Los Muñequitos de Matanzas is a distinguished Cuban rumba group. It was created in 1952 under the name of Guaguancó Matancero. Los Muñequitos de Matanzas is one of the essential Cuban bands dedicated to preserving Cuban folkloric traditions.
Some of its albums include El guaguancó de Matanzas (1988), Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (1990), Rumba caliente (1992), Óyelos de nuevo (1993), Real Rumba (1994), Vacunao (1995), Po Iban Eshu (1996), and Live in New York (1998), among others.
La rumba soy yo won the Latin Grammy Award in 2001, and Tambor de Fuego won the Cubadisco Award in 2007.
The musical director of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, composer and percussionist Jesús Alfonso Miró, died in his hometown of Matanzas, Cuba on June 3, 2009. As a member of the Los Muñequitos ensemble, Jesús traveled worldwide. He was the author of “Congo Yambumba,” “La Llave,” “Chino Guaguao,” “Lengua de Obbara,” “Saludo a Nueva York,” and many other songs that are now classics of Cuban rumba.
Discography
El guaguancó de Matanzas (1988)
Rumba Abierta (WS Latino 1958), reissued in 1999
Cantar Maravilloso – Rumba Original (Globestyle 1990)
Rumba Caliente 88/77 (Qbadisc Records, 1992)
Guaguancó — Vol. 2 (Antilla, reissued 1993)
Real Rumba (1994)
Congo Yambumba (Qbadisc Records, 1994)
Oyelos De Nuevo (Qbadisc Records, 1994)
Vacunao (Qbadisc Records, 1995)
Po Iban Eshu (1996)
Ito Iban Echu: Yoruba Sacred Music of Cuba (Qbadisc Records, 1996)
Live In New York (Qbadisc Records, 1998)
La rumba soy yo (2001)
Rumba De Corazón (Bis Music, 2002)
Rumberos de Corazón- 50 Aniversario (Bis Music, 2003)
Tambor De Fuego (Bis Music, 2007)
De Palo Pa’ Rumba (Bis Music, 2009)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.