I had always wanted to record a song with Pepe Vasquez, one of the most famous and controversial Afro Peruvian artists in Lima. After seeing him at La Peña Don Porfirio, along with members of his family, while he was incorporating soul and blues styles in traditional waltz and Afro songs, I couldn't wait for an opportunity to make a song with him. When he arrived to our studio on a Wednesday afternoon, we were marveled by the musical talent he had and also by the amazing stories he told us, which had been passed on by his family since generations past and which had taken place mostly during slavery times, stories filled with humor, joy, as well as with anger and a sense of rebellion. When he listened to the bass line and the song’s musical structure in 9/16's, a pattern that hasn't been heard in earlier Afro song structures, he immediately jumped at it, naturally aware of exactly when to come in and out of the song phrases. That Wednesday night session, which ended at almost 4am, gave birth to this original song that describes the activity of cotton seed cleaning carried out by Afro people in the cotton fields during slavery times. Even more, by making this song, we discovered interesting parallels in comparing the daily activities of those times to nowadays way of life in Lima. Within this context, Pepe sings and shares with us these stories from the times of his great grand parents, adding the fact that they had been there, bearing as slaves a very hard and cruel way of life. However, they are still here able to tell their stories, for they are a tough breed of people who no matter how much was done against them; they will not be faded out.
lyrics
A pañar Algodon, a pañar Algodon
Mira el negro Calin, sale de la hacienda San isidro
Mira el negro Calin, sale de la hacienda San isidro
Se viene a San Luis, se viene a San Luis
Se viene a San Luis, se viene a San Luis, a pañar el algodon
A pañar Algodon,
a pañar Algodon
Salían a las cuatro de la mañana, Salían a las cuatro de la mañana
Vamos negrito conmigo, vamos negrito conmigo
Llegó a San Luis, llegó a San Luis
Me lo dijo mi mama, me lo dijo mi mama
No me van a poder matar, no me van a poder matar
Ni los machetes ni las balas, ni los machetes ni las balas
Y se los vuelvo a contar, …porque yo, tomo candela
De madrugada, a pañar Algodon
Por la mañana, a pañar Algodon
De madrugada, a pañar Algodon
Por la mañana, a pañar Algodon
Desde las cuatro de la mañana, cuando el sol va a despuntar
De madrugada, a pañar Algodon
Por la mañana, a pañar Algodon
De madrugada, a pañar Algodon
Por la mañana, a pañar Algodon
Translation
Let's clean the cotton,
Let's clean the cotton
Look at Negro Calin, comes out from the San Isidro farm
He comes to San Luis, to clean the cotton
Let's clean the cotton,
Let's clean the cotton
They used to leave at 4 in the morning!
Come "negrito" with me
He arrived to San Luis farm
My mother told me
They will not be able to kill me
Neither the machetes, nor the bullets
And I tell you once again,
Because I…..drink FIRE!
At dawn, let's clean the cotton
In the morning, let's clean the cotton …
From 4 in the morning, when the sun is about to rise
At dawn, let's clean the cotton
In the morning, let's clean the cotton …
At dawn, let's clean the cotton
In the morning, let's clean the cotton …
With a shared passion for traditional Afro-Peruvian music and global DJ culture, Grammy-nominated Novalima stands in the common ground bridging past and future, uniting tradition and innovation.
