Traditional music
In Cuba, music is like air: essential, everywhere, for everyone. Young and old alike sing, play and dance to it with exceptional vitality. The fruit of the nation's history, it is the result of a crossbreeding between Spanish and African cultures, as well as French, Haitian and Italian influences.
At the roots of the Cuban musical tradition are, of course, African influences, linked to the island's history of slavery. From the ethnic groups present at the time, notably the Yorubas, Bantus, Calabra (Cameroon) and Arara, Cuban music has inherited religious dances and songs such as the santería (with its roots in the Yoruba religion) and rhythms such as the clave (played on the instrument of the same name). The latter has its roots in the sub-Saharan tradition and forms the core of many Afro-Cuban rhythms, as well as much of the music of the African diaspora.
Habanera was one of the first sung expressions to emerge in Cuba. It was also one of the first national sounds to be exported outside the island. Derived from the contradanza, from which it takes its rhythm, and blending Spanish and African influences, it became established towards the end of the first half of the 19th century. Langorous and particularly expressive (as can be heard in Sebastián Yradier's La Paloma ), habanera travels far and wide, seducing classical composers such as Debussy, Ravel and Bizet, who included it in his opera Carmen.
Cuban són, or simply són, is one of Cuba's most popular and influential aesthetics - indeed, of all Latin American music. Appearing at the beginning of the 20th century, it refers to a poetic form, music and dance whose origins go back four centuries. Combining Hispanic (the structure of the Spanish canción) and African (rhythm, percussion) contributions, enriched by French music, it is one of the pillars of Cuban music. Emerging in the 19th century in the countryside of Oriente de Cuba, the trovadores ("troubadours", itinerant musicians who played a major role in Cuban music) popularized the genre, using the claves (small wooden sticks struck together) and the guitar as their main instruments. Choruses and verses are structured around questions and answers that the lead singer and the chorus ask each other. Fundamentally popular music, it feeds on everyday life. Ignacio Pineiro, the Sexteto Habanero and the famous Compay Segundo are the names that left their mark on the genre and helped it take off internationally in the 1930s. Compay Segundo was a member of the Buena Vista Social Club, the legendary són group featured in Wim Wenders' 1998 documentary of the same name.
Predecessor? Heir? We're not sure which, but one thing's for sure: són and sucu-sucu are linked. Originating on the Isle of Pines (isla de la Juventud), the genre resembles a variant of són, except that the percussion is very different. The term sucu-sucu designates both the style of music and the party in which it is played.
Another variation of són, changuy, comes from the Guantánamo region, where it is a speciality (and pride). Combining the structure and elements of Spanish popular song with African rhythms and percussion of Bantu origin, changuy is still danced and sung at fiestas and peñas guantanameras, accompanied by the marímbula, the lamellophone emblematic of the genre. The Fiesta a la Guantanamera, held every December in Guantánamo, is dedicated to the changuy.
Finally, it's impossible not to mention the bolero. With little connection to the Spanish dance of the same name, this sentimental genre is akin to the habanera or són, and descends from the romantic folk poetry cultivated by the trovadores of the time. In fact, José Pepe Sanchéz - the father of the trovadores - is credited with creating the bolero with the title Tristeza, in 1883. Often accompanied by poetic texts blending nostalgia, romanticism and thwarted love, it is perfectly in tune with the Cuban soul... At the end of June, Havana hosts the Festival International de boleros de oro, created in 1986 by composer and musicologist José Loyola Fernández, and considered the most prestigious bolero event on this side of the Atlantic.
Two very good addresses to recommend to anyone interested in Cuban folklore: Havana's Teatro Mella and Santiago's Théâtre Heredia, where it's common to see remarkable performances by the Conjunto Folklórico, a famous ensemble promoting the country's folk heritage.
Popular music
The late 1940s and 1950s were prodigiously prolific in Cuba. Composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín signed the birth certificate of the cha-cha-cha in 1953 with La engañadora , in which he combined two Cuban rhythms, the danzón and the montuno (a rural variant of the són), retaining the syncopation of the són but simplifying it to make it more danceable. The success was immediate, both in Cuba and abroad. Antonio Arcaño and his group Las Maravillas, brothers Israël and Cachao Lopez, Antonio Sanchez and Félix Reina all jumped on the bandwagon. Here, we are reminded of Brigitte Bardot, in the 1956 film Et Dieu créa la femme, dancing to a cha-cha-cha tune sung by Darío Moreno. Buoyed by its success, cha-cha-cha also inspired New Yorker Tito Puente, Panamanian star Ruben Blades and our own Charles Aznavour.
