Timba is the Cuban counterpart of salsa music, and is often understood to be a sub-category of salsa. However, the historical development of timba has been quite independent of the development of salsa in the United States and Puerto Rico and the music has its own trademark aspects. The Caribbean island of Cuba has been influential in the development of multiple musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. ... The batá is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one cone larger than the other. ... Binomial name Manihot esculenta Crantz The cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta; also yuca in Spanish, mandioca, aipim, or macaxeira in Portuguese, and mandio in Guaraní) is a woody perennial shrub of the spurge family, that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop for its edible starchy tuberous root. ... For the dance, see Cha-cha-cha (dance). ... Changui is a style of Cuban music which originated in the early 19th century in the eastern region of Guantánamo Province. ... A charanga is a Cuban orchestra composed of piano, strings, vocals, flute and Cuban musical style characterized by this kind of orchestration. ... Conga music is a style of Cuban music used to dance Conga. ... Danzón is the official music of Cuba, and derives from a European-influenced ballroom dance played by Cuban ensembles. ... Roberto Fazz. ... Punto Guajiro (also called Punto Cubano),with its Andalucian origins, has been evolving in Cuba since the 1700s, is the country music from the Western and Central provinces of Cuba. ... Cuban Guaracha Traditionally an early form of peasant street music with satirical lyric content somewhat in the Son rhythm style. ... The habanera is a musical style or genre from Cuba with a characteristic Habanera rhythm; it is one of the oldest mainstays of Cuban music and the first of the dances from Cuba to be exported all over the world. ... Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz harmonies from the United States. ... Hip hop arrived in Cuba via radio and TV broadcasts from Miami. ... For other uses, see Mambo (disambiguation). ... Nueva trova was a movement in Cuban music that emerged in the mid-1960s. ... Rock and roll in Cuba began in the late 1950s, with artists covering American songs translated into Spanish, as was occurring in Mexico at the same time. ... Rumba is both a family of music rhythms and a dance style that originated in Africa and traveled via the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. ... Salsa Dance is the name given in New York to Casino Dance, developed in Havana in the early 1960s. ... Son is a style of Cuban music which became popular in the second half of the 19th century in the eastern province of Oriente. ... Arsenio Rodríguez initially developed son montuno from son. ... This genealogy was created to give a broad overview of the development of Cuban music and its reciprocal influences with other countries. ... A music festival is a festival that presents a number of musical performances usually tied together through a theme or genre. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nations government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... El Himno de Bayamo (The Bayamo Anthem) is the national anthem of Cuba. ... The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. ... The Lesser Antilles, an island chain composed of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica and other countries and dependencies, is best-known internationally for the mid-1980s international craze zouk. ... Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Caribbean rhythm that is popular in many Latino countries. ...

History

Though as in salsa the roots of timba go back to the son montuno, it has incorporated several different styles and genres, including classical music, nueva trova, latin jazz, disco, funk and hip hop. The main precursors of timba are three bands: Los Van Van, Irakere (both in the 1970s) and NG La Banda (1980s), though many other bands (eg. Son 14, Original de Manzanillo, Orquesta Revé) were influential in setting new standards. Arsenio Rodríguez initially developed son montuno from son. ... Nueva trova was a movement in Cuban music that emerged in the mid-1960s. ... Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz harmonies from the United States. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Funk music was originated by African Americans, e. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Los Van Van is a Cuban band led by Juan Formell, a bassist who in 1967 became musical director of Elio Reves charanga orchestra. ... Irakere (Yoruba for vegetation) is a Cuban band founded by pianist Chucho Valdés in 1973 that won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording in 1980 with its album Irakere. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... NG La Banda is a cuban musical group founded by flutist José Luis Cortés. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Los Van Van developed what came to be known as the ‘songo’ genre, making countless innovations to traditional son, both in style and orchestration. In latin music, genres are commonly attributed to rhythms (though of course not every rhythm is a genre), and whether or not timba is a genre of its own is debatable. Songo, however, can be considered to be a genre and is in all likelihood the only genre in the world played by only one orchestra, Los Van Van. The songo rhythm was created by percussionist José Luís Quintana ("Changuito”), at the behest of Van Van bandleader Juan Formell. Since the band’s creation in 1969, Los Van Van has been the most popular band in Cuba, and are themselves considered to be one of the major timba bands. Changuito (José Luis Quintana) (January 18, 1948) is a Cuban percussionist. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

