La Macorina

[Gaviota]

María Calvo Nodarse (1892 in Guanajay – 15 June 1977, in Havana), better known as La Macorina, was a Cuban prostitute. [...] She was the first woman to hold a driving license in the Americas.

La Macorina - EcuRed

www.ecured.cu

La Macorina - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

An interesting biography. I ran across her trying to detangle the various recordings in her name (mostly unsuccessfully so far). I'll collect the various threads here .

 

[Gaviota]

The oldest reference I can find is a danzón by the title "Macorina pon, pon", recorded in Cuba around 1913, by Orquesta Jaime Prats, with writing credits to A. Toroella.

Columbia matrix 48050. Macorina pon, pon : Danzón / Orquesta Jaime Prats

adp.library.ucsb.edu

A. Toroella has several other danzón writing credits in 1910s Havana.

 

[Gaviota]

Ah and now I found an article that seems to do a good job of covering the topic: https://cubasi.cu/es/noticia/ponme-la-mano-aqui-macorina

Some ingredients:

Alfonso Camín wrote a poem about her, published in 1931.

Chavela Vargas recorded a song in 1961, apparently with lyrics that poem.

Across various songs, the phrase "pon me la mano aquí Macorina".

It references "aquella danzón".

 

[Gaviota]

Before that, Abelardo Barroso recorded a song Macorina (1950s), possibly with writing credits to Barroso himself.

Late 50s, Joe Cuba recorded another Macorina

This credits A. Toroella, so is probably based on that 1913 danzón.

 

[Gaviota]

There are some Mexican traces -- considering the strong danzón tradition there, maybe it's also tied into that danzón? I'm too confused right now to say how close the songs are musically.

e.g. Chico Ché from 1979

or this instrumental recording

(what would you call that genre?)

 

[Gaviota]

There's a danzón CD with Cheo Belen Puig, can't find the recording otherwise though so far, no idea from when

Danzones Y Cha Cha Chas : Cheo Belen Puig : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Tracklist: 1. Virgen de la Regla 2. El Cisne Blanco 3. La Cachimba de San Juan 4. La Macorina

archive.org

 

[Gaviota]

Pio Leyva recorded a very different song titled Macorina -- text-wise at first listen it's so different that I'm unsure it belongs? Also 1950s I think?

 

[Gaviota]

The 1997 Adriano/Alejandro recording (from that album from the other thread) is what kicked off my search; it credits the song as "anónimo"

 

[Gaviota]

2009 rumba by Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, credited to Rafael Navarro Pujada

 

[Gaviota]

Bobby Valentín's 1965 take seems to be an entirely different song

And then there's Pacheco's pachanga "El güiro de Macorina" from 1967

 

[Gaviota]

Pio Leyva recorded a very different song titled Macorina -- text-wise at first listen it's so different that I'm unsure it belongs? Also 1950s I think?

Yeah this one isn't Macorina, it's a recording of "Macusa" (due to Compay Segundo)

 

[Gaviota]

Some progress sorting them.
Abelardo Barroso, Adriano/Edesio, Orquesta Original de Manzanillo, Charanga La Tapa, Doh Albert are the same

Joe Cuba seems unique, except for the danzón credits (and sounding like it might well be based on a danzón)

Bobby Valentín also unique, and doesn't even share the chorus

Current theory is everything (including the poem) quotes the chorus from the original danzón. Beyond that Joe Cuba possibly is most faithful to the danzón, while Abelardo Barroso, Chavela Vargas are new works that just quote the chorus.

It would be great to hear the danzón recordings.

Orquesta Cheo Belen Puig credits Antonio María Romeu for writing, so possibly this is separate.