Cachete Maldonado: conserving the folklore of the Caribbean

Latin Beat Magazine, Nov, 2002 by Rudy Mangual

Master percussionist/bandleader Cachete Maldonado is one of stellar musicians from the island of Puerto Rico. He has been at the forefront of Afro-Caribbean music for over three decades, performing with dozens of groups and artists from all genres of Latin music.

In 1980, he assembled the experimental roots ensemble Batacumbele (which showcased the talents of many young boricua musicians). This pivotal ensemble, produced by Frank Ferrer, included a cast of percussionists such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Ignacio Berroa, Lester Ojeda, and Pablo Rosario, plus Eddie "Gua Gua" Rivera, Eric Figueroa, Néstor Torres II, Jerry Medina, Mario Rivera and Papo Vásquez. Maldonado and Batacumbele became the cultural and folkloric ambassadors for their island, and served as a model for future groups that followed. Throughout the years, Maldonado has continued to promote and produce the rhythms of the Caribbean, with emphasis on the traditional musical diaspora of Puerto Rico and Cuba. The latest band led by Maldonado is a seven*man group of percussionists and vocalists that he calls Los Majaderos. The following is a conversation with Cachete Maldonado during a recent performance by his group at club King King in Hollywood, California.

Rudy Mangual: It's a pleasure to finally be able to enjoy your music live and in Los Angeles.

Cachete Maldonado: Thank you. We are in town primarily to perform at UCLA during their Sacred Music Festival, which starts this Saturday, September 14. This gig at King King tonight is something extra that carne up; it's more intimate for us as well as for the people here.

RM: Do you guys play sacred music?

CM: We are primarily a rumba group, but within our repertoire, we do play Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean sacred rhythms and chants.

RM: Are you currently signed with a label?

CM: No, the major labels nowadays are looking for pretty-faced boys and girls, regardless if they have any talent or not. Los Majaderos is very far from appealing to such labels. Our music is also very cultural, a condition which many people are not aware of because this music gets little to no airplay and next to zero exposure from most of the media. You guys at Latin Beat Magazine are one of the few exceptions to this rule.

RM: With no support from any major labels and no airplay for this music, how do you guys survive?

CM: Sometimes I wonder myself, but being blessed with the understanding and knowledge of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and its forms, we seem to get by because people really enjoy and feel this music once they experience it. When not touring or performing, I continue to work in my percussion workshops in Barrio Obrero, Santurce (Puerto Rico). For over 20 years, others and me are committed to educating youngsters and anyone else interested in conserving our culture and folklore. We have percussion, dance and instrument-making workshops. In the last several years there has been a movement developing in Puerto Rico by younger musicians who ate more concerned with the local rhythms of the island, thus sparking a revival in traditional instruments such as the barril of bomba rhythms and the pandereta of plena music.

RM: You have also been involved with several contemporary groups in recent years.

CM: Yes, I have toured with rock en español bands Jaguares and Puya, just like I have also played with many salsa bands throughout the years, everyone from Tommy Olivencia to Típica 73. As a complete musician I enjoy and love playing all types of music in different settings. Of course I have my preferences, but any form of music well-played and executed is a good candidate for me.

RM: Any hope of a Batacumbele reunion happening soon?

CM: It's hard to say, but the possibilities are there. Los Majaderos are a mini-version of the Batacumbele sound and "oncept, with Endel Dueño on the drums and cowbells and Tempo Alomar (of Apollo Sound fame) heading the vocals and soneos.

(Cachete Maldonado plays Tiraba Percussion instruments)