El Ruso y Su Banda

Recorded by Boogalu Productions in Baracoa, Cuba - 2000

El Ruso y Su Banda (The Russian and His Band) is an extraordinary group of musicians from an extraordinary place, Baracoa, Cuba. Located on the coast near the easternmost tip of the island, this remote region has a unique history and natural environment that sets it apart.

Baracoa: A Unique Place in Cuban History

Originally inhabited by the Taino Indians, Baracoa was founded by the Spanish in 1510, and is notable as the oldest colonial city in the Americas, as well as Cuba’s first capital city. Much of the architecture and old-world atmosphere from that era remain, but these days Baracoa is a quiet, laid-back town graced by magnificent natural features.

As the wettest region in Cuba, Baracoa has a lush tropical environment and is surrounded by numerous wild rivers and mountains, most notably the large flat-topped mesa known as “El Yunque” (The Anvil).

The Birthplace of Cuban Music

This eastern region of Cuba, known as Oriente, is also the home of traditional Cuban music. It is here in the countryside of Oriente where elements of Spanish and African music and dance traditions fused into forms distinctly Cuban — such as the Changui, Son, Guajira, and Guaracha.

The Band

“El Ruso y Su Banda” are six musicians who carry on this rich musical tradition, while at the same time adding new innovations that keep the music vital.

El Ruso (Eduardo Navarro Toirac) is the driving force behind this remarkable group, all natives of Baracoa. Band leader, composer, percussionist, and lead singer, El Ruso — though not of Russian descent — got his nickname for his Muscovite good looks, powerful personality, and professional attitude (the USSR and Cuba were close allies for almost forty years).

Originally a percussionist on bongo and conga with various groups, El Ruso pulled together the best musicians in the area to form his own band in 1996. Known for their superb sound and high energy, the band is widely acknowledged as the premier group in Baracoa, providing essential musical nourishment to this remote region.

Eduardo Navarro Toirac — Güiro, Vocals, Band Leader
Cesar E. Paumier Frómeta — Bongo
Vladimir Milhet Rodríguez — Guitar, Vocals
Mario P. Lopez Nicle — Maracas, Vocals
Luis M. Castro Escalona — Clave, Vocals
Samuel Turro Campos — Bass, Musical Director
Fredi Nabarro Calderín — Tres

Musical Style and Instrumentation

What sets this band apart is their passion for presenting the full range of Cuban popular music — from the oldest to the most contemporary styles — all performed with traditional Son instrumentation: tres, guitar, string bass, bongos, maracas, and clave.

The Son style features the combination of guitars and percussion, with the tres (a guitar-like instrument with three double strings) as the lead instrument. Son emphasizes Afro-Cuban percussion, call and response, and improvised singing — musical elements that form the basis for all later developments in Cuban and Latin music around the world.

Featured Tracks and Styles

• “Paisages–El Guirito”
  Features Nengón and Quiribá — two of the earliest known Cuban dance rhythms, indigenous to Baracoa and linked to the coffee harvest.

• “Porqué Me Criticas”
  A Changui-style song composed by El Ruso, using the marimbula, a thumb piano of African origin.

• “A Baracoa Me Voy” (To Baracoa I Go)
  A lively Son celebrating the first highway built to Baracoa in the 1960s — “ahora que hay carretera” (now there is a highway).

• “A Baracoa”
  A bolero describing the beautiful natural features of the region.

• “Soy Hijo de Shango” (I’m a Son of Shango)
  A high-energy Timba composed by El Ruso, paying tribute to Shango, the Afro-Cuban god of thunder, drumming, and masculine beauty.