"Castillo mangüé", also known as "Chévere mangüé", is a traditional Cuban '' pregón'' (

street cry Street Cry (11 March 1998 – 17 September 2014) was a Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 2002 Dubai World Cup, the 2002 Stephen Foster Handicap and runner up in the 2002 Whitney Handicap. He was an international shuttle stallion that stood ...

) often played as a

yambú Rumba is a secular genre of Cuban music involving dance, percussion, and song. It originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century. It is based on African music and dance traditions, ...

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

or guaracha. According to Helio Orovio, it is an example of an orally transmitted yambú still performed today.

Recordings

The song has an unknown author but has been recorded numerous times with different titles by multiple artists. It was registered as a ''son-pregón'' under the title "Chévere mangüé" by Felipe Neri Cabrera in 1932, although the

Septeto Habanero A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry. ...

did not record it. One of the most famous versions was made by

Machito Machito (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music. Ginell, Richard S. ''Biography''. Allmusic, 2011/ref> He wa ...

in New York in 1948 ("Chévere"), a guaracha later released as a single by Verne. Senegalese singer Fonseca recorded it at the end of "A guarachar" in the mid-1960s.

Arsenio Rodríguez Arsenio Rodríguez (born Ignacio Arsenio Travieso Scull; 31 August 1911 – 30 December 1970)Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana, v. 4 p. 45 et seq. was a Cuban musician, composer and bandleader ...

recorded it as part of the yambú medley "Esto es yambú" (credited to his brother Israel "Kike" Travieso Scull) for his 1968 album ''Arsenio dice''. Carlos "Patato" Valdés recorded it as a rumba ("Chévere") for his 1976 album ''Authority''. This version was credited to Papaíto, the lead singer. Carlos Embale sang it at the end his 1986 recording of "El callejón de los rumberos". The song is often interpolated at the end of "Mondongo", a

guaguancó Guaguancó () is a subgenre of Cuban rumba, combining percussion, voices, and dance. There are two main styles: Havana and Matanzas. Percussion * battery of three conga drummers: the ''tumba'' (lowest), ''tres dos'' (middle, playing a counter-cl ...

composed by Agustín Pina "Flor de Amor". Recordings of this version have been made by the Conjunto de Percusión de Danza Nacional de Cuba featuring Inés Carbonell on their 1987 ''Homenaje a Jesús Pérez'' and by

Jane Bunnett Mary Jane Bunnett, (born October 22, 1956) is a Canadian musician and educator. A soprano saxophonist, flautist and bandleader, she is especially known for performing Afro-Cuban jazz. She travels regularly to Cuba to perform with Cuban musicians. ...

on her 1997 album ''Chamalongo''. Another version was recorded in 1998 by Deep Rumba under the title "Yambú chevrolet", which was credited to

Orlando "Puntilla" Ríos Orlando "Puntilla" Ríos (December 26, 1947 – August 12, 2008) was a percussionist/vocalist well known in Cuba and the Americas as a master of the many Cuban musical folkloric forms. Born in Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the ...

. Chavalonga recorded the song as part of a yambú medley entitled "La bullanguera" for this 2004 album ''En el barrio de Ataré''.

References

External links

*{{cite web , last1=Cox , first1=Barry , title=Castillo mangüé , url=http://cancionerorumbero.blogspot.com/2008/08/castillo-mang.html , website=Cancionero Rumbero , accessdate=25 January 2020 , date=2008 Cuban songs Street cries Rumba songs