In the early 1950s, pianist and conductor Dámaso Pérez Prado created a new genre, the mambo, with his hits Mambono 5, Mambono 8 and La Chula Linda. Evolving in parallel with cha-cha-cha, and originating from the same nucleus, mambo also evolved from danzón, to which it added North American influences, especially jazz, as the genre was destined to be played by big-band orchestras with a rich brass section. Cuban music greats such as Bebo Valdés and Beny Moré were largely inspired by mambo before the genre disappeared, supplanted by the success of cha-cha-cha.
At the end of the 1960s, alongside nueva canción in Latin America, nueva trova was born in Cuba. A young, committed and poetic song, the nueva trova offered an unprecedented political dimension to the trovador. The trovador is a nomadic singer accompanied only by his guitar, an essential figure in Cuban culture. In the 19th century, trovadores were instrumental in popularizing certain forms of music, such as the bolero. Some trovadores are highly talented composers, like Sindo Garay, author of numerous Cuban standards and the emblem of the genre. After the Cuban revolution, the nueva trova marked the revival of the genre, led by musicians who would become important such as Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez, and focused on themes such as socialism, injustice, sexism, colonialism, racism and so on. While the style reached its peak in the 1970s, it rapidly declined thereafter.
It was around this time that one of the world's best-known Cuban genres became popular: salsa. Literally meaning "sauce", salsa is a new fusion of Cuban són, this time with jazz, mambo and other Caribbean rhythms such as merengue and cumbia. Today, salsa is one of Cuba's most popular musical styles. However, the term salsa does not originate on the island, but in the United States. The genre was born in New York at the end of the 1960s, in poor Latino neighborhoods, with a social message. From then on, internationally renowned figures such as Celia Cruz helped establish the style. Although the word salsa refers to a genre with its own specific codes, it has gradually expanded to become a generic term for all Latin music, from danzón and mambo to old són and even the more recent Latin house. In short, salsa is a generic marketing term encompassing a wide range of Latin American music that often has little to do with... salsa.
At the same time as salsa was emerging in New York, Los Van Van - the "Cuban Rolling Stones" - were modernizing són with their famous songo, an electric rock rereading of rumba. The songo is important because it gave birth to timba, one of the most danced Cuban styles - and often mistaken for salsa in the ear.
The island's last hyper-popular genre: rumba. Originally associated with the poor districts of big cities like Havana and Matanzas, it has gradually left its traditional cradle to invade the whole country. Three variations exist: the slow columbia, accompanied by percussion; the fast, erotic guaguanco, accompanied only by percussion; and the yambu. Improvisation, intricate dance steps and polyrhythmic drums (mirroring African rhythmic traditions) are the key elements of all rumba styles. A number of local groups have become mainstays of the style, including Los Papines, Clave y Guaguancó and Yoruba Andabo.
Apart from these few genres, the Cuban pantheon includes a few names that are important to know or recognize. The first of these is, of course, Beny Moré. A fabulous improviser and virtuoso tenor, he has graced all Cuban musical genres with his talent, excelling in Cuban són, mambo and bolero. He's a bit like the island's Frank Sinatra, and his legend lives on thanks to the great salsa orchestras who cover his songs and keep them indispensable. Another Cuban monument, and not the least, Celia Cruz was the queen of salsa. Her success was a major factor in popularizing the genre among the general public and internationally. As early as 1950, her career took off with Sonora Matancera, a legendary group with whom she toured Latin America for fifteen years, before moving to the United States in 1960 in opposition to the Castro revolution. Nevertheless, her lyrics and interviews reveal a deep nostalgia for her homeland. A close friend of Tito Puente, she recorded eight albums with him before accompanying the famous flautist Johnny Pacheco. With several gold discs to her name, she has been salsa's greatest ambassador around the world. Compay Segundo is the latest Cuban stalwart, and is inextricably linked with the Buena Vista Social Club. Although he has always been a pillar of the local scene, it was his 1997 album under the direction of Ry Cooder - on which he appears alongside other Cuban luminaries such as Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer and Eliades Ochoa - that really brought him to international attention. A great exponent of són, he accompanied his singing with an armonico, a kind of modified guitar. He was responsible for a number of Cuban cultural landmarks such as Chan Chan.
