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!
Marieta
Sierra Maestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
¡Ay Dios!
No quiero mujer bonita
¡Ay Dios!
Cómo soy chiquito y bobo
¡Ay Dios!
No quiero mujer bonita
¡Ay Dios!
Viene un grande y me la quita
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
Se des atiné y me enseñe las letras
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
Mi madre me dijo a mi
¡Ay Dios!
Que cantará y que gozará
¡Ay Dios!
Mi madre me dijo a mi
¡Ay Dios!
Que cantará y que gozará
¡Ay Dios!
Pero que no me metiera
¡Ay Dios!
En camisa de once varas
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
Se des atiné y me lleve a la fiesta
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
Elena te estoy llamando
¡Ay Dios!
Elena tú no respondes
¡Ay Dios!
Elena te estoy llamando
¡Ay Dios!
Elena tú no respondes
¡Ay Dios!
Elena se que te llamas
¡Ay Dios!
Si no te han cambiado el nombre
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
¡Eh!
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa Marieta
The lyrics of Sierra Maestra’s Marieta are quite playful and lighthearted overall, but there are certainly some underlying messages and themes to be explored. The first few lines establish the singer as a naïve and perhaps insecure young man, expressing his lack of interest in beautiful women because he fears losing them to “bigger” guys. This insecurity seems to be balanced, however, by a love of dance and music, which is where Marieta comes in.
Throughout the song, the singer professes his admiration for Marieta’s dancing skills and suggests a desire to dance with her himself. This desire is also tied to a desire for a sense of community and celebration, which is hinted at in lines like “my mother told me to sing and enjoy myself.” There is a suggestion that dancing with Marieta represents a connection to a deeper cultural tradition of music and dance that is vital to the singer’s happiness.
Overall, the lyrics of Marieta are simple and straightforward, but they speak to deeper themes of insecurity, desire, and community. The singer’s desire to dance with Marieta represents a connection to his own roots and a sense of belonging in a larger cultural context.
Line by Line Meaning
Cómo soy chiquito y bobo
¡Ay Dios!
I am a naive and inexperienced person who is overwhelmed by the thought of a beautiful woman. I feel helpless and in awe of the female beauty.
No quiero mujer bonita
¡Ay Dios!
I do not want a beautiful woman as I am afraid that someone bigger and stronger than me will take her away.
Por qué desgracia de Dios
Viene un grande y me la quita
I am wondering why a bigger and stronger person always takes away the woman I like, despite my innocent and pure intentions.
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
Se des atiné y me enseñe las letras
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
I enjoy Marieta's company as she dances with me, and I like her style of dancing. I am keen to learn the dance steps from her, and I look forward to dancing with her often.
Mi madre me dijo a mi
¡Ay Dios!
Que cantará y que gozará
¡Ay Dios!
My mother advised me to sing and enjoy life, but at the same time, she warned me not to get into complex and difficult situations.
Pero que no me metiera
¡Ay Dios!
En camisa de once varas
She advised me not to get into trouble by entering into complicated and challenging situations that I may not be able to handle.
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
Se des atiné y me lleve a la fiesta
I enjoy dancing with Marieta, and I look forward to her taking me to parties and events where I can enjoy her company and spend time with her.
Elena te estoy llamando
¡Ay Dios!
Elena tú no respondes
¡Ay Dios!
I am trying to contact Elena, but she is not responding to my calls, and I am frustrated and feeling helpless in this situation.
Elena se que te llamas
¡Ay Dios!
Si no te han cambiado el nombre
I know that Elena is her name, and I hope that she has not changed her name, which would make it harder to locate her.
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
¡Eh!
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa morena
A mí me gusta que baile Marieta
A mí me gusta bailar con esa Marieta
Overall, I love spending time with Marieta and dancing with her, and she represents the ideal woman who is approachable, fun-loving, and enjoyable to be around. I hope to spend more time with her in the future.
Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.