The legendary Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés was emphatic in stating that "Bacalao con pan is the father of timba," in a video clip shared on his social media where he reflects on the origins of one of the most vibrant genres in Cuban popular music.
Valdés explained that the key to that fatherhood lies in the piano and elaborated on why he thinks so.
"Fusion is one of the greatest elements of timba, combining elements of Cuban music, son, with funk or rock, and also linking them with Afro-Cuban rhythms and African music (...) Until now, the piano had never been left alone playing the tumbado accompanied only by percussion and effects from the percussion and bass," he said.
"This is what is being done today in timba," Valdés concluded. In his view, the starting point of timba is not up for discussion: "It begins with Irakere, and it's not just 'Bacalao con pan'."
The musician expanded the catalog of precursor songs by citing pieces like "Aguanile Boncó," "A romper el coco," "Los caramelos," and "El Tata cimarrón" as examples of that timbero spirit that Irakere planted before the genre even had a name.
He acknowledged, however, that the timba developed with the hands of others: groups like NG La Banda —founded in 1988 by José Luis Cortés «El Tosco»— and Charanga Habanera were crucial in solidifying and popularizing the style during the 1990s.
"Everyone took that, and there's nothing wrong with it, because one feeds on the things that come and are beneficial to them."
Chucho Valdés founded Irakere in 1973, with instrumentalists from the Cuban Modern Music Orchestra. "Bacalao con pan" was recorded that same year at the EGREM studios in Havana and premiered in Santiago de Cuba.
The song became the first major success of Irakere and an early example of the blend of funk, rock, son, and Afro-Cuban elements that would later shape the evolution of dance music in the country.
The debate over the origins of timba is a recurring theme in Cuban musicology, and Valdés' position—which places the birth of the genre in Irakere—is a thesis he has upheld at various points in his career.
This time, however, he appealed to a piece of evidence he considers undeniable: "The recordings exist, and when you listen to them, you realize where the truth lies, the reality."
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