Yosvel Bernal and wonderfully melodic conguero, Tomás Cruz. And as a performing unit, the Élite of 1997 could go head to head with the monster Issac Delgado group that recorded "Rarities". If one were blessed with a Timba Time Machine, its default setting would have to be 1997. On any given night, Havana's blazing nightclub scene might feature the Charanga Habanera of "Tremendo Delirio", the Los Van Van of "Esto Te Pone La Cabeza Mala", the Manolín band of "De Buena Fe", the Bamboleo of "Yo No Me Parezco a Nadie", the Klimax of "Juego de Manos" and of course the twin juggernauts of Issac and Paulito. Incredibly, 1997 witnessed what was arguably the greatest incarnation of each of these seven groups.
Immediately after "Con la Conciencia Tranquila", the band recorded radio demos of "La Última Bala" (which was later re-recorded and retitled as "Una Vez Más" on the 2000 release), and possibly Paulito's greatest arrangement, the sublime "Laura No Está", which was inexplicably never released on a commercially available album. Then began a long series of personnel changes.
Paulito himself, while his outward image is that of a matinee idol surrounded by legions of adoring young female fans, is actually an extremely intelligent musician, with a highly developed ability to improvise both notes and words. He plays with the melodies and phrasing of his songs much more than most other Timba singers and has shown an extraordinary talent for spontaneously inventing guías in the heat of performance. He also has excellent pitch and phrasing and bootleg live recordings show him to be among the most consistently excellent Timba vocalists on the concert stage, where a singer must ply his or her craft without the benefit of modern recording techniques to make each note perfect.
So Paulito's glamorous and glitzy diva image belies the fact that he's also one of the best and most intelligent musicians in Timba. Somewhat tragically, however, his intelligence has occasionally failed him badly in terms of correctly assessing the value of keeping his band together. In defense of Mr. FG's legendary penchant for underpaying his musicians, the dynamics of the Havana scene are such that:
1) bandleaders tend to make many times more money that the sum of his sidemen
2) musicians are known to jump to other bands with frequency
3) the huge amount of young talent allows the bandleaders to quickly regroup when faced with defections.
But in 1997, both Issac and Paulito had musicians who could not be replaced so easily, if at all. Melón, Ceruto, Alain Pérez, the Joeles (Domínguez and Paez) -- these musicians were much more than sidemen. They were critically important creative figures without whose contributions, Timba as we know it would not exist. And they played together with a rhythmic fire that can't be described in words. It simply has to be heard. And yet, both Issac and Paulito were guilty of letting these historically great bands fall apart. The difference was that while Issac's band went to Spain, Paulito's went ot Issac!
We'll give you the blow by blow on all of this high drama and juicy chisme when we get to the full-blown sections on Paulito and Issac, but for now, we continue with the Paulito F.G. saga. Paulito managed to keep a steady flow of brilliant pianistic talent - from Noroña to Pepe Rivero to Yaniel "El Majá" Matos to Rolando Luna to Roberto "Cucurucho" Carlos, who has just recently joined Los Van Van. The Joeles were replaced by Mauricio Herrera and Cristobal Verdecia, both excellent. And so the group continued on, developing the excellent arrangements which form the core of "Una Vez Más...Por Amor", but partway through the recording of that album, Paulito lost Ceruto, who now concentrates on his own projects and on collaborations with (you guessed it) Issac Delgado. Alexander Abreu, generally considered the top lead trumpet player in Cuba, also departed.
In 2002, Paulito still has a fantastic band, but so far we haven't heard new material from him of the calibre of "Con la Conciencia" and the best of "Una Vez Más". Fortunately, recent live performances show Paulito's singing and stage manner to be stronger than ever and he still has quite an excellent and well-rehearsed band. The next album should be extremely interesting indeed. One rumor has Dariel Tellez, of Charanga Forever, taking over on piano for the Élite. Another has Paulito collaborating with Sergio George, who by the way is also rumored to be collaborating with Bamboleo, but it's been quite a while since those reports surfaced and it's seeming less and less likely that anything will come of them. There's a lot of uncertainty revolving around the fates of several major Timba bands in 2002 and Paulito's is one of them.
A BRIEF SECTION ON PAULITO'S EARLY HISTORY:
Paulo Alfonso Fernandez Gallo born on January 11,1962 in Buena Vista, one of the most popular neighborhoods in Havana.
As a young child he was inspired by such legendary musical figures as Benny Moré, Juan Formell and Pacho Alonso. However, his undeniable talent for music was inherited his from his mother Caridad Gallo, a pianist and poet. She use to asked him to sing along with her while she played the piano, teaching him the vocal lines, harmony, melody and bass.
His big career break came when legendary musician Adalberto Álvarez discovered and recruited him after recognizing his passion for singing. In 1990 he joined Opus 13 and in 1991 assumed leadership and turned it into Paulito F.G. y su Elite. Since then he has consistantly been one of Cuba's hottest performers captivating audiences of all ages, races and cultural backgrounds.
