Pedro Navaja. Ruben Blades & Seis del Solar. video

The best version of this tune. Uploaded by Billy Colonia. Rubén Blades convirtió una versión del famoso Mack the Knife de La ópera de tres cuartos, pero sin seguir la música de Kart Weill sino la letra de Bertolt Brecht, según Cabrera Infante (1996). El mismo autor señala más adelante: "«Pedro Navaja» es de veras un logro considerable. No es una parodia de Brecht ni una copia servil de La opera de tres cuartos. Es un verdadero homenaje al poeta alemán que prefería que su música fuera popular y su poesía subversiva". Sin embargo, paradójicamente, al productor salsero Jerry Massucci, no le gustaba para nada la canción porque, según él, era una falta de respeto al público, que tenía como razón para comprar discos, el evadirse de la realidad y no de evocarla. Además, "Pedro Navaja" era una canción demasiado larga (7:21 minutos), hasta el punto de ser colocada al final de la segunda cara del larga duración "Siembra". No obstante, rápidamente "Pedro Navaja" se convirtió en el mayor éxito de la historia de la salsa. Frente a esto, Blades se desquita cuando canta con Seis del Solar en el Madison Square Garden, de New York, y rememora que en la compañía Fania, le vaticinaron que esa canción no tendría éxito, y jocosamente hace un parangón con El Quijote, de Cervantes, aclarando, guardadas las proporciones de los dos hechos, que "Si esas gentes hubiesen sido los editores de Don Quijote, hubiese salido un pasquín". Según Blades, le hubiesen quitado a Sancho Panza, por gordo, o lo habrían cambiado por un galán como Tony Curtis, solo habrían dejado la parte de Dulcinea, pero sobre todo, le habrían quitado buenas hojas porque la gente no iba a leer algo tan largo. Aqui Ruben Blades inicia con "Mack the Knife" Oh the shark bites with his teeth, dear And he shows them pearly white Just a jack knife has MacHeath, dear And he keeps it out of sight Round the corner of the old neighborhood I saw him go, with the familiar gait that bullies have his hands always deep inside the pockets of his coat so that nobody knows which one holds the dagger He uses a wide brim hat, tilted to one side sporting sneakers, to fly when in danger dark shades so nobody knows what he's staring at and a golden tooth that shines when he laughs Three blocks away from that corner, a woman strides the whole curb for the fifth time and inside a store she goes to have a drink and forget that the day moves slow, and she has no customers to attend A car moves slowly through the avenue it has no marks but everyone knows it's the police Pedro Navaja, his hands always inside his coat looks and smiles, and his golden tooth shines again He looks to one side and looks to the other, not a soul is seen and running, silently, he crosses the street and at the same time, on the other side is the woman mumbling 'cause she made no money for food As she walks, she draws a gun from her old coat to save it inside her purse, so it won't bother a .38 special "Smith & Wesson" that she keeps always, to rid her from all evil And Pedro Navaja, the dagger in his hand, jumped on her the golden tooth, shining the whole avenue and as he laughed, the dagger plunged relentlessly when suddenly a gunshot bursted out like a cannon... And Pedro Navaja, fell on the curb as he saw the woman with the gun in her hand, and mortally wounded telling him: "I thought: today is not my day, I'm on a bad streak. But Pedro Navaja, you're worse: you're worthless" And believe me, people, even though noise was made, nobody came out nobody was curious, no questions were made, nobody cried just a drunkard stumbled upon the two bodies took the gun, the dagger, the money and went off and stumbling along the way, he went along singing out of tune the chorus I've brought you, that tells you the message of my song "Life brings you surprises, surprises are brought by life, O God!" Canta: Ruben Blades Piano: Oscar Hernandez Timbales: Ralph Irizarry Bongo: Louie Rivera Tumbadora: Eddie Montalvo Bajo: Mike Viñas Sintetizador: Richie Marrero Bateria: Robby Ameen