Caribbean music was made for dancing!
In this post you will read about the types of music of the Caribbean, that is, the countries that border the Atlantic Ocean. Do you think a r umba i s a huge party? Do you call salsa to all the music in Spanish? Then this entry is right for you.
The music of the Caribbean is varied. It is the result of the encounter between Indigenous, European and African peoples in the Americas. It uses wind and percussion instruments, and also allows for cheerful and sensual dances. However, very different rhythms emerged in each of the Spanish speaking countries.
Cuba, an explosion of sound The encounter of cultures in the fifteenth century originated sounds such as son, guaracha and rumba, which mixed African instruments with the Spanish rhythms. Later on, Cuba received other influences from Europe and the United States, and the rhythms that we know today as mambo, Latin jazz, Cuban son and chachachá started to emerge.
Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic Although these are sister nations, they have produced very different music. In Puerto Rico two sounds dominated: l a bomba, which represents the African tradition. It uses barrels (large drums) and maracas. On the contrary, m úsica jíbara i s a genre of Spanish tradition. It uses guitars and cuatro t o interpret Spanish couplets. Merengue c omes from the Dominican Republic, a rhythm that is known throughout Latin America. The dance is fast and simple. Bachata i s the other musical genre of the Dominican Republic. It has a slow cadance and became famous in the 80s with Juan Luis Guerra. Today, Romeo Santos and Maite Perroni use this rhythm to reap success.
Cumbia In Colombia’s Caribbean region, the encounter of Indigenous and African people with Spaniards produced a rhythm that has spread throughout the continent. Cu mbia m ixes indigenous instruments such as bagpipes and flutes, African percussion instruments, and a dance inspired by the Spanish tradition. The Colombian musician Lucho Bermúdez made it popular throughout Latin America and nowadays there are varieties such as Mexican cumbia, Argentinean, techno-cumbia and Norteño cumbia.
And what about salsa? Salsa is the fusion of different Caribbean music genres. It is known around the world and there are different varieties throughout Latin America. It emerged in New York in the 1960s. It has its roots in Cuban music, but adapted instruments from other countries, especially Puerto Rico. Classic salsa representatives are Tito Puentes, Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe and the band of Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz. Later on, Dominican Republic, Panamá, Colombia and Venezuela created their own versions of it. This genre is so famous, that in the city of Cali, in Colombia, there is a salsódromo, which is a place destined to dance salsa.