Rumba

Considered one of Cuba's most important Afro-Cuban genres, rumba is more than a music and dance genre; it is the collective expression of the Creole nature of the island itself. Rumba is a secular genre of Congolese African and Spanish flamenco influences, and is one of the primary ancestors of popular music in Cuba.

Dating back to the late 19th century, rumba emerged in the port city of Matanzas (one hour east of Havana) as a blending of Congolese-derived drumming styles and Spanish flamenco-singing influences, with dances that truly represent the dominance of the African characteristics. There are three main styles of rumba: the yambú (the oldest style dating back to the colonial period), the guaguancó (the most popular of the three) and the columbia (the most African-flavored, and also the fastest).

As the oldest style, yambú was first played on wooden box drums called cajones (as African-derived drums were feared and often banned), the Cuban claves (simple wooden sticks that are probably one of the most important instruments in the island's history) and a metal shaker called the maruga. In addition, cucharas (spoons) were sometimes added, playing a counter rhythm to the claves. This counter rhythm would eventually be played by palitos (sticks) on a guagua (horizontal piece of bamboo on a stand). The yambú dance is slow and graceful, danced by male-female couples who combine Spanish and African movements in a courtship-style partnership.

The guaguancó style emerged later as a faster tempo form, and was (and still is) played on tumbadoras (conga drums), along with the claves, the palitos and the maruga. The conga drums are modeled after the Congolese yuka drums, direct descendents of the African ngomas, and would go on to be the most commonly used hand drums in all of Latin music. There are three main sizes (or widths) of tumbadoras: the tumba (bass), the segundo or tresdos (middle) and the quinto (highest, which is the lead drum), and each drum is tuned to a distinct pitch. (At first, tuning took place with heat as the skins were nailed on, but later, metal tuning hardware developed.) The guaguancó dance is also performed by male-female couples, and features a more sensual (and often overtly sexual) move called the vacunao', wherein the male dancer attempts to "vaccinate" the female with some subtle or not so subtle pelvic movement. This rooster-hen dynamic is a feature of many African dances found throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, and in many places was frowned-upon (or even banned).

The third of the styles, the columbia, is primarily a male-only demonstrative dance, with a more uptempo and complex rhythm that incorporates some of the Congolese ritual music aspects as well as the Bantú languages, still widely used in folkloric as well as popular music. It too is played on tumbadoras and the other noted percussion instruments, and also adds a bell that plays a complex 12/8-meter pattern on top of the 4/4-meter structure. While only men typically dance columbia, there were (and are) famous women who stood out such as Andrea Baró, who is often the subject of columbia songs. The structure of rumba songs has remained virtually the same since it first began. In the yambú and guaguancó styles, the claves begin the song, establishing the tempo with the distinct, five-note pattern (which is the heartbeat of most Cuban music as well as salsa). The remaining percussion instruments enter in layered fashion, and begin their repetitive patterns. The lead singer then sets the key with a series of scat-like vocalizations called the diana, followed by the verses of the song. The lead vocalist then initiates the call-and-response section and is responded to by the chorus while he/she improvises in between, and it is at this time that the dancing begins.

Almost the same structure holds true for the columbia, the difference being that many songs begin with the cowbell (and the claves are not always included), and columbia dancers dance solo instead of in couples. Traditional rumbas began to be recorded in Cuba much later after their emergence (around the 1950s), and the seminal group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas is one of the most significant folklore ensembles to take the genre around the world. In the past several decades there have been variations to the styles, instrumentation and dance, but despite its evolution, rumba continues as the ultimate expression of the Afro-Cuban way of life for all generations on (and off) the island. —Rebeca Mauleon