intro to popular latin American music styles

1. INTRODUCTION TO LATIN MUSIC STYLES
CHRISTOPHER BAKER
MUSICSTUDENTINFO.COM

2. EXAMPLES OF LATIN MUSIC
Caribbean Music
Merengue from the Dominican Republic
Calypso from Trinidad
Mexican/Central American Music
Mariachi from Mexico
South American Music
Cumbia from Colombia
Samba from Brazil
Joropo from Venezuela

3. MUSIC OF THE CARIBBEAN CUBA
CUBAN BACKGROUND
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY - IN 1492
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS SAILED
FROM SPAIN AND LANDED IN
THE CARIBBEAN
SPAIN CLAIMED CUBA (AND
MANY OTHER ISLANDS IN THE
CARIBBEAN)
NATIVE INDIANS IN CUBA
THE ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN
WERE INHABITED BY NATIVE
INDIANS: PARTICULARLY THE
CIBONEYS, TAINO ARAWAKS,
AND CARIBS.
THE SPANISH ENSLAVED THE
NATIVE INDIANS AND FORCED
THEM TO WORK IN MINES.
SOME OF THE INDIANS WERE
EXTERMINATED BY THE SPANISH,
OTHERS DIED FROM STARVATION
AND DISEASE, AND OTHERS
COMMITTED MASS SUICIDE.
BY 1570, MOST OF THE NATIVE
INDIAN POPULATION WAS GONE
IN CUBA

4. AFRICAN SLAVES
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

5. AFRICAN SLAVES
SLAVES FROM WEST AFRICA WERE BROUGHT TO THE CARIBBEAN AS WORKERS (SINCE THE INDIANS HAD
MOSTLY DIED OFF)
MANY OF THE SLAVES IN AFRICA WERE NOT CAPTURED BY THE SPANISH, BUT INSTEAD BOUGHT
FROM OTHER AFRICAN TRIBES WHO HAD CONQUERED OTHER TRIBES AND ENSLAVED THEM.
AROUND 1700 EUROPE HAD A COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE CRAZE AND THIS REQUIRED SUGAR.
THE CARIBBEAN WAS AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO GROW SUGAR AND THERE WERE HUGE SUGAR AND
TOBACCO PLANTATIONS USING AFRICAN SLAVES.

6. NATIVE
ARAWAK
INDIANS
CUBA
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

7. AFRICAN MUSICAL ELEMENTS IN CUBA
African Musical
Elements in Cuba
Loteria (rumba
Columbia)
Playing style Polyrhythm Improvisation Syncopation
Instrumentation
- drumming
with singing
Instruments -
related to African
instruments, but
few exact
replications
Hand drums
congas and
bongos and
Cuban, bata are
Nigerian
Bells - use
cowbells or
guataca (hoe
blade) instead of
double bell
Claves - Cuban
Shakers -
Shekere is very
close to African
axatse, maracas
are Cuban
Songs and
instrument
patterns
􀂄 Religious songs
of the Yoruba
survived and the
bata drums and
drumming patterns
survived
6/8 bell part
survived
Most of the other
rhythms and
songs were
created in Cuba

8. RACIAL BLENDING IN CUBA

9. BLENDING IN CUBA
Racial blending (led to cultural
blending) – male plantation
owners would sleep with female
black slaves
Musical blending - plantation
owners would train some of their
black slaves to play classical music.
These black musicians would
gradually add new rhythmic ideas
to these traditional European
styles
Religious blending - the African
slaves were forced to convert to
Catholicism.
The slaves related their Yoruba
gods to Catholic saints, allowing
them to give the impression of
worshiping the saints while
retaining the Yoruba religion.
This mixed religion is called
Santeria

10. EUROPEAN MUSICAL ELEMENTS IN CUBA
Central Constancia
(Danzon)
Playing style Written out music Musical forms
Major/minor scales
and tonalities
Homophonic
texture - melody
with
accompaniment
Instruments -
most European
instruments made
their way to Cuba
Brass - trumpet,
trombone
Woodwinds - flute
Strings - violin,
double bass
Percussion -
timpani
Piano Songs
The aristocratic dance
songs of Europe were
played in Cuba by the
wealthy plantation
owners. These
included the waltz,
gigue, minuet,

11. CUBAN
INSTRUMENTS 1
Claves
two wooden sticks which play the “clave” rhythm
translates as “key”
3 clave patterns
Son clave
Rumba clave
6/8
2-3 or 3-2 clave direction
11
Timbales
Descendant of the timpani
Large drum is called “hembra” and small drum is “macho”
Played with sticks, not hands
Uses two mounted cowbells (mambo and cha-cha) and often a cymbal
Plays “cascara” rhythm
Congas
tumba, conga, quinto
folkloric settings use one drum per person; popular latin settings use one player on 2 or 3 drums
Plays “tumbau” rhythm