Sin Etiqueta
Paulo FG Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Otro grande de la élite, Alexander Abreu
Yo igual q tu,
Estoy aquí Por obra y gracia del señor Dios nos puso en el camino.
Tú venías de Cienfuegos, E
Ras un chamaco pero aquello, Aquello era el musireo.
Era bonito cantar y ser acompañado de una banda estelar... A raraaa.
Cómo la élite, donde tú yo mucho tiempo pasamos, mucho q disfrutamos
Señores este mulato tiene tremendo arrebato y el al
Igual q yo es de la calle popular y la pone donde va porque.
Yo no nació en el velado y siendo hijo de
En los tiempos en q a mami se llevaba una pistola y
Ya con 14 años quería meterme en la cola para entrar
Yo soy cantante de etiqueta soy un cantante de detalle,
Yo canto pa la gente de meseta y canto pa mi gente de la calle (bis)
Ay dios
Como dijo Roberton dos almas q en el mundo
Había unido dios el con la trompeta y yo con mi voz.
Quería ver a los Van Van,
Irakere y la Reve y con ellos aprender lo q hice con Dan Den,
Mucho trabajo por hasta llegar a UQ13 pero al
Final coroné como él, lo q el esfuerzo merece dice
Yo le canto al amor a los hombres a las mujeres
También le canto a los niños y a lo q mi gente quiere.
Y es que yo canto pa todos y eso es lo q me
Mantiene yo canto pal q le sobra y también pal q no tiene.
Mano arriba mano arriba, toda la gente del barrio mano arribaaaa...
Yo con mi voz no soy de etiqueta pero que tú escucho a ti q
La pones con el corazón y viernes con tu trompeta (Pablo fg)
Yo soy el hijo de Yemayá q viene echando candela nene
Representando a la escuela de la música cubana Pablo FG tú ve
Nosotros pasamos por París y también por Nueva York pero
Todavía estamos con aquí por q aquí está lo mejor, ustedes
Yo soy el q te llena tu crucigrama el q te canta por
Ochun medio la luz, Chango me echo la bendición,
Yemaya esa es mi mamá y Obatalá la cabeza es de papá (bis)
Ahora tengo lo q tengo pero no fue regalao
Porque mucho q he luchado y por eso me mantengo(bis)
Y al q le duela ese es su problema al q le guste eso es pa q lo
Disfruté y al q le encante eso es pa q lo
Cante si no le guaya q ya tire la toalla (bis)
Guapo y fajao pa q te crea, porque sino pierde la pelea (bis0)
In "Sin Etiqueta," Paulo FG reflects on his journey as a Cuban musician and how he has stayed true to his roots despite success and opportunities to cater to a more elite audience. The lyrics speak to his struggles growing up in a working-class environment and wanting to learn from and perform with some of the most renowned bands in Cuba, such as Van Van, Irakere, and La Reve. He also acknowledges the role of spirituality and his connection to the Afro-Cuban deities, Yemaya and Obatala. Through it all, he remains grounded and dedicated to creating music that speaks to all people, regardless of their social status or background. The song is a celebration of Cuban culture and identity, as well as a reminder that success does not have to come at the expense of authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
La clave, No la siento de hace rato
I haven't been feeling the clave rhythm for a while now
Otro grande de la élite, Alexander Abreu
Here's another great musician from the elite, Alexander Abreu
Yo igual q tu, Estoy aquí Por obra y gracia del señor Dios nos puso en el camino.
Just like you, I'm here by the grace of God and the path he laid for me.
Tú venías de Cienfuegos, E Ras un chamaco pero aquello, Aquello era el musireo.
You came from Cienfuegos, still a kid and yet that place was bustling.
Era bonito cantar y ser acompañado de una banda estelar... A raraaa.
It was beautiful to sing alongside a star studded band, oh how rare.
Cómo la élite, donde tú yo mucho tiempo pasamos, mucho q disfrutamos
Like the elite, where we spent a lot of time, and we had so much fun
Y no perdimos el control, cómo lo dije hace un rato, Señores este mulato tiene tremendo arrebato y el al Igual q yo es de la calle popular y la pone donde va porque.
And we didn't lose control, as I said earlier, ladies and gentlemen, this mixed-blood man has a lot of passion and he, just like me, is from the popular street and he takes it wherever he goes because he can.
Yo no nació en el velado y siendo hijo de En los tiempos en q a mami se llevaba una pistola y Ya con 14 años quería meterme en la cola para entrar
I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and in times when my mom carried a pistol, I was already 14 and wanting to join the line to get in.
Yo soy cantante de etiqueta soy un cantante de detalle, Yo canto pa la gente de meseta y canto pa mi gente de la calle (bis)
I'm a formal singer, a detailed singer, I sing for everyone, for those in the plateau and for my street people. (repeated)
Ay dios Como dijo Roberton dos almas q en el mundo Había unido dios el con la trompeta y yo con mi voz.
