Castillo mangüé


"Castillo mangüé", also known as "Chévere mangüé", is a traditional Cuban pregón often played as a yambú, son or guaracha. According to Helio Orovio, it is an example of an orally transmitted yambú still performed today.

Recordings

The song has an unknown author but has been recorded numerous times with different titles by multiple artists. It was registered as a son-pregón under the title "Chévere mangüé" by Felipe Neri Cabrera in 1932, although the Septeto Habanero did not record it. One of the most famous versions was made by Machito in New York in 1948, a guaracha later released as a single by Verne. Carlos "Patato" Valdés recorded it as a rumba for his 1976 album Authority. This version was credited to Papaíto, the lead singer.
The song is often interpolated at the end of "Mondongo", a guaguancó composed by Agustín Pina "Flor de Amor". Recordings of this version have been made by the Conjunto de Percusión de Danza Nacional de Cuba featuring Inés Carbonell on their 1987 Homenaje a Jesús Pérez and by Jane Bunnett on her 1997 album Chamalongo. Another version was recorded in 1998 by Deep Rumba under the title "Yambú chevrolet", which was credited to Orlando "Puntilla" Ríos.