La Musica Salsa en Panama y Algo Mas

Latin Beat Magazine, April, 2005 by Eric E. González

La Música Salsa en Panamá y Algo Más By Francisco "Bush" Buckley 292 pages, 2005

Contact: bushbuckley@hotmail.com

In the history of Afro-Caribbean music, some Panamanians were able to triumph outside their native country, and their work is well known around the world. Rubén Blades, Mauricio Smith, Victor Paz, Danilo Pérez, Miguel "Meñique" Barcasnegras, and Emilio Reales belong to that privileged group. However, some musicians of singers never left Panamá, and against all odds developed successful careers in the Panamanian isthmus. One of them was Francisco Buckley, better known as "Bush," whose band was a force to be dealt with in the sixties and seventies.

Bush had one of the best--some say the best--salsa bands in Panamá, just when the salsa "boom" from New York was at its heights. His orchestra--Bush y sus Magníficos, later known as Bush y su Nuevo Sonido--played alongside all the bands that visited the country from the Big Apple and elsewhere, such as the Fania All-Stars, Willie Colón, Daniel Santos, Sonora Ponceña, Celia Cruz, and just about all of the other groups affiliated with the Fania label.

These days, Bush has concentrated his efforts in writing, and just published the awesome and very informative "La Música Salsa En Panamá y Algo Más." What began as an account of his career in music, evolved into the history of Afro-Caribbean music in Panamá. This is the most comprehensive book that has been written about this topic in Panama's history, and it is a must for every salsa music lover.

In his book, Buckley briefly introduces the readers to the history of Cuban music and provides details of its influence in the context of Panamanian music. He mentions all the legendary Cuban musicians that visited the country. Later, he explains how Cuban music made the transition to Puerto Rican salsa. He goes on to talk about the Panamanian sound--the so-called "combos nacionales"--and the groups that play traditional folkloric music, or Panama's "música típica." He then proceeds to describe his own origins as a musician, and the history of his own bands. He gives us some details about his association with Rubén Blades, who sang with Bush's orchestra before he went to New York and established himself as a salsa icon. He writes about 9 de enero, a tune that Rubén authored, and Bush popularized.

Finally, he names and describes almost every single Afro-Cuban band that has come out of Panamá, such as Los Salvajes del Ritmo, the Víctor Boa and Clarence Martín Orchestras, La Perfecta de Armando Boza, Máximo Rodríguez y sus Estrellas Panameñas, Manito Johnson y sus Diferentes, and many, many more. He also mentions all the individuals that in one form or another have been responsible for keeping Afro-Caribbean music alive in Panamá. In the end, Buckley provides a glossary of words associated with Afro-Cuban music, including, of course, some unique to Panamá. The book is also loaded with photos of historical importance, which significantly increase the value of this great piece of work.

This book is a magnificent accomplishment--one of a kind. Everything that you need to know about salsa music in Panamá is here, written authoritatively by one of its protagonists. It's going to be almost impossible to top this one, and I'm very happy to recommend it.

--Eric E. González (HerenciaLatina.com)