Two addresses to note in Havana: firstly, the Casa De La Trova, a must for fans of live Cuban music, where you can attend salsa, són or trova concerts; and secondly, the Teatro Karl Marx, a huge building (5,000 seats) preferably reserved for concerts that attract large crowds and stars like Descemer Bueno. This is often the place to see Cuban legends.
The instruments
From the 18thcentury onwards, instruments of African origin such as the bongo, hitherto confined to black slaves, became popular with whites.
anakue. Instrument consisting of two metal cones filled with dry seeds or gravel, joined at the top.
bandurria. Stringed instrument widely used in Guajira music.
bombo criollo. A drum of European origin, as its name suggests; played at carnivals.
bongo. Small drums held in pairs between the knees of the percussionist, who plays seated. A ubiquitous instrument in every salsero orchestra.
botija. A kind of jug with a deep sound, used as a bass for the són.
campana. In its most basic form, the campana is a bell of some kind, salvaged from rural areas to make an authentic instrument. It is struck with a piece of wood to set the rhythm of an improvised band. The bell used in salsa orchestras can produce several different timbres, depending on where it is struck. Today, it is an official percussion instrument of a salsero orchestra, combined with timpani.
clave. Another percussion instrument made with the means at hand to satisfy the need for rhythm. Born in the port of Havana, it consists of two cylindrical pieces of hard wood that are struck together. But its simplicity should not obscure its originality and importance. It has thus become a cornerstone of Latin music, and sets the rhythm for the salsero band.
conga. Large drum of African origin, often played in pairs, with the conguero standing up.
ekon. Used in Abakuá ritual music, this metal bell with no clapper and a handle is struck with a piece of wood.
maracas. Two small, closed calabashes with handles, filled with dry seeds. They shake rhythmically like a rattle, producing a characteristic, soft, discreet rustle. They are often entrusted to the singer or a chorister.
quinto. An African drum with a smaller striking surface than the conga, the quinto produces a high-pitched sound.
reja. Rudimentary percussion consisting of a piece of metal and a large nail used to strike the metal. The reja is mainly used at street carnivals.
tahona. A small traditional drum much played in Oriente.
timbales. Stand-mounted snare drums in pairs, enhanced by bells or other accessories, sometimes including a bass drum operated by a foot pedal. The timbalero plays standing, tapping the skin with long, light drumsticks.
tres. A typically Cuban instrument, much in evidence in guajira music and són orchestras, it is shaped like a small guitar with three doubled strings; it produces a small, high-pitched sound and is still mainly used today in traditional orchestras.
tumba. Drum (but the term also designates the dance associated with it) used in Cuba, particularly in its eastern region.
Classical music
It's all too often forgotten in Cuba, but learned (or "classical") music is also important. One of the island's first notable composers was Manuel Saumell (1818-1870), sometimes considered the father of Cuban musical nationalism because he creolized the learned music of his time with local traditional music. What's more, and less widely recognized, Saumell was prophetic in his compositions, inventing certain rhythms ahead of their time that would only really see the light of day after him. Contradanza, habanera, danzón, guajira, criolla, clave...: all rhythms that first appeared in the hands of this visionary.
He was followed by Ignacio Cervantes (1847-1905), the "Cuban Chopin". This pianist and composer remains famous for his 41 danzas, the Cuban equivalent of Dvořák's Slavonic Dances .
Around the same time, composer and violinist José White (1836-1918), whose father was Spanish and whose mother was Afro-Cuban, acquired international renown (he lived in Paris, among other places). His most famous work is La Bella Cubana, a habanera.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the driving forces of national composition were Gonzalo Roig (1890-1970), one of the founders of the National Symphony Orchestra and a pioneer of the Cuban symphonic movement, and Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963). The latter is widely regarded as one of the greatest Cuban pianists and composers of his century, author of over 600 pieces, including zarzuelas and suites, most of them in a Cuban vein. He inspired the world of Latin American music in the same way that Gershwin did in the United States.
His contemporary was Joaquín Nin (1879-1949), a composer known for his arrangements of Spanish popular music, and above all for being the father of writer Anaïs Nin.
Following the Cuban revolution, a new generation of classical musicians emerged on the scene in the early 1960s. Foremost among them was guitar virtuoso and conductor Leo Brouwer, who made an enormous contribution to national music as well as to the modern classical guitar repertoire. But Leo Brouwer's influence and importance extend far beyond the guitar. His output includes over 300 pieces for all instruments, and he has conducted some of the world's most prestigious ensembles, including the Paris Ensemble in 1981. Ten years earlier, in the early 1970s, he was director of Cuba's National Symphony Orchestra, still the country's most prestigious (and almost only). The ensemble performs regularly at the Gran Teatro De La Habana. Built in 1833, it has seen some of the greatest names in the history of show business, including Caruso and Sarah Bernhardt. Excellent acoustics and original architecture.
