The Music
“Choncholí se va pal monte; cójelo que se va” is a flexible refrain that has been interpreted in at least four musical genres: tajona, conga, bembé, and son. In almost all of its interpretations, “Choncholí se va pal monte” is sung by the lead vocalist and “Cojelo que se va” is sung by the chorus.
The following clip is Berta Armiñan's 2019 recollection of the song’s verses and refrain, accompanied by the tajona rhythm, a style that was popular in Santiago’s carnival during the 19th and early 20th centuries. While it is impossible to know what Los Brujos de Limónes sounded like in the 1860s, this comparsa is generally believed to have been a tajona ensemble.
The following clip is Berta Armiñan's 2019 recollection of the song’s verses and refrain, accompanied by the tajona rhythm, a style that was popular in Santiago’s carnival during the 19th and early 20th centuries. While it is impossible to know what Los Brujos de Limónes sounded like in the 1860s, this comparsa is generally believed to have been a tajona ensemble.
While some sources imply that “Choncholí” may have been performed in Santiago’s conga parades between the 1950s and early 1990s, I am unaware of recordings of any such performances. The following clip includes musicians’ interpretations that imply the conga rhythm, along with recollections of the refrain’s association with General Guillermón Moncada.
Vocalist Andres Cobás, accompanied by Alberto and Yordanis, incorporates the refrain into a Bembé de Sao song cycle, calling upon Choncholí (a Maroon/congo/guerilla spirit) to return from El Monte (the forest, perhaps the spirit world?) and participate in the religious celebration:
In these clips, Familia Valera Miranda interprets “Choncholí” as son montuno, the antiphonal mountain music of Oriente which made its way to Havana and was eventually modernized and transformed into later styles such as mambo and salsa.
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A 1952 son recording by Trio La Rosa includes verses and attributes authorship to Ñico Saquito, a native of Santiago. This version, which has been interpreted by several other artists, takes on a much more flirtatious/teasing tone: Choncholí is a lover on his way out the door.
