The Start of a New Age – Cuban Music and Diffusion

Title: The Start of a New Age- Cuban Music and Diffusion 

By Nandini Vishwakarma 

Intro music (start of Cao Cao Mani Picao):  

Introduction: Welcome to Parle avec Moi, where today we will be discussing Celia Cruz and her vibrant legacy. Celia Cruz, the legendary “Queen of Salsa,” played an important role in shaping Carribean music and its diffusion to the rest of the world. Her music was deeply rooted in Afro-Cuban traditions and now exemplifies how sound functioned as a carrier of history and identity as it moved to different continents.  

Celia Cruz yelling “azucar!” 

Summary: In this podcast, we will analyze her career and the way it transformed the world’s view of Cuban music. TWe will explore how Celia Cruz’s music exemplifies the concepts of schizophonia and listening, particularly through the lens of Jean Luc Nancy’s concept of “listening”. Finally, we will see examples of how her work bridges cultural boundaries and contributes to the broader discussion of Carribean sound and music. 

Biography: Let’s start with the basics. Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1925, right around the time when the nation of Cuba was struggling over its own identity. After independence from the Spanish Empire, Cuba only had a breath of relief between then and 1902, where the country experienced several disturbances such as changing governments, US military occupations and natural disasters.  

In 1925, the U.S. Senate had finally ratified the Hay-Quesada treaty affirming Cuban sovereignity on the Isle de la Juventud and other minor archipelagos, which remarked a major addition to the Cuban national identity. Though this era ended in 1959 with the Cuban Revolution, the United States had great influence on Cuban politics and popular media. However, even in this tumultuous time, Cuban traditions and music forms flourished. 

Analysis of musical style: Celia Cruz’s music stems from and represents the confluence of Afro-Cuban rhythms, including son, rumba, and guaracha, which she adapted to fit newer muscial trends of her time. In Havana, Cruz’ early exposure to these traditional forms shaped her artistry later on in her music career. And with her migration to the United States following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, her career and her music changed with her and became widely popular through the American avenues. Her adaptation to changing times in her life shows how sound travels with us and therefore also crosses geographical and political barriers of the time. 

Schizophonia: That brings us to the key we’ll explore today! The concept of schizophonia refers to sound that is split from its source through the invention of recording technology.  

*vinyl crackle or a retro radio tuning sound 

In Cruz’s case, the new concept of recorded music introuced to her in the US allowed her voice and Afro-Cuban rhythms to travel beyond their origins from Cuba. This separation of the source of sound and the sound itself, took place because of radio broadcasts, vinyl records, and later digital formats, whicb then allowed listeners to experience her music without physically being at performances. This is different from how Celia Cruz originally experienced music forms in her early life, where the source of the sound and music was her physical community around her. While she physically left Cuba, her sound preserved Cuban musical traditions, reaching global audiences who may have had no direct contact with Cuban music origins. In recordings, like mentioned in the Katz Tapes by Larry Katz, Cruz’s voice acts as a bridge between displaced Cuban communities and the mainland. The technological shifts that allowed more poeple to listen to her music also transformed the perception of Cuban music, ensuring its influence despite political barriers of the time. 

Listening: Let’s add another layer to this: Jean-Luc Nancy’s concept of listening offers another framework to understand how her music helped with cultural preservation. In his work, Nancy suggests that listening isn’t a passive act, but more active and adds to our overall memory, emotion, and resonance. Cruz’s music does not only Cuban heritage but evoked emotions related to the music in Cuban, American, and global communities. Her performances were filled with many call-and-response structures and polyrhythmic elements, which engaged audiences in immersive experiences that preserved Afro-Cuban traditions even in these changing times. In a way, these people sang along and became part of the legacy when they participated in a shared cultural memory. 

Trade-Offs: But there are also trade-offs that come with using technology to diffuse sound to more people. Cruz’s music also reflects the transformation of traditional sound through technological innovation. Early Afro-Cuban genres were mostly acoustic and relied on live performances to convey their rhythmic complexity. However with advancements in recording technology, her music added electric instrumental elements, layered production, and studio effects that changed traditional sounds. These changes not only modernized Cuban music but also made it more appealing to international audiences. Acousmatic sound played a critical role in this transformation, as recordings took away the visual presence of traditional Cuban music, but still did well to preserve sound. Overall, these adaptations and trade-offs were evolving for trandtional Cuban music and had a global impact. 

Moreover, the production techniques in her recordings changed traditional sounds. Classic Cuban instruments like the conga, timbales, and güiro were often amplified and modified for mass consumption. These technological alterations contributed to the evolution of salsa, making it more appealing to a broader audience while maintaining its Afro-Cuban roots. This “recontexting” of sound conveys the dual nature of schizophonia—both a loss of authenticity and a method of cultural diffusion like a sort of trade-off. 

Analysis of songs with La Sonora Matancera 

Analysis of Song 1: Cao Cao Mani Picao 

1. Cao Cao Mani Picao: This song is a fun, street-style chant that tells the story of a peanut vendor whose spicy peanuts are too hot for the average person. It’s full of double entendres and rhythmic call-and-response, rooted in Cuban street life and Afro-Cuban expressions. 

Sound effects: play a short sample of cao cao mani picao, the original recording 

The lyrics of the song also read into like a vendor’s chant to sell peanuts. The song depicting the picture and sound of a Havana marketplace also immerges the listener into the space in their imagination. The repetition of “uh-huh” mirrors the call-and-response tradition, which is a staple of Afro-Cuban music. It invites the listener in like a rhythmic nod shared between neighbors. 