12. CLAVE (KEY)
PATTERNS

13. CUBAN INSTRUMENTS 2
Bongos
Set of two small
drums used in son
and salsa music
Plays “martillo”
rhythm
Plays the bongo
bell for montuno
section
Cajon
Wooden box
which is played like
a conga
Originated with
the dock workers
of Matanzas
playing rumba on
boxes and shipping
crates
Guiro
Gourd with ridges
which is scraped
with a stick
Used with Danzon
and cha-cha-cha
Maracas
Shakers used in
son/salsa music

14. CUBAN INSTRUMENTS

15. DANZON
History – comes out of the European classical tradition
• In Europe, the English country dance appeared in the late 1600’s. The music and dance spread to France, then spread throughout the rest of Europe as the
French quadrille. The quadrille had made its way to Cuba at least by 1750. The quadrille became known as the danza in Cuba
• The Danzon evolved from the danza in Matanzas. Traditionally, the birth date of the Danzon is said to be 1879, when Miguel Failde Perez presented Las Alturas
de Simpson.
Instrumentation
• Orquesta tipica - early Danzon group which was like a classical chamber ensemble, used through the 1800’s
• 2 clar, 1 trpt, 2 horns, 2 violins, string bass, guiro, timpani
• Charanga - Danzon group from 1920’s
• wooden flute, 2 violins, pno, string bass, guiro, timbales
Musical Style
• verse like classical music, montuno more groove oriented

16. DANZON

17. CHA-CHA-CHA
History – evolved from the Danzón
Created by Enrique Jorrín around
1950 (created from the danzon)
The name came from the sliding of
the feet to the dance step
Son beginning to mix with danzon
by this time - the tumbadora was
being used by Antonio Arcano’s
Orchestra in the 1940’s
Instrumentation still played by charanga orchestras Musical Style
Same musical style as the “mambo”
or “montuno” portion of the
danzon
Simple harmonic progression medium tempo Now often vocally based La Enganadora

18. CHA-CHA-
CHA

19. SON
History – country music of Eastern Cuba
Began in the 1860’s in the rural areas of the eastern mountains
Around 1910 it had arrived in Havana, although it was seen as a lowerclass music
By 1920 it was spreading in popularity and had solidified the instrumentation and form
Instrumentation
Early instruments: guitar, tres, botija or marimbula, claves, bongo, and maracas
Current instruments: Double bass replaced botija and marimbula beginning in 1923 by Sexteto Habanero (sexteto)
Trumpet in 1927 (septeto)
Congas and piano by Arsenio
Timbales were added last

20. SON

21. SON CONT’D
Musical Style
Uses verse/montuno form
Vocal style
Predecessor to modern day mambo and salsa
Pare Cochero

22. RUMBA
History
Evolved from the dock workers playing on boxes or “cajones”
Involves music, dance, and song like Africa
Instrumentation
3 congas, clave, guagua (bamboo) or woodblock, singers
Musical Style
rumba clave
quinto soloist alternates with singing and interacts

23. RUMBA

24. MAMBO (1940’S – MID 1960’S)
FUSING OF THE CUBAN SON AND JAZZ BIG BAND
INSTRUMENTS
BIG BAND HORNS
SIMILAR RHYTHM SECTION TO THAT OF A SON GROUP: BONGO, CONGA, TIMBALES,
PIANO, BASS
RHYTHM AND FEEL OF A SON GROUP, BUT FLETCHER HENDERSON STYLE HORN
ARRANGING

25. MAMBO

26. PEREZ PRADO
CREDITED WITH THE INVENTION
OF THE MAMBO STYLE
PERFORMED MAINLY IN MEXICO QUE RICO MAMBO

27. PEREZ PRADO

28. MACHITO
Frank Raul Grillo
is his full name
Singer/maraca
player
Performed in NY Barbara Batibiri

29. MACHITO

30. DECLINE OF MAMBO
By the mid 60’s the large
crowds that had once
been attracted to the
music were dwindling
Decline culminated with
the close of the
Palladium in 1966

31. SALSA
A new name for an old music
“Salsa” literally means “hot sauce”
The name implied that it was something new and that’s how the record companied marketed it (Fania did not include names of Cuban song composers)
It was an evolution of the Cuban style
The implication angered many Cubans and the word “salsa” is still not typically used in Cuba
Salsa music was centered in New York City
Many of the primary salsa players were Puerto Rican

