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Danzón To A New Mutant Strain: “Patricia” by Pérez Prado and his Orchestra

By Marcello Carlin

The term “pootler” sounds like a pejorative but actually means somebody who moves in a slow, leisurely and relaxed manner, usually on a bicycle. If “Patricia” does anything, it pootles; by the summer of 1958, Pérez Prado was slowing down in terms of popularity and the tune, composed by Prado himself, makes a point of taking its time.

The mambo was a livelier development of the Cuban Danzón and in Haitian-Creole language the word is described as meaning “voodoo priestess.” By 1958, Prado had perfected his modified, milder variation on the two-step and “Patricia” is no exception to the format – a doleful organ, sounding as old and unearthly as the Fats Waller organ pieces used in Eraserhead, is balanced against alternately screaming and bellowing brass in a general Stan Kenton manner (hardly surprising, since the band included several Kenton stalwarts, not least the Canadian trumpeter Maynard Ferguson).

But the organ – played by Prado himself – is not in mourning; instead it plays with the rhythm and its implications and sometimes drops off abruptly in a laissez-faire manner which would subsequently become apparent in the work of people like Paolo Conte. “Patricia” was Prado’s final major hit – until his surprise (if, sadly, posthumous) return to popularity in the nineties.  But it was also the last number one of the old Billboard era, topping the Top 100 and Most Played By Jockeys lists. Here it appears as a symbolic bodhisattva, a passing of the spirit from one body to the next. Or, if you prefer, a gentle pootle.

Date Record Made Number Two: 9 August 1958
Number of Weeks At Number Two: 1
Record At Number One: “Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson
UK Chart Position: 8
Other Information: “Patricia” was number one in Germany, and I’m sure people like Bert Kaempfert and James Last were taking note.

Comments

  1. Mark G10 July 2017 at 13:38

    'Patricia' was also the third track on the CD single that became his biggest hit, thanks to Guinness. And welcome back!

    ReplyDelete

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