Fefita la Grande
Born Manuela Josefa Cabrera (September 18, 1944) and known as Fefita la Grande "'La Vieja Fefa'" or La Mayimba, she is the most prolific and respected female merengue accordionist of the Dominican Republic. She is also one of the most well-known representatives of the Perico Ripiao or Merengue tipico music genre, along with artists like Tatico Henriquez, El Ciego de Nagua, El Prodigio, Rafaelito and Raul Roman, Geovanny Polanco, Francisco Ulloa, and others.
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[edit] Life
"Fefa", as referred to by her closest friends and relatives, was born in San Ignacio de Sabaneta, Santiago Rodríguez, located in the Cibao Region of the Dominican Republic, the birthplace of the merengue and where almost all merengue tipico musicians hail from. Fefita taught herself accordion on her father's squeezebox, and was already playing concerts for people as respected as Petan Trujillo (Dictator Rafael Trujillo's brother), and appearing frequently on television and radio shows, as early as the age of 9.
[edit] 1995
Fefita La Grande in 1995 recorded a Cd with Rafelito Roman called Merengues Tipicos Vol.1 in which Rafelito Roman was playing the accordion and Fefita was singing. They played the following songs such as: 1.Recuerdo A Ramona 2.La Botija 3 Yamaza 4.Linda Mama 5.La Maya Pendia 6.Se Murio Mi Padre 7.La Magdalena 8.Mi Mujer De Oro 9.Mañana Me Voy De Aqui 10.A Mi Ay Que Llorarme 11.Radhames Guerra 12.Yo Vivo Mi Vida 13.Debajo De La Ceiba fefita was born 1933
[edit] 1996
Fefita And Rafelito played again together. They recorded the Cd called Merengues Tipicos Vol.2 in which Rafelito played the accordion and Fefita was singing. They played the following song such as: 1.Maria La Del Padre 2.La Mecedora 3.Consagracion De Cariño 4.Chicha 5.Nonito En La Loma 6.El Pequeñuelo 7.Agua De Tu Fuente 8.El Puente Seco 9.La Balacera 10.El Refran 11.Acordandome De Ti 12.La Culebra
[edit] Innovations and Style
Cabrera had a unique style of playing merengue tipico, a kind that only she was able to produce. Along with the early exponents of "new" merengue tipico, such as Tatico Henriquez, Samuelito Almonte, and El Ciego de Nagua, she added congas, saxophones, and electric bass to the tipico ensemble, which was originally composed of three musicians: an accordionist (using a diatonic 2-row accordion), a tambora player ("tamborero"), and güira player ("guirero"). La Mayimba was also the first to bring merengue tipico to European audiences.
[edit] Collaborations
La Mayimba's success is also partially achieved because of her ability to stay with the times and constantly reinvent her sound with the help of new tipico artists. Performing with the likes of Krisspy and El Prodigio, she continues to appeal to the young.
[edit] Discography
- Fefita la Grande (2006)
- La Mayimba (2001)
- Todo los Hombres Son Buenos (1994)
- Merengues Tipicos Vol.1 (1995)
- Merengues Tipicos Vol.2 (1996)
[edit] Sources
Biography from www.afropop.org
