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!
Tíbiri Tábara
Sierra Maestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
El tibri
Lo demas te lo dejo pa'ahorita
Hay un dichito por ahi, que se ha hecho popular
Hay un dichito por ahi, que se ha hecho popular
Y dice asi: y que mi hermano?
Con el tibiri tabara
Oye con el tibiri tabara
Hay un dichito por ahi, que se ha hecho popular
Hay un dichito por ahi, que se ha hecho popular
Y dice asi: y que mi hermano?
Y dice asi: y que mi socio?
Con el tibiri tabara
Oye con el tibiri tabara
Mira come dice
Tibiri, tibiri, tibiri . . .
(tibiri)(tabara)
Que es lo que se comenta (tibiri)
Un camello en la habana (tabara)
! que cosa mas extrana! (tibiri)
Los gatos ya no salen; (tabara)
Se fueron de parranda (tibiri)
Pa'l caldero y montados en un chivo
(tibiri)(tabara)
Belen, belen, belen
Belen, belen, belen.
Esto es para ti negrirta
Abelebe, abelebe, abelebe, como?
Ni yo mismo me entiendo, por eso mejor
Escuchamos a bernardo sassetti.
(tibiri) (tabara)
Como se goza en la habana
Baila la cubana
Como baila, como baila, me arrebata
Baila mambo y cha-cha-cha
Lo que tu quiera elle baila
Goza como yo, pero goza
Goza como yo, eh, que rico
Nos vamos con el tibiri
Y con el tabara
Sierra Maestra's "Tibiri Tabara" is a lively Cuban son that is widely popular as a party song. The lyrics begin with the singer announcing that they have brought something with them, calling out to the listener, "Do you know what I brought now, negra! The tibri. I'll leave the rest for now." The song goes on to play with a popular saying that goes, "And what about my brother? And what about my partner?" The refrain of the song is "con el tibiri tabara" and it creates a catchy rhythm that invites the listener to dance along. The rest of the song is a playful exchange between the singers, discussing a strange rumor that a camel has been seen in Havana, and poking fun at how the cats have all gone out partying.
Line by Line Meaning
Sabes lo que traigo ahora? negra!
Do you know what I have now? black woman!
El tibri
The tibri
Lo demas te lo dejo pa'ahorita
I'll leave the rest for now
Hay un dichito por ahi, que se ha hecho popular
There's a saying out there that has become popular
Y dice asi: y que mi hermano?
And it goes like this: what about my brother?
Y dice asi: y que mi socio?
And it goes like this: what about my partner?
Con el tibiri tabara
With the tibiri tabara
Oye con el tibiri tabara
Listen to the tibiri tabara
Mira come dice
Look how it goes
Tibiri, tibiri, tibiri . . .
Tibiri, tibiri, tibiri...
(tibiri)(tabara)
(tibiri) (tabara)
Que es lo que se comenta (tibiri)
What are they saying (tibiri)
Un camello en la habana (tabara)
A camel in Havana (tabara)
! que cosa mas extrana! (tibiri)
How strange! (tibiri)
Los gatos ya no salen; (tabara)
Cats don't go out anymore (tabara)
Se fueron de parranda (tibiri)
They went partying (tibiri)
Pa'l caldero y montados en un chivo
For the cauldron and riding a goat
Belen, belen, belen
Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Bethlehem
Esto es para ti negrirta
This is for you, little black woman
Abelebe, abelebe, abelebe, como?
Abelebe, abelebe, abelebe, how?
Ni yo mismo me entiendo, por eso mejor
I don't understand myself, so it's better
Escuchamos a bernardo sassetti.
Let's listen to Bernardo Sassetti.
Como se goza en la habana
How they enjoy in Havana
Baila la cubana
The Cuban dances
Como baila, como baila, me arrebata
How she dances, how she dances, she captivates me
Baila mambo y cha-cha-cha
Dances mambo and cha-cha-cha
Lo que tu quiera elle baila
Whatever you want, she'll dance
Goza como yo, pero goza
Enjoy like me, but enjoy
Goza como yo, eh, que rico
Enjoy like me, hey, how delicious
Nos vamos con el tibiri
We're going with the tibiri
Y con el tabara
And with the tabara
Contributed by Zachary P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.