Oye Como Va
Encyclopedia
"Oye Como Va" is a song written by Latin jazz
and mambo musician Tito Puente
in 1963 and popularized by Santana
's rendition of the song in 1970 on their album Abraxas
, helping to catapult Santana into stardom with the song reaching #13 on the Billboard Top 100. The song also reached #11 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey and #32 on their R&B chart. It was inspired by Israel "Cachao" Lopez's "Chanchullo."
The title comes from the first words:
The fact that the phrase “Oye como va” is the title of the song and is sung somewhat separately from the phrase “mi ritmo” makes it easy to interpret the meaning as “Hey, how’s it going?” However, the first sentence is actually “Oye como va mi ritmo,” meaning “Listen to how my rhythm goes.”
The song has the classic rhythm and tempo of cha-cha-cha
. It has similarities with "Chanchullo" by Israel "Cachao" López. The Latin Beat Magazine writes, "Cachao's tumbaos for his 1937 composition of Resa Del Neleton (later changed to Chanchullo) inspired Tito Puente's signature tune 'Oye Como Va'." On the original recording of the song the voice of Santitos Colon
, the Puente orchestra singer at the time, can be heard in the song along with those of Puente and other orchestra musicians. Cachao can be heard playing contrabass in some of Tito Puente's live versions of "Oye Como Va."
The song has numerous arrangements and remakes by numerous artists in various tempi. NPR
included the song in its "NPR 100: The most important American musical works of the 20th century"
Interestingly, Cuban writer and arranger Evelio Landa wrote the song "Las Mulatas Del Cha Cha Cha" in 1955 which was performed by Benny Moré
Y Su Banda Gigante among other Cuban artists including Carlos Barbería (Combo Cubano De Barbería) and Choco Orta. The chorus contains the following lyrics: "Gózalo mulata! ¡eh! ¡eh¡ ¡eh! Gózalo!" It can be theorized that the phrase "gozar, mulata" in "Oye Como Va" may have been directly inspired by "Las Mulatas Del Cha Cha Cha" and the chorus line "Gózalo mulata!" written eight years before and already prevalent in Cuban and Latino-music circles.
, Hammond B-3 organ, and a rock
drum kit
to the instrumentation and dropping Puente's brass section. The electric guitar part takes on Puente's flute
melody, and the organ provides accompaniment (with organist Gregg Rolie
's discretional use of the Leslie
effect). There are several guitar solos
and an organ solo, all of which are rooted in rock and the blues
but also contain licks
similar to those of the original arrangement.
Channel's Warehouse 13
series in the second season episode Around the Bend. The "original studio recording" of Tito Puente
's "Oye Como Va" (itself a supernatural artifact) is used by agents of the Warehouse in combination with an electrical shock to counteract the influence of another artifact.
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
and mambo musician Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
in 1963 and popularized by Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
's rendition of the song in 1970 on their album Abraxas
Abraxas (album)
Abraxas is the second studio album by the Latin influenced rock band Santana. Consolidating their highly acclaimed live performance at the Woodstock Festival in August of 1969, and the interest generated by their first album, Santana , the band took some time to issue a follow-up...
, helping to catapult Santana into stardom with the song reaching #13 on the Billboard Top 100. The song also reached #11 on Billboard's Easy Listening survey and #32 on their R&B chart. It was inspired by Israel "Cachao" Lopez's "Chanchullo."
The title comes from the first words:
| Spanish: | English: |
| Oye como va | (Literally) Listen to how it goes (Colloquially "Hey, what's up?" or "Check it out!") |
| Mi ritmo | My rhythm |
| Bueno pa' gozar | "Good for enjoying" or "good to enjoy" |
| Mulata | See: Mulatta Mulatto Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black... |
The fact that the phrase “Oye como va” is the title of the song and is sung somewhat separately from the phrase “mi ritmo” makes it easy to interpret the meaning as “Hey, how’s it going?” However, the first sentence is actually “Oye como va mi ritmo,” meaning “Listen to how my rhythm goes.”
The song has the classic rhythm and tempo of cha-cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha (music)
The Cha-cha-chá is a style of Cuban music. It is popular dance music which developed from the danzón in the early 1950s.- Origin :As a dance music genre, cha-cha-chá is unusual in that its creation can be attributed to a single composer, Enrique Jorrín, then violinist and songwriter with the...
