Search - Tona La Negra :: Gold Collection

Tona La Negra: Mexico's Afro-Caribbean Voice

Betto Arcos | Los Angeles | 03/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Antonia Peregrino, better known as Tona La Negra, is perhaps Mexico's quintessential Afro-Caribbean voice. Born into a family of musicians in Veracruz, Tona La Negra carried the flavor and spirit of Cuban music in Mexico. Her siblings, the Peregrino brothers, made a significant mark in the Afro-Cuban music scene in Mexico in the 40s and 50s, covering Cuban standards and creating original songs. Tona La Negra's rise to fame began when she delved into the repertoire of one of the most prolific composers in Latin American popular music, Agustin Lara. For much of her career, she became one of Lara's most soulful and finest interpreters of boleros and Cuban-influenced compositions. Many of those songs are part of this essential double CD including, Oracion Caribe, Piensa en Mi, Concha Nacar, Noche Criolla, Lamento Jarocho and Veracruz. This collection is essential to anyone who loves music from Cuba's golden age. We should not forget that it was in Mexico during the 50s that Cuba's Beny More rose to fame and many of the big names in Cuban music of the same period who toured in Mexico, often played at the same venues and to the same audiences as Tona La Negra. For those interested in exploring the period of music on which the Buena Vista Social Club is based, you would do well to check out the Afro-Caribbean sound in Mexico. Tona La Negra is the perfect introduction and this collection is a must."