Centro Journal ISSN: 1538-6279 [email protected] The City University of New York Estados Unidos

Maldonado, Melanie Reseña de "Los bembeteos de la plena puertorriqueña" de Ramón López Centro Journal, vol. XX, núm. 2, 2008, pp. 267-269 The City University of New York New York, Estados Unidos

Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=37712148021

How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative b o o k r e v i e w s Identity National America’s [ 267 ] , Northwestern University to The Challenge We: Are Melanie Maldonado : “Hispanic” is Geraldo’s preferred term, but he recognizes, as does this writer, that asdoes this writer, but he recognizes, preferred term, is Geraldo’s “Hispanic” Who Samuel Huntington, is that, while rich in information and verifiable is that, while rich Panic of His One of the shortcomings by Community College attended the standing-room-only at Hostos crowd To This monograph is an important contribution to Puerto Rican, diasporic, and and diasporic, Rican, Puerto to contribution important an is monograph This (New York: Simon & Shuster, 2004). & Shuster, Simon York: (New Caribbean music studies. López’s book builds on the work of Félix Echevarría Alvarado’s Alvarado’s Echevarría of Félix book builds on the work music studies. López’s Caribbean Whereas that 1984 text La puertorriqueño. plena: origen, sentido y desarrollo en el folklore Los expands this body of knowledge with bembeteos serves primarily survey, as a historical Cultural anthropologist Ramón López unpacks the AfroPuerto Rican music genre López unpacks the anthropologist Ramón Cultural of plena through a detailed analysis by his multiple roles as informed intellectual, of plena, his research addition to ). In (from the barrio and barriado plena practitioner, Rican lore, transnational Boricua Three Kings of Puerto López has examined the As a plenero, movements, identity and memory. and other manifestations of cultural the hybridization delineate perspective to the author utilizes an auto-ethnographic and historiography also employs archival research He of plena and its translocality. and deconstruct generational shifts, theorize hegemony, unveil plena’s to romanticizations of this creole genre. Los bembeteos de la plena puertorriqueña bembeteos Los By Ramón López San Juan: Ediciones Huracán, 2008 260 pages; $15.95 paper r e v i e w e r 1 I have chosen the purpose of this review, For and “Latino” are interchangeable. “Hispanic” Latino. the term 2 notes Geraldo: The warrior The Geraldo: media for by taking on the his own career jeopardize himself willingRivera shows to dean of the academy” Limbaugh “the names Rush He hysteria. anti-immigrant stoking in leading the most savageof conservative in history talk radio campaign right-wingers news hands with CNN spokesman shake refused to against illegal immigrants. He destructive “so annual reception, have his editorial Morris William Lou Dobbs at the and solemnly of sensible dialogue” (p. 23). the cause choices delivered bullshit been to own his Television, on Fox openly and Sean Hannity criticizes Bill O’Reilly He ultraconservative for their views on Latino immigration. employer, the reader can Google theseWhile and a bibliography. it lacks footnotes sources, secondary on attack for its reliance it leaves subject to sources, sources. the work “I have had a good life and remarked immigrants of many nationalities, Geraldo been verywhich is why I …must present this defense in my profession, successful brought applause and a standing ovation by The comment of Latino immigrants.” Geraldo Rivera has age the media arena, at the truly of 65, Within the participants. emerged as true a and immigrant rights. defense of the Latino community warrior in popularity rating of any President in recent history, would expend what little political little political what expend would history, in recent President of any rating popularity hascapital he immigrants. defense of Latino left on a an examination of plena that moves beyond the Christmas music of the contemporary social imaginary to that of a disembodied cultural movement within Puerto Rico and throughout the Diaspora. He credits this “movement” with defying the hegemonic state- imposed strictures designed to regulate plena and thereby make it more generalizable. He takes issue with the romantic label of plena as “the sung newspaper,” arguing that this folklorized version runs counter to its status as a barrio manifestation. López’s principal argument is that plena is bembeteo, that is, frank and unmediated interpersonal communication, which is in stark contrast to the impersonal, reportorial character of journalism. In this way, López disassociates plena from a hegemonic state memory and returns it to the people in what he terms memorias barriadas. In his explication, López asserts that plena’s transgressive character has protected it from censorship. However, he demonstrates how its rebellious quality has negatively affected the narrative of commercial plena lyrics, which he posits have become superficial articulations of consumerism. He also critiques the hybridization that has resulted in the accelerated rate of singing and has changed the way many pandereteros slap their hand-held drums. While he cites Cuban music as the most dominant external cultural influence, he neglects to acknowledge that the very word he uses to describe the lead drum, quinto, is itself a reference to one of the Cuban timbas. His recurring use of quinto instead of requinto (the traditional Puerto Rican term for the high-tuned lead drum of plena) becomes a marker of his generational influence and reaffirms his status as a contemporary practitioner. Los bembeteos also includes generous references to the work of plenera/os of the Diaspora. Many texts treat island-based Puerto Ricans as distinct from their continental- based counterparts, but López himself moves back and forth between Puerto Rico and the United States, traversing the planes that intersect and connect practitioner communities and crossing state and other boundaries. According to López, this movement is not fixed to either national pole nor to any of the individual sites he mentions; rather, it is present in all of these locations and is an example of what he refers to as the “transboricua.” The work of the Diaspora demonstrates the traveling nature of plena he describes as migratory. Other delineations he makes include three periods of plena history: 1) it’s birth and folklorization; 2) its commercialization and introduction to the diaspora; and 3) its return to the barrio. The author also provides excellent information about little-known recordings, contemporary barrio practices such as the plenazos callejeros, the artisans and visual artists who have contributed to the plena community. The timing of this publication is critical for AfroBoricua music studies. The last ten years have produced numerous events and resources centered around or incorporating research related to plena or bomba. These include two films—Bomba: Dancing the Drum (2001) and Raíces (2001)—and educational projects such as El Bombazo de Puerto Rico (1998–2002), the Congreso Nacional de la Bomba (2004), Congreso Nacional de la Plena (2004), Bomba Research Conference (2005, 2007), and Fiesta Nacional de la Bomba (2008). These either evolved from within a practitioner community or were heavily influenced by practitioners. Groups in New York City, Chicago, and in the San Juan Metropolitan area are also excavating AfroBoricua music from the 1914–15 field recordings of anthropologist John Alden Mason. This surge of action from within practitioner communities toward research is producing a growing wave of interest in the documentation and exchange of knowledge. Ramón López’s Los bembeteos comes at a time when the hunger for knowledge about plena is at a peak and the scholarship on the topic is negligible. Because it is the first book in almost a quarter of a century devoted exclusively to this creole music genre, it has been warmly received both on the Island and within the Diaspora.

