“Pri-prí electrónico”

Several stylistically-distinct rural merengue variants, together constituting a Dominican merengue complex, are played in rural regions of the Dominican Republic. In addition to merengue típico cibaeño (which is, by far, the best-known merengue variant), these include pri-prí (also known as merengue palo echao and played in the South of the country), and merengue de atabales (of the East). While other regional merengues are rarely played today, a vital pri-prí culture persists. Pri-prí is traditionally played on the single-headed balsié drum, the güira, and the one-row accordion (instead of the more common two-row model). Its 12/8 rhythm is markedly different from the 4/4 of merengue cibaeño.

Young urban Dominicans began forging fusions of traditional genres with rock and jazz starting in the 1970s. Toné Vicioso emerged as a leader of this movement, influencing many others to create their own version of traditional genres. Vicioso told me that while earlier generations of folklorists aimed to “rescue” rural traditions from extinction, he believes that rural Afro-Dominican culture

rescues the [urban] people, that we are the ones that are being rescued, that whoever gets involved with [this Afro-Dominican music]...getting rescued, because they are finding out about themselves and about their culture...It is a matter of ...[being] humble. We shouldn’t think that we are rescuers, we are just learners.

Duluc distinguished himself as perhaps the most dynamic exponent of what has been called the “Afro-Dominican movement” for his in-depth knowledge of traditional musics, gained through years of field research which involved living in various rural areas for extended periods of time. Toné and Duluc encouraged me to develop my own interpretations of pri-prí. My incursion into this vital genre adapts a field recording I made in 1991, which appears on a CD, entitled Merengue, Dominican Music and Dominican Identity (Rounder Records), which documents music discussed in my book of the same name. I added electronics and jazz elements, featuring the masterful keyboards of Juan Valdez mimicking the pri-prí accordion along with his brother Freddy’s in-the-pocket bass.