Oh God, like Roberton said, two souls in the world, God with his trumpet and me with my voice were united.
Quería ver a los Van Van, Irakere y la Reve y con ellos aprender lo q hice con Dan Den, Mucho trabajo por hasta llegar a UQ13 pero al Final coroné como él, lo q el esfuerzo merece dice
I wanted to see Van Van, Irakere, and La Reve and learn from them what I did with Dan Den. It took a lot of work to get to UQ13 but in the end, I'm crowned like him, deserving of the effort put in.
Yo le canto al amor a los hombres a las mujeres También le canto a los niños y a lo q mi gente quiere. Y es que yo canto pa todos y eso es lo q me Mantiene yo canto pal q le sobra y también pal q no tiene.
I sing for love, for men, for women. I also sing for children and what my people want. And I sing for everyone, and that's what keeps me going. I sing for those who have excess and those who have nothing.
Mano arriba mano arriba, toda la gente del barrio mano arribaaaa...
Hands up, hands up! Everyone from the neighborhood, hands upp!
Yo con mi voz no soy de etiqueta pero que tú escucho a ti q La pones con el corazón y viernes con tu trompeta (Pablo fg)
With my voice, I'm not proper, but when you listen to me and play along with your heart and trumpet on Friday (Pablo FG).
Yo soy el hijo de Yemayá q viene echando candela nene Representando a la escuela de la música cubana Pablo FG tú ve Nosotros pasamos por París y también por Nueva York pero Todavía estamos con aquí por q aquí está lo mejor, ustedes
I'm the son of Yemaya, who comes in hot and representing the Cuban music school, Pablo FG, you see. We've been to Paris and New York, but we're still here because the best is here, with you.
Yo soy el q te llena tu crucigrama el q te canta por Ochun medio la luz, Chango me echo la bendición, Yemaya esa es mi mamá y Obatalá la cabeza es de papá (bis)
I'm the one who fills your crossword, the one who sings for you in the light of Oshun. Chango bestowed his blessing upon me, Yemaya is my mom, and Obatala is my father's head. (repeated)
Ahora tengo lo q tengo pero no fue regalao Porque mucho q he luchado y por eso me mantengo(bis)
Now I have what I have, but it wasn't given to me as a gift. Because I fought hard for it, that's why I'm still standing. (repeated)
Y al q le duela ese es su problema al q le guste eso es pa q lo Disfruté y al q le encante eso es pa q lo Cante si no le guaya q ya tire la toalla (bis)
And if it hurts someone, that's their problem. If someone likes it, enjoy it. And if someone loves it, sing it. If not, throw in the towel. (repeated)
Guapo y fajao pa q te crea, porque sino pierde la pelea (bis0)
Tough and strong to make you believe, because otherwise, the fight is lost. (repeated)
Writer(s): paulo fg
Contributed by Aubrey R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@uliseshurtado4929
Es un ejemplo de verdaderos músicos cubanos, Bendiciones para ellos, que su música siga llegando al corazón a todos los cubanos y al mundo.
@maryvicdiazdelapaz247
La verdadera música cubana. Con una selección de músicos cubanos de los mejores🇨🇺👏👏👏
@edwinsantiago7582
Los Puertoriquenos y cubanos son hermanos igual que cuarquier otra patria no sigan haciendo
comentarios que no tienen lojica todos somos hermanos gosemonos LA musica y Nada mas LA musica une las personas no las. Divide respeto . todos mis hermanos Latinos.
@yodisvelllorente5558
Así mismo mi hermano
@valiamariasancheznunez5860
Esta mi gente, la de verdad, la valiosa, estoy orgullosa de ser cubana y de venir de un país tan rico en todo, con gente única y con unos músicos de elite, de los buenos y los grandes pablito fg y Alexander abreu.
@danielarias9590
Que clase de músicos estos dos.....Paulito ya merece hasta un filme....ésa canción describe su dura infancia y adolescencia....después triunfó
@Llayalablanco
Paulo FG,me encanta tu musica,eres tan profecional,sigo tu musica desde jovencita no importa lo lejo que estoy de Cuba,yo me las ingenios para estar al dia con tu musica,eres lo maximo!!!!!!!
@jesusserrano541
Alexander es un Guerrero de nuestra musica, a Dios Gracias Cuba Meca y Cuna de la mejor musica del mundo, lo digo yo que vivo en USA he visto todo, yben Cuba es la Escuela. Libreta y Lápiz, que el curso dura poco, y seguimis creando!
@michelhuzam461
Paulo y alexander la ponen donde quieren. Hoy lo mejor saludos desde Perú.
@rosariobuides9256
Dos grandes de mi cubita dios me los cuide bendiciónnes 👍