Ned Sublette - Goyo and Augustin on the Day of Chango, Matanzas

Matanzas might be the great African city of the New World. It is the cradle of much of what we think of as Cuban culture - the rumba, the danzon, and the African religions of Cuba. Matanzas is the home of the greatest rumba group in history: Los Munequitos de Matanzas, six of whose albums I released on Qbadisc and three of which I produced. Though Havana can swallow you up, I always make at least a day trip to Matanzas to visit Los Munequitos. Gregorio Diaz "Goyo", seen on the left, who died in 1996, was the last still-active founding member of Los Munequitos. This picture was taken on December 4, the day of Chango. There had been a tremendous party for Chango the night before, on the eve. It was Sunday afternoon, and Goyo was dressed for his santo, Ochun; to his left (your right) is his son Agustin, dressed in Chango's red and white. For many years Goyo and Agustin played together in Los Munequitos, Goyo playing the note on the four and Agustin playing the note on the one. That pocket was a generation deep and is not easily duplicated.