The music of the Puerto Rican Day Parade
New York City....
Oh yes.. the Puerto Rican Day parade in NYC.. a day when the media turns Puerto Rican, the New York Ricans turn Puerto Rican and the Puerto Ricans Turn New York Ricans... the day of solidarity. While every one is focused on the Parade and its televising... we at enbreve.com, choose to focus on the music that transcends generations and unifies us all every day as proud Puerto Ricans (Whether in New York, LA, PR, or Hong Kong (yes there are Hong Kong Ricans)), whom choose by heritage to celebrate life through our music, our culture and our love of people.
Sure, Its easy to put the flag on the car, or take the train down town three hours, before the parade, to get a good place on the parade route, but that is not all that declaring being a Puerto Rican is about. Hey I am not saying don't celebrate, rather what I am saying is we celebrate everyday and we do this by teaching our children: our culture, our language (please proper Spanish), and by educating our children so that they may fully participate in the shaping of our tomorrow, after all isn't that what it's all about.
With that being said... there are some very unique things that pull most descendants of the 1940's & 50's emigrants from Puerto Rico to New York and that is a melded sense of belonging (by proxy) to this great city. The west coast is hot on New York Ricans, the New York Ricans are hot in San Juan (at least for the tourists)... and the New York Rican Cafe is in Puerto Rico.. Gee I wonder what kind of food they serve there? New York style Puerto Rican Food? Not poking fun at the restaurant, but lets face it.. that is like saying that New York style Chinese food is sold in China at the New York Chinese Restaurant. Can you imagine that? The labels we take on as banners of belonging are sometimes comical.
As for me, born in Rio Piedras, PR and arriving here when I was six, I still consider myself to be a Puerto Rican. I may choose to live here, at this moment, but my roots are in Puerto Rico and I do visit there at least 5 times a year. Now my brother whom was also born on the island, has no clue what it is to be borinqueno. He lives in Colorado, with his family and raises Horses,. He is more American in his ways but every once in a while it comes out and that boricua blood shows through, "miss you bro". Which brings me back to the parade, yes that one day when we get to celebrate our Heritage openly and on Network TV.
The traditions as celebrated today, for the most part are memories that our campesino grand parents and/or great grand parents brought with them. As with everything regrettably, with the passing of time, we grow further and further away from the memories and the dilution of the culture is more and more evident. Today in Puerto Rico, life is much different.. with a high rate of education and a great sense of belonging, the modern day Puerto Rican family enjoys a very satisfying life style, mixing the old world traditions with modern day amenities. See the reality of it is that it isn't what you have its what you make of it..
And so its the same with our music, Bomba, Plena, Aguisnaldo. We are weaned on salsa, and sold on regurgitations of the same formula of music without innovation. I was recently given a cd of the music of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, good compilation cd of local NYC bands. However, a new friend Mr. Ray Castro of Classico Records after giving me the Rican test, treated me to the most innovative piece of music I've heard in a long time, Tito Nieves's new CD. Check it out and tell me what you think. I have to say, it can't be disputed.... pure innovation.
Ah yes, and so another parade has come and gone and we put away our flags and meld back into our daily routines. But the essence can be found in the words....
El jibarito amante y tan campante
vendio sus cosas se fue pa nueva york
siguiendo suenos de villas y castillas
a su familia pa neuva york se la llevo.......... WEPA!!
John / Enbreve.com
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