“Somos Los Puertoriquennos” (2003) – Ecos de Borinquen

“Somos Los Puertoriquennos” (2003) – Ecos de Borinquen * Produced by Daniel Sheehy, Héctor Vega Druet * CD: Jibaro Hasta el Hueso: Mountain Music of Puerto Rico by Ecos de Borinquen
 

The Puerto Rican trovador (master of traditional song) Miguel Santiago Díaz assembled the first configuration of his group Ecos de Borinquen in the late seventies. The name translates to “echoes of Puerto Rico,” with the word “Borinquen” being the original name of the island before the Spaniards arrived. The title of this 2003 Smithsonian Folkways release—recorded with a new batch of younger musicians—translates to “Jibaro (mountain person) to the bone,” and the mountain music contained therein, with its ten-stringed cuatros at the forefront, is the very sound of Puerto Rican cultural heritage. Miguel composed the lyrics for most of the songs, including “Somos Los Puertoriqueños” (we are the Puerto Ricans).  A translation of some of its words, as taken from the liner notes: “Honest and generous, honorable, hardworking, tireless fighters, polite and religious, nice, caring, forgers of dreams with their most noble efforts, filled with profound love, an example for the world, we are the Puerto Ricans.”

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