Felix Olmo - El Lechón Bailarín - Rada - Late 70s/Early 80s - Puerto Rica/USA

Jibaro is a traditional music style from Puerto Rico. It is most analogous to classic country music in the US, not sonically, but culturally and thematically. Agrarian and rural themes are common. A lot of the music is associated with Christmas, as subtly indicated by the titular lechón (suckling pig) on the cover, the roasting and eating of which is a Christmas tradition in much of Latin America. There are also numerous references to Christmas in the lyrics, but none of the trappings of English Christmas music. The music is played on a cuatro, a 10 string guitar tuned in 4ths and accompanied by a güiro, a notched gord which is stroked with a multi-pronged stick to create a ratchet sound. This record was found by a friend in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn where we both live. The label says it was produced at San German Records, 89 Moore St, Brooklyn, which is a music store nearby that still exists to this day. I'll have to pop in there soon and see if they can tell me anything more about this record, but it seems fair to say that Felix Olmo, dubbed the Jibarito de Canóvanas (town in PR), came to the Puerto Rican community in North Brooklyn and brought his country jibaro style with him. And now it has come to the internet. Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/12027244-F...