Bandolera / Ojos negros

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The lovely song, Ojos Negros, famously interpreted by Francisco Canaro's tango orchestra (1935) with the singer Roberto Maida has a long history - there is an article about this by Dmitry Pruss.

Many numbers we think of as "tango" or "milonga" have lives outside our world.  The Puerto Rican pianist Noro Morales also covered Dark Eyes in an interesting mambo version (1964) as well as Niebla del Riachuelo (1960).  What we think of Canaro's Milonga Sentimental was covered by the salsa orchestra El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, in 1982.  Recently I heard Las Cuarenta - the best danceable tango versions are by Canaro/Maida (1941) and Lomuto / Omar (1937) - in a bolero version by Rolando Laserie.  I particularly like Lucio Demare's 1968 piano versions of many famous tangos.  They have a retrospective air which never falls into sentimentality.

During that difficult time I was listening to a lot of salsa. Bandolera, by Héctor Lavoe contains a long section of improvisation in which Ojos Negros, is referenced musically (5.27).  I asked Camilo if he could identify any other pieces in that improvisation.  He heard Historia de un amor (4.09) and Obsesión (5.16).  I would be interested if anyone can identify anything else.

The two he mentioned are apparently both boleros, love songs, which is interesting in the context of Bandolera, a song whose lyrics are in part, shockingly, about a man hitting a woman:

Pau, pau, pau
Te voy a dar
Te voy a dar una pela
[...]
Pau, pau, pau
Te vuelvo a dar
Te voy a dar pa' que aprendas
[...]
Te voy a pegar, te voy a pegar, te voy a pegar, te voy a pegar, te voy a pegar

Some of the salsa lyrics I heard at that time were apt to the situation I was trapped in:

Y por los celos, los celos, los celos
A mí el corazón me arde, me arde
Y por los celos, los celos, los celos
A mí el corazón me arde, me arde

(Gitana, Willie Colon)

There was a lie, and attempts to manipulate situations with people I dance with.

Quien dice una mentira dice dos
Y dice cien, se inventa mil
Dice un millón
El ser que ya nació para engañar
Te engaña a ti, me engaña a mí
Me engaña a mí

(Bandolera, Héctor Lavoe)

Because of these interventions, I was losing those dance partners.  I dance with new people who come to the práctica and introduce them to others, that they may discover the dance and there is pleasure in that, but people dance tango many ways and there are few enough who dance for and with the kind of musicality and connection that I enjoy.  These I value. 

So I drew a line.

(Me liberé, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico)

Blocking communication channels was easy, and so, I thought, effective. I had seen enough and had caught the scent of danger, even if I didn’t yet know the gravity of it.

Aléjate bandolera
Aléjate bandolera
Aléjate bandolera

(Bandolera)


It was sad…

Cuando en el alma se siente un dolor
Por la traición que te brinde un amigo /
En ese momento piensa que todo es posible

(Indestructible, Ray Barretto)

…but it was also scary.

I was contorting my life to avoid harassment. I cancelled my first práctica and an invitation to a party. They said they weren't going, so I could go, tranquilamante. But my trust was shot, I didn't and I cancelled the second práctica. Then I understood they were quitting tango. I felt huge relief, published the next práctica and thought I was free.

Me liberé, me liberé
Gracias a Dios, me liberé
Me liberé, me liberé
Gracias al cielo, me liberé
Me liberé de mujeres perversas que quieren hacer mi vida de cuadritos
Me liberé de chicas sin escrúpulos,

(Me liberé, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico)

I was wrong.  A month on, while much improved, the physical effects of that day of imposition, control and entrapment are still with me. The weeks leading up to that day are associated now with these salsa numbers and, by association, Ojos negros, particularly the chilling line, "ojos negros, que dominan".  With luck, one day some great dance will replace them.