Kerubanda

Kerubanda, headed by accordionist Kerube Ortiz, is a merengue típico band from the Dominican Republic. They are known for their authentic Perico Ripiao, their rendition of "Negro Cruz y Tono Colon", and rivalries with fellow musicians Geovanny Polanco and, especially, El Prodigio. Many within the group Kerubanda were originally members of the band headed by Krency Garcia (El Prodigio) but broke contract to play with Kerube Ortiz. This caused a lot of internal friction within the genre and bad blood between band leaders, but things worked themselves out eventually. Their band includes güira, tambora, accordion, bass, saxophone, conga, electric piano, and 3 vocalists (each for different rhythms of the music).