The music of the Indian natives
When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the 16th century, they encountered two Indian nations. That of the Tequestas, of which only the remains of archeological souvenirs remain today, and the Seminole nation. Fierce and strong warriors, they were able to resist extermination, protected by the inhospitable nature of the Everglades. Like other Native American nations, the music of the Seminoles had a ritual function: some were used to communicate with the ancestors or to enter a trance, others to appease the spirits of nature. Music was also used during gatherings, known as powwows. Among the instruments frequently used by the Seminoles are the mouthbow, a kind of jew's harp formed by a bow of about twenty centimeters, on which a string is attached; the flute, often pierced with six or seven holes; the drum, made of a hollow tree trunk on which animal skins are attached to each other; and finally the maracas or rattles, often used by the shaman during incantation dances. The Miccosukee Everglades Music And Crafts Festival held in the Everglades between late December and early January is a good way to discover the culture of the region's indigenous peoples, especially their crafts and music....
Classical music
While Florida has not produced any notable composers, the state does have some interesting ensembles and stages. Before its demise due to financial problems in 2003, the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra was arguably the most important orchestra in the state. Directed, for a large part of its existence, by the British conductor James Judd, the ensemble was, with the Opera, the great musical institution of the Miami area. Since then, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, which is very well funded, and the Jacksonville Symphony, Florida's oldest ensemble (founded in 1949), have been the most important philharmonic entities in Florida. The latter has made a name for itself in the past by multiplying prestigious guests: Leonard Bernstein, Luciano Pavarotti, Mstislav Rostropovich, André Previn or even Ravi Shankar and Duke Ellington.
In Miami, besides the Miami Opera, there is the New World Symphony.
Founded in 1987 by Michael Tilson Thomas and designed as a springboard for young talent, the New World Symphony offers a full season of concerts in the New World Center. This hall with its futuristic architecture was a former Art Deco cinema that has been beautifully restored by Franck Gehry in a modern and ultra design style. A magnificent hall, like the Olympia Theater, also a former movie theater converted, it also hosts concerts of the New World Symphony Orchestra in addition to operas, ballets and other shows.
The pop
The Latin community is obviously important and particularly dynamic in the region, and as a result there are many great pop hits tinged with various Latin American aesthetics. One of the most famous examples is undoubtedly the rapper and singer Pitbull, of Cuban origin and very fond of reggaeton. It is also the case of Camila Cabello, born in Cuba but living in Miami since childhood, who regularly invites the colors of her island of birth in her music.
Florida is an undeniable land of pop. The region is a fertile ground to cultivate the hits and since the 1970s, with the disco cardboard KC and the Sunshine Band, the groups of Florida multiply the national successes, even international. In the 1980s, it was Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine who had a string of hits, then shortly after in the 1990s, Florida contributed to the wave of boy bands with two of its main entities: the Backstreet Boys and N Sync, both formed in Orlando. More recently, it is T-Pain from Tallahassee, Flo Rida from Carol City or Ariana Grande from Boca Raton, who are associated with important successes. Another example is Steve Aoki, a superstar DJ from Miami, who is both loved and criticized.
His style is rather symbolic of the region's dantesque events like theUltra Music Festival Miami. Held every year in March in Miami during the Winter Music Conference - a large gathering of electronic music professionals - it invites the most famous DJs in the world. A line-up with thousands of headliners where David Guetta, for example, is a regular guest. At the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of programming, we find the Florida Music Festival in Orlando. With the ambition to promote young artists before they explode, the festival has, since 2002, discovered some big names like Taylor Swift (no less). In the region, the big concerts are organized in places like the FTX Arena in Miami, the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in Fort Lauderdale, the Amway Center in Orlando, the Yuengling Center in Tampa or the Daily's Place Amphitheater as well as The St. Augustine Amphitheatre in Jacksonville.
The rock
If you still need to prove that Florida is a land of rock, just remember that the great Jim Morrison, mythical singer of the Doors, was born there. Beyond this icon, the region has also been a cradle of Southern Rock with some of its iconic bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd. While they've been known for songs like Sweet Home Alabama, the band is very much a Floridian, hailing from Jacksonville. In the same vein, The Allman Brothers Band is from Daytona and Jacksonville, Molly Hatchet from Jacksonville and the Outlaws from Tampa.
In another genre, some other illustrious Floridians have deeply marked rock: guitarist Tom Petty who grew up in Gainesville as well as the band Limp Bizkit, which ex-fans of neo-metal will remember with emotion, and Marilyn Manson, from Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale respectively.
As rock music is never better appreciated than live, it's always good to check out the often very good programs of The Social in Orlando and Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville.
Hip hop
It is perhaps in hip hop that we find one of the most typical products of Florida: the booty bass. Born in Miami (it is also called Miami Bass), this Floridian cousin of rap appeared in the 1980s in the hands of several young producers before being widely popularized by the group 2 Live Crew, from 1986 with the release of its first album 2 Live Crew Is What We Are. Characterized by a very heavy and agile bass line, the iconic Roland TR-808 rhythms and particularly licentious lyrics, booty bass is a sweaty and particularly controversial rap.
Since that time, Florida rap has maintained a constant boil. The region has largely contributed to the dirty south aesthetic, typical hip hop of the American south, and has produced many artists who have made and still make history: Rick Ross, Kodak Black, Denzel Curry, Smokepurpp or even Ace Hood and Plies.