Irakere is known largely as a Latin Jazz band outside Cuba, yet much of their music can be considered to be popular dance music. Like Los Van Van, Irakere experimented with many different styles, mixing Afro-Cuban rhythms with son and jazz. While bandleader Chucho Valdés is revered as one of the great jazz musicians of Cuba, both jazz and timba prodigies came out of the orchestra, including flutist José Luis Cortés ("El Tosco”), who assembled a group of highly talented musicians to form NG La Banda in the mid-1980s. NG experimented with different styles, including latin jazz, for several years, before recording what is considered to be the first timba album, "En La Calle", in 1989. Chucho Valdés (b. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Though NG La Banda had huge successes in the early 1990s, and is credited with being the first timba band, the band’s fortunes have been mixed, partly because they remain highly experimental. What came to be known as the "timba explosion” started not with NG La Banda, but with the debut album of La Charanga Habanera, "Me Sube La Fiebre”, in 1992. This album included all the elements of what is now known as timba, and the band dominated the scene until the break-up of the original band in 1998 (they have since reformed). Since then a large number of bands have sprung up in Cuba and internationally, many of the best known being headed or staffed by former members of the above-mentioned bands. Some important figures and bands include: Pachito Alonso y sus kini kini, Azúcar Negra, Bamboleo, La Charanga Habanera, Charanga Forever, Los Dan Den, Isaac Delgado, Tirso Duarte, Klimax, Manolín "El Médico de la salsa", Manolito y su Trabuco, NG La Banda, Paulo FG, Pupy y Los que Son, Son (directed by Cesar "Pupy" Pedroso, former pianist of Los Van Van), and Los Van Van. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... NG La Banda is a cuban musical group founded by flutist José Luis Cortés. ... Pupy y Los que Son, Son is the band of the Cuban musician Cesar Pupy Pedroso, founded in 2001. ... Cesar Pupy Pedroso is a Cuban pianist who became famous with Orquesta Revé and then as a founding member of Los Van Van. ... Los Van Van is a Cuban band led by Juan Formell, a bassist who in 1967 became musical director of Elio Reves charanga orchestra. ...

Other than in Cuba, a new generation of Timba bands now flourishes in Miami, Florida, where a large concentration of Cuban-americans reside. Miami has become the new Timba center outside the island largely by the contributions of former members of the aforementioned bands who decided to stay in the US in search of new opportunities. Among them, Manolín "El Médico de la Salsa", Dany Lozada, Chaka and his group "El Tumbao", Tomasito Cruz and his Cuban Timba All Stars, and most notably, Jorge Gomez and "Tiempo Libre" who received Grammy nominations (Best Latin/Tropical) in 2005 for their album "Arroz con Mango" and in 2006 for their album "Lo que esperabas".

Stylistic aspects

Though quite similar to salsa on the surface of things, timba has certain qualities of its own which distinguish it from salsa, similar to the way American R&B is distinguished from soul. In general, timba is considered to be a highly aggressive type of music, with rhythm and "swing" taking precedence over melody and lyricism. Very little "traditional" salsa existed (or exists) in Cuba, the most influential foreign 'salsero' being Venezuelan Oscar d'León, who is one of the few salsa artists to have performed in Cuba. Timba musicians thus rightly claim a different musical heritage from salsa musicians. Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ...

At its most basic, timba is more flexible and innovative than salsa, and includes a more diverse range of styles, all of which could be defined as timba. The limits of what is timba and what is not are in fact quite fluid, as many consider timba to be any kind of popular Cuban dance music, with the exception Afro-Cuban rumba and reggaeton, the Cuban variant of Jamaican ragga/dancehall. Rumba is both a family of music rhythms and a dance style that originated in Africa and traveled via the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. ... Reggaeton (also spelled with the Spanish accent as Reggaetón, and sometimes as Reguetón in Spanish) is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences during the first few years... Raggamuffin (or ragga) is a kind of reggae that includes digitized backing instrumentation. ...

Timba incorporates many elements of Afro-Cuban culture and music. This includes rhythmic elements of Afro-Cuban music (on all instruments), expressions or parts of lyrics in ‘Lucumí’ (Cuban Yoruba, used almost exclusively in a religious context) and references to Afro-Cuban religion, the imperative for improvisation and interaction with audiences during concerts, story-telling in the lyrics, the quoting of melodies, rhythms and/or lyrics from other sources (similar to electronic or digital sampling in modern music), the frequent inclusion of "rap", and sustained sections of coro-pregon (call and response) interaction in songs. Contrary to (early) salsa, timba makes no claim to social or political messages, partly because of the political circumstances in Cuba. The Yoruba (Yorùbá in Yoruba orthography) are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. ... Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, most widely known as Santeria, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yorùbá beliefs. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Coro-pregón (or coro-guía, coro-inspiración) in Afro-Cuban music and Cuban-based latin music (mainly from the USA and Puerto Rico), most of all salsa, but also in some non-Cuban genres like merengue, refers to a call and response section between the lead singer... In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first. ...

