About the Book

This entertaining history of Cuba and its music begins with the collision of Spain and Africa and continues through the era of Miguelito Valdes, Arsenio Rodriguez, Benny More, and Perez Prado. It offers a behind-the-scenes examination of music from a Cuban point of view, unearthing surprising, provocative connections and making a case for Cuba as fundamental to the evolution of music in the New World. Revealed are how the music of black slaves transformed 16th-century Europe, how the "claves" appeared, and how Cuban music influenced ragtime, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Music lovers will follow this journey from Andalucia, the Congo, the Calabar, Dahomey, and Yorubaland via Cuba to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint-Domingue, New Orleans, New York, and Miami. The music is placed in a historical context that considers the complexities of the slave trade; Cuba's relationship to the United States; its revolutionary political traditions; the music of Santeria, Palo, Abakua, Vodu, and much more.

Product Details

Media: Hardcover Book, 688 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Edition: Unknown

ISBN-10: 1556525168

Publication Date: May. 1st, 2004

ISBN-13: 9781556525162

Dimensions: 6.40 x 9.28 x 1.64 inches

Shipping Weight: 2.35 lbs

• Categories: Cuban History General Music History and Music Criticism