Sultanes del Swing

El otro día conversando con un gran músico peruano, y amigo de toda la vida, me contó que existe un viejo debate sobre quienes entre los roqueros tocan realmente rock and roll y quienes tocan creole (criollo). Y que esto último se usa de manera algo despectiva entre los roqueros.

Y con mucha razón, me decía, las etiquetas son lo de menos. Si son roqueros criollos o rock’n roleros, no es relevante, lo importante es que suenen bien, que hagan buena música. Y sobre todo, que hagan arte. Y me llamó la atención sobre la letra de la canción “Sultans of Swing” de Dire Straits, la cual, me dijo, tiene mucho que ver con el tema. Los Sultanes, nos dice Mark Knopfler, líder de la banda británica, tocan y suenan bien, and play creole!



Sultans of Swing
(Dire Straits)

You get a shiver in the dark
It's been raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing dixie double four time
You feel all right when you hear that music ring

You step inside but you don’t see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down
Too much competition too many other places
But not too many horns can make that sound
Way on downsouth way on downsouth London town

You check out guitar George he knows all the chords
Mind hes strictly rhythm he doesn’t want to make it cry or sing
And an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing

And Harry doesn’t mind if he doesn’t make the scene
He’s got a daytime job he’s doing alright
He can play honky tonk just like anything
Saving it up for Friday night
With the Sultans with the Sultans of Swing

And a crowd of young boys they’re fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don’t give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It aint what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans played Creole

And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
thank you goodnight now its time to go home
And he makes it fast with one more thing
we are the sultans of swing.