More specifically, timba differs from salsa in orchestration and arrangement. Many timba artists readily concede that they have been more influenced by funk or soul than by salsa. Thus, bands like La Charanga Habanera or Bamboleo often have horns or other instruments playing short parts of tunes by Earth, Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang or other US funk bands. In terms of instrumentation, the most important innovation has been the permanent incorporation of a kick drum and a synthesiser. Many timba bands have otherwise kept the traditional charanga ensemble of the 1940s, which includes double bass, conga, cowbell, clave, piano, violins, flute and in timba an expanded horn section that (in addition to the traditional trumpets and trombones) may include saxophones. However, many innovations were made in the style of playing and the arrangements, especially on the bass (with elements of funk and R&B), the piano (with elements of baroque music such as Bach), the horns (complex arrangements known as "champolas"), and the use of the clave (where 3-2 son clave is the standard in salsa music, timba often leans more towards 2-3 rumba clave). Also different from salsa is the frequent shift from major to minor keys (and vice versa), the highly complex rhythmic arrangements (often based on santería or abakuá rhythms), the shifts in speed and the large number of orchestrated breaks, or "bloques". Earth, Wind & Fire was a legendary American funk band, formed in Chicago in 1969. ... Kool & The Gang Kool & the Gang was a massively successful rhythm and blues and disco group. ... A bass drum in a drum kit A bass drum is a large, heavy drum that produces a thump of low but indefinite pitch. ... The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ... A charanga is a Cuban orchestra composed of piano, strings, vocals, flute and Cuban musical style characterized by this kind of orchestration. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... A pair of congas The conga is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum of African origin, probably derived from the Congolese Makuta drums. ... The cowbell is a percussion instrument. ... The term clave may refer to Clave, a rhythmic pattern Claves, a percussion instrument This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A grand piano, with the lid up. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Trumpeter redirects to here. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Bach redirects here. ... The term clave may refer to Clave, a rhythmic pattern Claves, a percussion instrument This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... In music theory, the major scale is one of the diatonic scales. ... A minor scale in musical theory is a diatonic scale whose third scale degree is an interval of a minor third above the tonic. ... Santería, also known as Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic/Christian beliefs with traditional Yoruba beliefs. ... Abakua or Abakuá is a mens secret society, which originated in what is now Nigeria, within the Negbe people of the Calabar region, and was brought to Cuba by African slave trade [1]. Abakuá members derive their culture from the Efik and Efo of the Cross River Delta in...

The status of timba

Though timba is considered to be a form of popular music, the technical mastery of timba is only possible through highly trained musicians, who have solid theoretical backgrounds in classical music, jazz, traditional Cuban music, as well as other international genres. This is made possible through the high standards of government-run music schools in Cuba, as well as the strong competition between musicians. The Caribbean island of Cuba has been influential in the development of multiple musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. ...

Government policy favours artistic excellence and Cuban music is regarded as a source of revenue and a legitimate way to attract tourism. Nevertheless, many Cuban musicians seek to work abroad, and a significant number of musicians now work in exile, both in the United States and in Europe (and to a lesser extent in Latin America), leading to a new wave of cross-breeding between the timba and salsa. While timba has gone past its peak in recent years, all major groups are still actively recording and performing, and major labels — especially in Europe — have started taking an interest in timba.

Though timba is not overly popular in the world-wide salsa scene (many people considering it difficult to dance to and strong to their ears), it has found a niche among a growing number of fans and has been influential amongst Cuban-American and European salsa musicians. From the dancer's perspective, timba (due to its rhythmically complex nature) is very hard to dance unless traditional cuban salsa (also known as casino) is mastered and may require many years of practice. In the same way that musicians amalgamate salsa with funk, pop, jazz, rock & roll and even tango to create timba, dancing to timba reflects the rhythms/genre incorporated in the composition being danced too. Timba as a dance allows incorporation of moves seen in funk, pop, rock & roll etc., and the creation of new moves under the framework of cuban casino.

References

• Alén Rodriguez, O. (1998) From Afrocuban music to Salsa, Piranha Records, Berlin
• Delgado, A. (1999) "The Death of Salsa" in http://www.descarga.com
• Duany, J. (1996) "Rethinking the Popular: Recent Essays on Caribbean Music and Identity" in Latin American Music Review, vol. 17(2):176-192
• Ferguson, R. J. (2003) "The Transnational Politics of Cuban Music and Cuban Culture” in The Culture Mandala, vol. 6(1)
• Manuel, Peter (2006). Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music from Rumba to Reggae (2nd edition). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-463-7.
• Moore, R. (2002) "Salsa and Socialism: Dance Music in Cuba, 1959-99" in Waxer, L. (ed.) Situatin Salsa: Global Markets & Local Meaning in Latin Popular Music, Routledge, London
• Pacini Hernandez, D. (1998) "Dancing with the Enemy: Cuban Popular Music, Race, Authenticity, and the World-Music Landscape" in Latin American Perspectives, vol. 25(3): 110-125
• Perna, V. (2005) Timba, the Sound of the Cuban Crisis, Ashgate, Aldershot
• Roy, M. (2000) "La musique populaire cubaine depuis la révolution" in Borras, G. (ed.) Musiques et sociétés en Amérique Latine, Presses universitaires de Rennes, pp. 167-183
• Silverman, C. (1999) Timba – New Styles in Afro-Cuban popular music” in http://www.chucksilverman.com/timbapaper.html

External links

• timba.com