Their members included Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, before he left to join the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Jesus Alemany, who formed Cubanisimo. The band is still together.
The group Sierra Maestra, headed up by Juan d'Marcos Gonzales, is an outstanding nine-piece son band from Havana. They are one of the finest and most popular musical ensembles performing in the Spanish Caribbean today. They were the first group, and remain the best, to play in the old-style son line-up: tres, guitar, trumpet, bongo, güiro and vocals--as during the great days of the 1920s and '30s. They have been the pioneers in reviving this style for new generations and re-introducing it into the Cuban mainstream. They named themselves after the mountain range in the eastern part of Cuba as a tribute to the birthplace of son.
Sierra Maestra first performed in 1976 at the University of Havana where the group members all studied. Their aim, then as now, was to revive and re-explore this popular Cuban music style of the 1920s which had become forgotten. The original line-up mentioned above was slightly augmented with extra percussion (congas and maracas) and the replacement of the old marimbula with electric bass. Some of the guaracha rhythms were speeded up to allow for the move away from the slow close pair dancing of the '20s. This revival of son with a modern stamp was a sensation for the new generation of Cubans, and Sierra Maestra quickly became popular through playing the annual festivals at the universities around the island of Cuba. They won the first prize in each of their first 3 years - '76, '77 and '78. They were also appearing regularly on national TV.
In 1978, they were asked to represent Cuba at the "Festival Mundial de la Juventud y los Estudiantes" in Havana. In 1979, they took 4th place at the televised "Carifesta" Caribbean competition, also in Havana. In 1981 their first record, "Sierra Maestra llegó con el guanajo relleno", received a silver disc, a composite award for high sales, general popularity and critical reception. They also won individual prizes for the best recording, most popular song and the
highest record sales. 1981 was also the year of their first foreign tour -- to Nicaragua.
They recorded their second LP, "Y Son Asi", in 1982 and won the Girasol prize for being the most popular group of the year. They toured Angola and Nicaragua that year. In 1983 they won the "Benny More" dance music prize at the festival of the same name and took part in the IV Song Festival held in Helsinki. They then travelled to Sweden and France and to the International Film Festival in Spain (where they have often played over the years). Also in 1983, they recorded the soundtrack to the Cuban TV series "Las Impuras"; (more recently their song "A Los Rumberos de Belen" was used by Robert Redford for his film "The Milagro Beanfield War"). Since then Sierra Maestra have maintained a full international touring and recording career, around Europe, Africa and Asia.
In 1994 during their European tour, they recorded "Dundunbanza" for World Circuit Records in London, an extremely stylish cocktail of Arsenio Rodriguez tunes and other favourites. Sierra Maestra now have worldwide distribution for their music. One of Cuba's great musical secrets is now out!
La Mulata Presumida
Sierra Maestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y para colmo de males conmigo se quiere casar
Ella dice que yo soy el tipo que andaba buscando
Complaciente con bolsillo abierto dispuesto a gastar
En dos días que llevo con ella ya fui al Ribiera
A las tiendas de la Habana Vieja y a una paladar
Señores les pido un consejo de como poder escapar
Pues la mulata del cuerpo bonito me va a secar
Pues la mulata del cuerpo bonito me va a secar
Yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba
Yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba
Yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba
Solo piensa en Varadero y mi bolsillo no aguanta
In Sierra Maestra's song "La Mulata Presumida," the singer describes his predicament of being pursued by a beautiful but vain woman who wants to marry him. He laments that she sees him as a walking wallet, always ready to spend money on her, and has already taken him to fancy restaurants and shops. He seeks advice on how to escape from her clutches, as he fears that she will drain him of all his money. The repeated phrase "yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba" reflects his desire to shake off this woman and be free of her financial demands.
The lyrics of "La Mulata Presumida" depict the common trope of a man being trapped by a beautiful woman's superficial charms. However, the song subverts this stereotype by portraying the woman as a calculating gold-digger rather than a passive object of desire. Moreover, the song's use of humor and irony highlights the singer's self-awareness of his own folly in falling for her.
Line by Line Meaning
La mulata del cuerpo bonito es muy presumida
The attractive mulatto woman is very vain
Y para colmo de males conmigo se quiere casar
To make matters worse, she wants to marry me
Ella dice que yo soy el tipo que andaba buscando
She says I'm the type she's been looking for
Complaciente con bolsillo abierto dispuesto a gastar
Easygoing with an open wallet, willing to spend
En dos días que llevo con ella ya fui al Ribiera
In the two days I've been with her, I've already been to the Riviera
A las tiendas de la Habana Vieja y a una paladar
To the stores in Old Havana and to a small restaurant
Señores les pido un consejo de como poder escapar
Gentlemen, I ask for advice on how to escape
Pues la mulata del cuerpo bonito me va a secar
Because the attractive mulatto woman is going to drain me
Yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba
I want to shake off that upper-class mulatto woman
Yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba
I want to shake off that upper-class mulatto woman
Yo quiero sacudirme a esa mulata de arriba
I want to shake off that upper-class mulatto woman
Solo piensa en Varadero y mi bolsillo no aguanta
She only thinks of going to Varadero and my wallet can't handle it
Writer(s): angel bonne
Contributed by Mason B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mecrieconclave
Son de prestigio!!
@luisalfredogarciaflores712
soy mexicano pero esta musica me gusta es bonita.