Was back in Puerto Rico last week for a bit of business (working on short video projects for three local non-profit organizations) and a bit of pleasure (walking around with camera in hand – you know, the usual thing). Fortunately, the first Saturday of my trip was the first Saturday of the month. Why is that important, you ask? Well, because that’s when the Escuela de Bomba y Plena Doña Caridad Brenes de Cepeda hold their monthly “bombazo” at the historic Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan. That’s why.
I was actually there last year (stumbled upon it, actually) to witness their monthly bomba performance at the very same plaza (you can view the photographs taken by my alter ego Dan Perez Photography HERE). That time, I focused mostly on photographs, but this year I wanted to capture some video. I mean, photographs are great but they only tell half the story, yes? Especially when dynamic music and dance are going on.
Margarita “Cary” Martínez Cepeda, great-granddaughter of Doña Caridad Brenes Caballero and Don Rafael Cepeda Atíles
The Cepeda family have been nationally recognized for promoting and preserving the traditions of Puerto Rican bomba music and dance for eight generations(!). The current Cepeda family are descendants of Rafael Cepeda Atiles, a prolific musician, composer, and “Patriarch of the Bomba”. He was born on July 10, 1908, in the Puerta de Tierra neighborhood of San Juan and according to Cepeda, he was born while his mother Leonor was in the middle of a bomba dance.
Their twelve children have become exponents of Afro-Puerto Rican music and have dedicated their lives to keeping the tradition of bomba alive. Led by Tata Cepeda (born Margarita Sánchez Cepeda), widely known and respected in Puerto Rico as “La Mariposa de la Bomba” (the Butterfly of Bomba) and considered one of the most important and influential “bomberas” of our time. She closes out the video in grand style.
You can view photographs of this event over at Dan Perez Photography
What exactly is “bomba”?
Often mentioned as “bomba y plena” as though they were a single musical style, both reflect the African heritage of Puerto Rico, but there are basic distinctions between them in rhythm, instrumentation, and lyrics.
Bomba is defined by its percussion and dates back to the early European colonial period in Puerto Rico. It comes out of the musical traditions brought by enslaved West Africans on Puerto Rico’s sugar plantations in the 17th century. Because they came from different tribes and spoke different languages, they were able to communicate and express themselves through music.
Plena developed from Bomba music around the beginning of the 20th century in southern Puerto Rico, when the island was transitioning from Spanish to U.S. colonial occupation. Much like Bomba, Plena served as an outlet for the working class to set the concerns of their day to song and address topical themes. Because of this, Plena is often nicknamed “el periódico cantado” (the sung newspaper).
You can read more about Cepeda HERE but let’s just say that his contributions to Afro-Puerto Rican culture earned him a National Heritage Fellowship in 1983 from the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, the United States government’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Then there are his 500-600 compositions, many of which appeared on commercial recordings (“El Bombon de Elena”, “Madam Calalú”, “El Chivo” & “Mofongo Pelaó”, to name a few). He (and his wife) were a pretty big deal. Nuff said.