Salt Peanuts
Straßenhändlerrufe in der afro-amerikanischen Musik
Dizzy Gillespie’s titles such as “Salt Peanuts” and “Manteca” (meaning butter in Spanish) are names for food items, which appear to be rather unusual to be employed as titles for songs and musical tunes in jazz. Yet there are parallels to be found in the music of Cuba, which Gillespie became acquainted with via Chano Pozo. In Cuba such tunes are classified as “Son Pregon”. Pregon in standard Spanish actually means the cry of a street vendor while advertising his wares. Son Pregon uses these very cries as basis for its music. Besides the names of the wares they offer one can detect the street vendor’s job descriptions among the titles of that genre. The best-known title in that line is “El Manisero” or “Peanut Vendor”. Documentation of such street vendor chants can be found in numerous instances of European compositions of vintage from the 13th century up to the 20th century. However, there is complete absence of such an element in traditional Bantu music of Africa. Only in the “neo-traditional” music of Sudan’s post colonial period can traces be found. The Cuban Pregon therefore is without doubt of European origin.