32. WHAT WAS NEW TO SALSA
Production was now much
more important
Salsa would have pristine
recordings and quality
artwork like that of pop
music
Large amounts of money
would be used to market the
recordings
As with pop music, the mass
marketing would cause the
producers to allow the artists
less freedom in their music
Instrumentation
Conjunto format with 2-5
horns, piano, bass, conga,
bongo, timbales, and 1 or 2
vocalists plus chorus
Bongo bell added to
heighten montuno
More driving and intense

33. MONTUNO

34. MONTUNOS
IN MORE
DETAIL

35. TITO PUENTE
Timbale, vibraphone player
Composer
Led one of the major New York mambo bands in the 1940’s
Continued performing until his death on May 31, 2000
Calle 54 Video Performance (50:00)

36. TITO
PUENTE

37. EDDIE PALMIERI
Pianist
Major contributor to latin piano style:
montunos, solos
Palo’ Pa’ Rumba

38. EDDIE
PALMIERI
This Photo by Unknown r islicesed under CC BYSA

39. OTHER
CARIBBEAN &
COUNTRIES
AND STYLES
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Trinidad and Tobago

40. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominican Republic Background
Originally a Spanish colony called Santo Domingo
The island has been controlled by many different countries at times
French invaded and took control in 1795.
Haitian government invaded and occupied from 1822 - 1844. Became independent in 1844.
U.S. Marines occupied the country from 1916 to 1924 to try to establish stability.
Due to the short length of stable colonial rule, the country never developed a plantation based economy
Because of the Haitian invasion, they see blackness as evil and will call themselves white if they have any white in
their skin.

41. MERENGUE
• Tipico style - by 1920’s
• Guira, tambora, accordian, marimbula.
• Used a march-like paseo section, jaleo section, and apanpichao
section (like a bridge)
• Compadre Pedro Juan
• Modern style - Beginning in the 1960’s
• Johnny Ventura began a new style of merengue with a more driving
beat with a bass drum on all 4 beats and with saxophones playing
fast patterns.
• The speed of the merengue also got faster
• Produced, commercial sound.
• Pa’ Que No Descuide Lo Tuyo

42. JOHNNY
VENTURA
*MERENGUE

43. BACHATA
Slower and sadder music than merengue
Typical instrumentation includes 1 or 2 guitars, maracas, bongo and a male siinger
Nuestros Lazos

44. RAMON
CORDERO
NUESTROS LAZOS

45. PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rican Background
• Like Cuba in that it was colonized by Spain
around the same time and developed a
plantation-based economy with slaves
• Since 1952 it has had a commonwealth
arrangement with the U.S 40% of all Puerto
Rican’s now live in the mainland US -
particularly New York.

46. PLENA
Since the early 1900’s
Uses panderetas and singing and possibly guitar, cuatro, accordian or whatever is around.
Played at parties, street protests, and other events and can be about news, barrio gossip or anything
Uses strophic form Strophic form – also called verse-repeating form, chorus form, AAA song form, or one-
part song form – is a song structure in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music.
El Safacon

47. PLENA

48. BOMBA
Since the 1820’s
Involves drumming, singing, and dancing
The most African of the Puerto Rican styles - similar to Cuban
rumba
Played on barrel shaped bomba drums
Bomba Calinde

49. CONTEMPORARY PLENA AND BOMBA
Ellos Se Juntan (bomba)
Cucu (plena)
Contemporary settings of bomba and plena mix it with a salsa and merengue instrumentation and sound

50. TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO
Trinidad and Tobago Background
Columbus discovered the island, but the Spanish took little interest
in the island and had few settlers by the mid 1700’s.
In 1797 Britain took control of the island.
There were relatively few slaves brought to Trinidad, and those
that were brought were freed from 1834-1838.
After this, the British imported around 143,000 peasants from India
to work the fields.
Did not gain independence from the British until 1962.
Drums were forbidden until the late 1930’s, so “tamboo bamboo”
was played instead. (bamboo cut to different lengths)

51. CALYPSO
Sarcastic, witty speaking/singing
Used long and often made up words
Topics could include women, current social
issues, political topics
Yankees Gone

52. CALYPSO

53. SOCA
“Soul calypso”
Dance music with a faster tempo
and repeated, generic lyrics
Less focus on the text than in
traditional calypso

54. STEEL PAN MUSIC
Around 1939 the steel pan
was developed by taking an
oil drum and denting it to
create
distinct pitches
Steel pan bands play calypso
and soca music in an
instrumental form
Steel bands perform yearly at
a festival called “Panorama”
Yellow Bird (calypso) Bass Man (soca)

55. ‘LIKE A BOSS’ / BP RENEGADES STEEL ORCHESTRA

56. SESSION TRACK - POP LATIN
SANTANA ‘SMOOTH’

57. THE END