. It has similarities with "Chanchullo" by Israel "Cachao" López. The Latin Beat Magazine writes, "Cachao's tumbaos for his 1937 composition of Resa Del Neleton (later changed to Chanchullo) inspired Tito Puente's signature tune 'Oye Como Va'." On the original recording of the song the voice of Santitos Colon
Santos Colon
Ángel Santos Colón Vega , aka Santitos Colón, was a Puerto Rican salsa music singer and crooner, born in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico and raised in Mayagüez. He was also known with a moniker: "The Man with The Golden Voice".- Youth and Early Career :Colón was born in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, but...
, the Puente orchestra singer at the time, can be heard in the song along with those of Puente and other orchestra musicians. Cachao can be heard playing contrabass in some of Tito Puente's live versions of "Oye Como Va."
The song has numerous arrangements and remakes by numerous artists in various tempi. NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
included the song in its "NPR 100: The most important American musical works of the 20th century"
Interestingly, Cuban writer and arranger Evelio Landa wrote the song "Las Mulatas Del Cha Cha Cha" in 1955 which was performed by Benny Moré
Benny Moré
Benny Moré , or Beny, was a Cuban singer. He is often thought of as the greatest Cuban popular singer of all time. He was gifted with an innate musicality and fluid tenor voice which he colored and phrased with great expressivity...
Y Su Banda Gigante among other Cuban artists including Carlos Barbería (Combo Cubano De Barbería) and Choco Orta. The chorus contains the following lyrics: "Gózalo mulata! ¡eh! ¡eh¡ ¡eh! Gózalo!" It can be theorized that the phrase "gozar, mulata" in "Oye Como Va" may have been directly inspired by "Las Mulatas Del Cha Cha Cha" and the chorus line "Gózalo mulata!" written eight years before and already prevalent in Cuban and Latino-music circles.
Santana version
Santana's arrangement is a "driving, cranked-up version" in a new style of Latin rock (attributed to musicians like Santana), adding electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, Hammond B-3 organ, and a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
to the instrumentation and dropping Puente's brass section. The electric guitar part takes on Puente's flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
melody, and the organ provides accompaniment (with organist Gregg Rolie
Gregg Rolie
Gregg Alan Rolie is an American keyboardist, organist, and singer, who is one of the founding members of the bands Santana, The Storm, Abraxas Pool and Journey, for whom he was the original lead singer. He currently performs with his Gregg Rolie Band...
's discretional use of the Leslie
Leslie speaker
The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects using the Doppler effect. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ but is used with a variety of instruments as well as vocals. The...
effect). There are several guitar solos
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and an organ solo, all of which are rooted in rock and the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
but also contain licks
Lick (music)
In popular music genres such as rock or jazz music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short series of notes that is used in solos and melodic lines...
similar to those of the original arrangement.
Covers
This song has been covered by Latin musicians in the last forty years, with Santana's version being the most widely recognized.- Latin rapper and singer GerardoGerardoGerardo Mejía , better known as simply Gerardo, is a Latin rapper and singer who later became a recording industry executive. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, he has based his career in Los Angeles, California since his family moved to Glendale, California, when he was 12 years old. He became known for...
covered the song on his 1991 debut album, "Mo' Ritmo". - Celia CruzCelia CruzCelia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
covered the song on her album, "Siempre Vivire". - Mexican electronic/rock band KinkyKinky (band)Kinky is a five-member band from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, formed in 1998 as part of the Avanzada Regia musical movement and consisting of Gilberto Cerezo, Ulises Lozano, Carlos Chairez, Omar Góngora, and Cesar Pliego. The band's music is heavily influenced by Latin music, rock, dance, and...
covered the song in 2004's "Oye Como Va" album. - The jazz/funk bank New Orleans NightcrawlersNew Orleans NightcrawlersNew Orleans Nightcrawlers are a Jazz and Rhythm & Blues group based in the New Orleans area. They were founded in l994 by pianist Tom McDermott, sousaphonist Matt Perrine and trumpeter Kevin Clark...
covered the song on 2000's "Live at the Old Point" album. - The Salsa Brothers feat OJT - My Electric Oye Como Va (2009)
- Eliane Elias, Brazilian singer and pianist, covered the song in 2008's on her album "Bossa nova stories".
Other Media
The song is referenced in the SyfySyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
Channel's Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
series in the second season episode Around the Bend. The "original studio recording" of Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
's "Oye Como Va" (itself a supernatural artifact) is used by agents of the Warehouse in combination with an electrical shock to counteract the influence of another artifact.