Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No

Home , Clave (rhythm), Guaguanco, Irakere, Latin rock, Los Van Van, Son montuno

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

Latin Legends A Musical Journey Tracing the Roots and Rhythms of Afro-Cuban Music

CONTENTS Overview Description of Song Styles Important Artists and Groups Terminology & Bibliography Discography Student Activities

OVERVIEW Latin Legends explores the diverse aspects of Afro/Cuban music, from its humble beginnings to current trends. The five musicians on this video have extensive recording and performing experience. They demonstrate techniques and styles that are prominent in Afro/Cuban music, including: Son, Rumba, Cha-cha-cha, Mambo, Merengue, Songo and Afro/Cuban Jazz. Songs highlighting these styles will be featured, along with instrument demonstrations of claves, congas, bongos, timbales, cowbells, guiro, drum set, piano and bass. Major artists who have contributed to the development of this music will be mentioned, as well as geographic and historic points of interest. The addition of audience participation makes Latin Legends an entertaining and educational program.

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

DESCRIPTION OF SONG STYLES The music of Latin America and the Caribbean is extremely diverse. One of the countries that has contributed a wide variety of influential music is Cuba. The roots of Cuban music can be traced directly to Africa and to a lesser extent, Europe. The most dominant characteristic of Cuban music is rhythm. This strong rhythmic base is an African influence. The complex rhythmic patterns found in Cuban music are very similar to the rhythmic patterns of West Africa. The slaves forced to work the sugar plantations of Cuba from the 1600s to the early 1800s were primarily from West Africa. The oral tradition of West African music allowed it to survive the arduous journey to the “New World”. After generations of refinement and innovation, the following musical styles of Cuba and the Caribbean have emerged.

Son - a style of dance music popular among the peasant or working-class of the 19th century. A combination of several African and Spanish elements is present in this style. Then son further developed in the middle 19th and early 20th centuries. It is considered the root of several hybrid styles including the afro-son, guajira-son and son-montuno. The son is arguably the most important form in Cuban music and is the root of today’s popular salsa.

Rumba - a folkloric secular style comprised of drumming, dancing and call- and-response singing. The three forms of rumba are: Yambu, Columbia, and Guaguanco.

Mambo - an up-tempo dance style that evolved in the 1940s and 50s. Elements of the son, along with the harmonies and instrumentation of American jazz groups, are prominent in this style.

Cha-cha-cha – a medium-tempo style popular in the 1950s. Derived from the mambo but with a simpler rhythmic base, it is often heard in the music of Carlos Santana.

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

Songo – a style from the late 60s and early 70s influenced by the rumba and son as well as North American jazz and funk. It is one of the first Cuban styles to utilize the drum set.

Merengue – a song style from the Dominican Republic generally played in a fast tempo. Traditionally played on the tambura, guiro and accordion, merengue groups of the 1980s and 90s utilize horns and the modern rhythm section.

Salsa – a generic term coined in the 1970s used to describe the many Afro/Cuban song hybrids that exist today.

IMPORTANT ARTISTS AND GROUPS

Los Munequitos de Mantanzas A fourteen-member Cuban ensemble of percussionists, dancers and vocalists specializing in playing various rumba styles as well as the Afro-Cuban ritual music of the Yoruba, Brikamo and Abakua. Arsenio Rodriguez A direct descendant of a Congalese tribesman, Arsenio successfully merged traditional African rhythms with Cuban folkloric music. He is considered the creator of the “son montuno” and was the first bandleader to make the congas a permanent fixture in the rhythm section. Mario Bauza Afro-Cuban composer and trumpeter, Mario was one of the first musicians to merge Afro-Cuban styles with American jazz music of the 1930s and 40s. Israel “Cachao” Lopez

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

Influential Cuban bassist and composer considered to be the creator of the mambo style. The playful, driving bass lines of the mambo became a foundation of modern Cuban music, and influenced American jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and rhythm and blues.

Tito Puente Timbale player, composer and bandleader, this Puerto-Rican-American musician successfully merged the mambo and jazz styles to create very popular dance music of the 1950s. Many of Tito’s developments were used in the 70s to create the musical style known as Salsa. Tito was one of the most widely recorded Latin artists with over 100 albums to his credit.

