Oye Como Va

Before it was a rock anthem, Oye Como Va was a cha-cha-chá. Tito Puente wrote and recorded it with his orchestra in 1962 for Tico Records, with a repeating piano figure of block chords, a chorus singing the title refrain, and Johnny Pacheco on flute. According to Max Salazar, Puente was likely inspired by a tune he knew well: the intro and piano vamp closely resemble Cachao's 1957 mambo Chanchullo, which Puente himself had recorded in 1959. The song already carried Cuban roots. Santana rebuilt it for the 1970 album Abraxas. Out went Puente's horn section; in came electric guitar, Hammond organ and a rock drum kit. Carlos Santana's guitar took over the old flute melody, Gregg Rolie's organ filled in underneath, and the solos leaned on rock and blues while keeping echoes of the original. Released as a single in 1971, it reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Puente later admitted he was outraged at first that a rock band had covered his tune, until his first royalty cheque arrived. After that he thanked Santana publicly on stage for spreading Latin music around the world and crediting him as composer. Santana's version entered the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, and NPR named it one of the most important American musical works of the 20th century. Because its roots run through Cuba, Puerto Rico and the United States, the song is often held up as a picture of how Latin music in America is made: borrowed, rebuilt and shared.