[ 268 ] b o o k r e v i e w s

[ 269 ] . Santurce: Edición de Autor. Edición de puertorriqueño. Santurce: The importance of this examination cannot be understated. In a few months, Los The importance of this examination Certain topics would have benefited from more in-depth analyses. Among these Among have would Certain benefited from more in-depth analyses. topics Lopez’s investigation hasinvestigation of history a reading including of strengths, a myriad Lopez’s to relate a contemporary relate chronicle López uses LosBoricua weaver bembeteos to Ramón This monograph asks many questions, including: What is at stake when an active is at stake What This monograph asks many questions, including: Ramón López’s perspective as look” a native ethnographer provides an “insider’s López’s Ramón are: 1) the confused association memory of the collective cultural are: 1) the confused incessantly that as 2) the contribution one genre (“bomba-y-plena”); together groups plena and bomba has that plena contemporary 3) the argument of mayagüezanos practice; to of women black cultural product in Puerto and 4) the marginalization of its roots in their town; Los interviewsRico. bembeteos inexplicably to references omits or other information and review literature López’s While practitioners. or researchers lay from obtained the lack of plena, to scholarly the current body of related work cite other references to widespread elision of native contributes his ethnographic fieldwork to related sources While a few readers may be overwhelmed by the breadth of academy. knowledge by the mere 248 pages, of diverse facts the combination in the book’s information presented and critical review is necessary a holistic understanding of this cultural practice. to that allows plena to literally speak for itself through reprinted lyrics literallythat allows which reprinted (among for itself through speak plena to and the “Canario,” Jimenez musician Manuel Colón, of labor activist Jesús are those and memorias for barriales, gifts of bembeteo is his theorizing Also welcome author). cross-lingualscholars employing citation. References Alvarado, Félix. 1984. La plena: origen, sentido y desarrollo en el folklore Echevarría of plena; in doing so, he pulls an analytical thread through song lyrics, migration accounts, anecdotes, scholarship, and contemporaryhe interlaces Over and under these practice. primary and secondary a tapestry and film analysisto produce sources, of social criticism. As a seasoned coro (chorus) plena plenero, López uses repetition as establish a simulated to fromThis device transforms his audience readers mere important themes. and reiterate to As a barriado, López employs bembeteo participants of his plena performance. into As a scholar, own. our and encourages contribute his stories us to draw us into music culture is folklorized and appropriated as state memory? How might women memory? might women as state music culture is folklorized and appropriated How the early recuperate female historyrevolutionize to plena if they were of it and take What is the role of artisans and visual artists in music honor it? up the pandereta to its narrative roots? plena music be transformed if it returned might to culture? How memoryDoes plena as perform cultural a practice or is plena merely informed by it? plena from its barrio practice? dislocated commercialization and, Has that will appeal to both academic and lay readers. In particular, the book may be particular, In both academic and lay readers. that will to appeal in cultural anthropology, students and graduate undergraduates used by advanced American studies, gender studies, Latino and Latin performance ethnomusicology, studies, diaspora Rican studies. studies, and Puerto has quickly entered the canon of a few but celebrated books about AfroBoricuabembeteos has quickly entered the canon of a few theorizing about the migratory nature of plena;music. The book itself reflects Lopez’s then into collective thought and appreciation. it moves from practice to his pages and engage build upon it as they make future researchers to and to his work López invites multiple perspectives, experiences, they represent. His room for the marginalized voices elicit strong responses, in the form of newlyand approaches will songs, likely composed academic analysis, commentary. or community