Jazz
While jazz was introduced to the island in the 1920s and influenced Cuban music, the reverse was soon true. A number of compositions by Dizzy Gillespie's big band bear witness to this. Cuban musicians such as percussionist Chano Pozo, saxophonist and trumpeter Marío Bauza, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, saxophonist Paquito de Rivera and the fabulous pianist Chucho Valdés all played their part in establishing and propagating Afro-Cuban jazz. The last of these, Chucho Valdés, is a particularly interesting case in point. Son and disciple of Cuban musician Bebo Valdés, he grew up in an environment steeped in the latest trends in Cuban music. Blending influences from classical piano and folk tradition, he became familiar with the sounds of Ernesto Lecuona and Beny Moré. His career began in 1957 when he joined the group Sabor de Cuba, directed by his father. In addition to his activities as a jazzman, from 1963 he was a pianist with the orchestra of Havana's Teatro Musical. In 1973, he formed the Irakere ensemble with four other musicians, and quickly established itself as an essential group. A group that has become legendary in Cuban music, Irakere has successfully alternated popular Cuban repertoire with Latin jazz for several decades.
Another Cuban jazz phenomenon not to be missed: Roberto Fonseca. When it came time to replace Ruben Gonzalez at the piano in the famous Buena Vista Social Club, the great singer Ibrahim Ferrer imposed a young pianist whose talent he was sure to recognize. Roberto Fonseca was only 26 years old at the time, and his career was about to take off. Today, he is known the world over, and particularly in France, where he is much appreciated by jazz fans and considered one of the best pianists on the planet. His concerts are impressive, not only in terms of technical perfection, but also in their scenography.
The latest great talent, Harold Lopez Nussa, is considered by many to be one of the most talented musicians of his generation. After a solid classical training at Havana's Amadeo Roldan Conservatory, Harold completed his musical studies at the Instituto Superior de Arte. He quickly developed a passion for jazz and, after accompanying some of Cuba's biggest names, forged his own signature at the crossroads of jazz and Cuban popular music.
A Cuban talent to keep an eye on: trumpeter Yelfris Valdés, with a surprising blend of jazz, world and electronic music.
As jazz fans already know, since 1978, the Havana International Jazz Festival has been one of the major events of its kind in the region, in terms of both technical level and programming. In Havana, the Jazz Café is the ideal place to catch a concert. The group Irakere and its leader Chucho Valdés have often performed there.
Current music
There are many types of music and genres that coexist in Cuba. Quite a lot. But if there's one that takes the lion's share of young people's attention, it's reggaeton (as it is all over Latin America). The genre has even been renamed "cubaton" (a contraction of Cuba and reggaeton). By far the leading group in this field is Gente de Zona. Their hit after hit is heard absolutely everywhere in Cuba, and the biggest Latin stars are knocking on their door: Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony and Pitbull... El Chacal, Joker, Jacob Forever and his famous hit Hasta que se seque el Malecon and Srta Dayana on the female side are the rising stars to watch out for.
On the electronic music front, the compilation Havana Cultura: ¡Súbelo, Cuba! piloted by the indefatigable London DJ Gilles Peterson is an excellent illustration of the liveliness of today's Cuban underground, which blends traditional and electronic aesthetics. DJ Jigüe, one of the island's most respected pioneers, has been mixing house and techno with Afro-Cuban rhythms and other Caribbean sounds for ages. This musical signature, dubbed "tropical Afro-futurism", has inspired many young producers on the new scene.
Other artists of Cuban origin include the twin sisters Ibeyi (Yoruba for twins), who have been causing a sensation in France in recent years. Born in Paris in 1994, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi have Venezuelan roots on their mother's side and Cuban roots on their father's, percussionist Anga Diaz, a member of the group Buena Vista Social Club who died in 2006. At a very young age, they were immersed in the world of Cuban music, and in 2015 they released their first album, Ibeyi , which was a great success, followed by Ash in 2017, on which they sing in English and Spanish. The album did well in France, but also abroad.
To enjoy the best of today's music, head for Havana's Centre Bertolt Brecht, with its concerts, DJ sets and rather (very) hip clientele, as well as, in the same city, the Fabrica De Arte Cubano, the trendy place, very much focused on design and contemporary creation.