Another thing I really liked about Celia Cruz’s music is that even if you don’t speak Spanish, the rhythm and repetitive sounds make it accessible, and almost childlike, which can feel inviting and friendly. This is another reason why her music became so popular, even in non-Spanish speaking countries, so fast. 

Instruments like congas, bongos, maracas, and timbales dominate the track.These create a danceable rhythm that reflects both African heritage and local Cuban flair. For foreigners, this can paint Cuban culture as energetic, joyful and deeply rhythmic.  

For people who understand spanish, they recognize Celia’s voice as a playful command, which adds humor and charisma to the overall song.  

Analysis of Song 2: Mata Siguaraya 

1. Mata Siguaraya: This song references the Siguaraya, a sacred tree in Afro-Cuban Santería religion, believed to be protected by powerful spirits. The lyrics suggest you don’t mess with it, because it has spiritual powers. 

Sound effects: play a sample from mata siguaraya 

These lyrics invoke Afro-Cuban spirituality, specifically Santería, where plants and nature are seen as vessels of divine power. The Siguaraya plant mentioned here isn’t just botany — it’s sacred. 

What this signals to foreign audiences is that nature and spirituality are deeply connected in Cuban culture. Cuba is not just a tropical island, it’s a spiritual realm where plants have power, and people seek permission from orishas (Yoruba deities) before taking action. It shows respect for tradition and mysticism, which may feel exotic or unfamiliar to outsiders but is core to Afro-Cuban life. There’s no separation between the spiritual and the everyday here. 

Celia’s voice doesn’t just sing but it also commands. She uses a declarative, almost priestly tone. It’s not just a performance. It’s a spiritual assertion. For a foreign listener, this builds an image of Cuba as a land of resistance, reverence, and rhythm, where music is more than entertainment; it’s a medium of respect and power.  

What this song communicates to foreign listeners is cuba is not only a place with palm trees and cigars, it’s a place where African diaspora traditions thrive, particularly through Santería and sacred nature. Additionally, Foreign audiences hear the song, but may not listen deeply to the spiritual implications—yet the rhythm stirs something visceral. That emotional reaction is Nancy’s listening in action. 

Summary of analyses of songs:  

So let’s talk about how two very different songs—Cao Cao Maní Picao and Mata Siguaraya—actually come together to give us a fuller, more nuanced image of Cuba, especially for listeners outside of it. Let’s start with Cao Cao Maní Picao. At first glance, it might seem like a simple jingle about… chopped peanuts. Yeah. But that’s the magic. This song captures the street-level charm of Cuban life. It’s playful, rhythmic, and full of that call-and-response energy rooted in Afro-Cuban tradition. To foreign ears, it gives a fun, friendly impression of Cuba—like a place full of rhythm, warmth, and movement. But it’s more than fun; it’s also about oral culture, shared space, and communal joy. 

Now contrast that with Mata Siguaraya. This one? This one goes deep. It’s not just a song—it’s a spiritual invocation. The lyrics talk about the Siguaraya plant, which in Santería carries divine power. And nothing happens to that plant without the permission of the orishas. Musically, it’s rich with ritual-like percussion and that commanding vocal delivery Celia Cruz does so well. For global listeners, Mata Siguaraya reveals a sacred, spiritual side of Cuban culture—one that’s deeply Afro-diasporic, reverent, and mystical. 

So when you put these songs side-by-side, something really beautiful happens. You don’t just get one version of Cuba—you get layers. One song shows the joy, the movement, the hustle of everyday life. The other reveals the spirit, the reverence, the deep cultural memory embedded in land and sound. Together, Cao Cao Maní Picao and Mata Siguaraya remind us that music can be both celebration and ceremony. And when you listen closely? You start to hear the full story. 

Conclusion: Celia Cruz’s career is a great example of how Caribbean sound acted as both a cultural artifact and a dynamic force in global music. With the use of acousmatic sound, schizophonia, and listening, her work shows how complex musical diffusion and cultural preservation can be. Cruz not only elevated Afro-Cuban music to a global platform but also demonstrated how sound overcomes political and geographical constraints. Her legacy underscores the role of music in maintaining cultural identity, made sure that the rhythms and sounds of the Caribbean were preserved. 

Outro: Celia Cruz’s voice, powerful, joyful, and unrelenting, continues to ripple through time, reminding us that culture doesn’t stand still. It evolves, adapts, and, if we’re listening closely enough, it teaches us and shapes the way we think moving forward. Thank you for joining me on Parle Avec Moi. I’m Nandini, and I’ll be back soon with more stories of sounds from the past. Until then… ¡Azúcar!

 

Bibliography: 

Cruz, Celia, and Ana Cristina Reymundo. Celia, My Life: An Autobiography. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. 

Valverde, Umberto. Reina Rumba Celia Cruz. Bogotá: Arango Editores, 1995. 

The Katz Tapes: Interview with Celia Cruz. Digital Resource Site. 2002. 

Nancy, Jean-Luc. Listening. Translated by Charlotte Mandell. Fordham University Press, 2007.

Murray Schafer. Our Sonic Environment and the Soundscape: The Tuning of the World. Destiny Books. Rochester, Vermont. 1993.

Cao Cao Mani Picao. Celia Cruz. English Translation. Celia Cruz – Cao, Cao, Maní Picao lyrics 

Mata Siguaraya. Celia Cruz. Spanish (used Translate for English interpretation). Celia Cruz y La Sonora Matancera – Mata Siguaraya Lyrics | Genius Lyrics