Celia Cruz This Cuban artist, known as the “Queen of Salsa,” was the most popular and influential female salsa singer from the 50s until her death in 2003. Carlos Santana Mexican-American guitarist and composer Carlos Santana merged Latin styles (primarily the cha-cha-cha) and traditional Afro-Cuban percussion instruments (e.g. congas, bongos, timbales, etc.) with rock music of the 60s to the present. This style if often called Latin-Rock. Los Van Van One of Cuba’s most popular groups of the last 40 years, Los Van Van is credited with developing the songo beat (a variant of son combined with jazz and rock). The songo style was the first to fully integrate the drum set with the traditional Latin percussion ensemble. This post-revolutionary musical group was founded in 1969 by bassist Juan Formell, who led it until his death in 2014.

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

Irakere This highly influential Latin-Jazz group from Cuba mixes traditional Cuban folkloric music with the complex harmonies of jazz to produce a truly unique sound. Highly regarded musicians who have been members of the group include Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera and Chucho Valdes. Reuben Blades This Panamanian artist has been an influential salsa singer/songwriter from the 1970s to the present. Reuben’s lyrics were much more politically and socially relevant than the typical salsa tunes of his generation. He is often called the Bob Dylan of salsa music. Gloria Estefan This Cuban-American singer, songwriter, and actress has had worldwide success combining 80s pop/rock styles with various Latin grooves. Born in Havana, she fled Cuba with her family when Castro came to power. In Miami, she met and eventually married keyboardist Emilio Estefan, joining his band Miami Sound Machine as lead singer.

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

TERMINOLOGY Clave – a 5-stroke rhythmic pattern that most Latin styles are built around. This pattern is usually played on the instrument called claves, 2 cylindrical hardwood sticks. (show example of son clave: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and/ 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, show quarter beat on 1, and after 2, and 4/ Montuno – a repeated, syncopated vamp played by the pianist found in many Latin styles. Polyrhythms – the use of many complex rhythmic patterns. Polyrhythms are the basis of most Latin styles. Tumbao – the standard timekeeping patterns played by the bass and congas in many Latin styles including the son, son montuno, and mambo.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble by Rebecca Mauleon. Sher Music Co. 2. World Beat by Peter Spencer. A Cappella Books Press 3. Popular Music of the Non-Western World by Peter Manuel. Oxford Univ. Press 4. Hot Sauces: Latin and Caribbean Pop by Billy Bergman. Quill Publications 5. Caribbean Currents by Peter Manuel. Temple University Press 6. The Essence of Afro-Cuban Percussion and Drum Set by Ed Uribe. Warner Bros.

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

DISCOGRAPHY Artist/Album/Label Mario Bauza/Afro-Cuban Jazz/Messidor Ruben Blades/Caminando/Fania Celia Cruz/The “Brilliante”Best/Vaya Paquito D’Rivera/Celebration/Columbia Fania All-Stars/Live at the Cheetah/Fania Jerry Gonzalez/Yo Yo Me Cure/Panagea Irakere/Irakere/Columbia Israel “Cachao” Lopez/Master Sessions/Epic Los Van Van/Sandunguera/Messidor Eddie Palmieri/Solita/Coco Tito Puente/Salsa Meets Jazz/Picante Arturo Sandoval/Tumbaito/Messidor Carlos Santana/Abraxas/Columbia Dave Valentin/Live at the Blue Note/GRP Compilation/I Am Time/B. Jackel

MUSICAL JOURNEY DVD Latin Legends: Afro-Cuban Music Item No. 5779

STUDENT ACTIVITIES A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that makes a sound as a result of hitting, shaking, or scraping. 1. Play recordings from the discography. Help students correctly identify each percussion instrument used on the recording. 2. Practice the son clave pattern, using claves. See if you can hear the claves when you listen to a son or salsa, and count and play-along with the 5-stroke clave pattern. 3. Have students make shakers from aluminum cans. Seal the open side with tape and add rice, beans, pebbles, etc. for different sounds. Then decorate the shakers with various designs. 4. Have students play along with recordings and improvise their own rhythms. 5. When the various percussion instruments are demonstrated on the video, press the pause button and ask these questions: a. Of what is the instrument made? (metal, wood or other) b. How is it played? (hit, shake, or scrape) c. What kind of sound is it? (high pitch, low pitch or unpitched) d. The name of the instrument? 6. Demonstrate common percussion instruments such as the triangle (hit), maracas (shake) and guiro (scrape). Let the students experiment with these instruments. 7. Have students write short biographies of the groups or artists mentioned in this handout. 8. Bring in percussionists from your area for a live demonstration. 9. Encourage students to listen to ALL TYPES OF MUSIC!