Ah hell, I was going to post this sometime this month. I might as well do the honest thing and just repost the complete thing from last year. You're welcome.:
I don't really pay attention to the National [fill in the blank] Month things. [Whatever] Awareness Month is usually noticed after seeing or hearing about it about ten times. So I didn't realize that National Hispanic Heritage Month is upon us. It's September 15 through October 15. I also learned that the term Hispanic is now kind of controversial. So, I will call it "National Flaco Jimenez, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, Los Saicos, Celia Cruz, Thee Midniters, Willie Colon, Johnny Pacheco, Etc. Month"
Here's a song that was played incessantly on the radio when it came out,
and for several years thereafter. There was no point in buying it
because you'd heard it so often. It wasn't until years later that the
song went away. Then, after a gap of not hearing it, I heard it again,
with more learned ears. Loud. It was no longer wallpaper. It was a
fucking cool song. El Chicano's "Viva Tirado" is up there with "Take
Five" and "Green Onions" in terms of defining a sound. Theirs was a
cover. The original is down there along with a another cover by Augustus
Pablo (not his best but interesting to hear).
El Chicano - Viva Tirado mp3 at Internet Archive
Augustus Pablo - Viva Tirado (streaming) at YouTube
Gerald Wilson - Viva Tirado mp3 at Musica del Alma The original
Visit:
Yes, We're Calling It Hispanic Heritage Month And We Know It Makes Some Of You Cringe at NPR
1 comment:
I have the "Viva Tirado" LP. I paid 50¢ {cutout} back then for it at Sure Save Drugs, ostensibly a small pharmacy on N. Ashland & W. School Sts. here in Chicago. This was the same store where I latched on to some Kenny Rogers and the First Edition LPs similarly priced.
What snuck up on me was that this is a jazz track, sounding nothing like "Tell Her She's Lovely". The single was on the jukebox at the Green Mill.
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