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Rumba

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This article is about the usage of the term rumba in music. For other uses, seeRumba (disambiguation).
Not to be confused withRoomba.

The termrumbamay refer to a variety of unrelatedmusic styles.Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northernCuba,and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known asCuban rumba.[1][2]Since the early 20th century the term has been used in different countries to refer to distinct styles of music and dance, most of which are only tangentially related to the original Cuban rumba, if at all. The vagueetymological origin of the term rumba,as well as its interchangeable use withguarachain settings such asbufo theatre,[3]is largely responsible for such worldwidepolysemyof the term. In addition, "rumba" was the primary marketing term forCuban musicin North America, as well as West and Central Africa, during much of the 20th century, before the rise ofmambo,pachangaandsalsa.

"Rumba" entered the English lexicon in the early 20th century, at least as early as 1919, and by 1935 it was used a verb to denote theballroom dance.[4]In this sense, the anglicised spelling "rhumba" became prevalent and is now recommended to distinguish it from traditional Cuban rumba.[5]Also in the first third of the 20th century, "rumba" entered the Spanishflamencoworld as a fast-pacedpalo(style) inspired in the Cuban guaracha, and which gave rise to other forms of urban music now known as "rumba". Throughout Latin America, "rumba" acquired different connotations, mostly referring to Cubanized, danceable, local styles, such as Colombianrumba criolla(creole rumba). At the same time, "rumba" began to be used a catch-all term for Afro-Cuban music in most African countries, later giving rise to re-Africanized Cuban-based styles such asCongolese rumba.[6]

In Cuba[edit]

Main article:Cuban rumba

During the second half of the 19th century, several secular dance-oriented music styles were developed by Afro-Cuban workers in the poor neighbourhoods ofHavanaandMatanzas.[7]These syncretic styles would later be referred to as "rumba", a word that also meant "party". Traditionally, the three main styles of rumba areyambú,columbiaandguaguancó,each of which has a characteristic dance, rhythm and singing. Although still a purely folkloric genre, numerous innovations have been introduced in rumba since the mid 20th century, including new styles such asbatá-rumbaandguarapachangueo.[7]

In North America[edit]

Main articles:RhumbaandRumberas film

In the US, the term "rhumba"(anglicised version of rumba) began to be used during the 1920s to refer to ballroom music with Afro-Cuban music themes, particularly in the context ofbig band music.[5]This music was mostly inspired byson cubano,while being rhythmically and instrumentally unrelated to Cuban rumba.[8]By 1935, with the release of "The Peanut Vendor"byDon Azpiazúand the popularity ofXavier Cugatand other Latin artists, the genre had become highly successful and well-defined. The rhumba dance that developed on the East Coast of the United States was based on thebolero-son.[9]The first rumba competition took place in theSavoy Ballroomin 1930.[10]Nowadays, two different styles of ballroom rumba coexist: American style and International style.

From 1935 to the 1950s, the Mexican and American film industry expanded the use of the term rumba asrumbera filmsbecame popular.[11]In this context,rumberaswere Cuban and Mexican divas, singers and actresses who sangbolerosandcanciones,but rarely rumbas. NotablerumberasincludeRita Montaner,Rosa Carmina,María Antonieta PonsandNinón Sevilla.[12]

In the 1970s, with the emergence ofsalsaas a popular music and dance genre in the US, rhythmic elements of Cuban rumba (particularlyguaguancó) became prevalent alongside theson.[13]Likesalsa,rhumba would then be danced to salsa ensembles instead of big bands. By the end of the 20th century, rhumba was also danced topop musicandjazzbands as seen in TV shows likeDancing with the Stars.[9]

In Spain[edit]

Main articles:Rumba flamenca,Catalan rumba,andGalician rumba

In Spain, the term rumba was introduced in the early 20th century asrumba flamenca,one of thepalos(styles) offlamenco.Particularly, it is considered one of thecantes de ida y vuelta,since flamenco itself might have had an influence on Cuban rumba, particularly on its vocal style. However, musicologists agree that rumba flamenca does not truly derive from Cuban rumba, but fromguaracha,a fast-paced music style fromHavana.[14][15]Apart from rumba flamenca, other syncretic styles of Afro-Cuban origin have been named "rumba" throughout the Iberian peninsula, outside of the context of flamenco (where the termcantes de ida y vueltais mostly restricted), such as theGalician rumba.

In the late 1950s, popular artists such asPeret(El Rey de la Rumba) and El Pescaílla developed an uptempo style that combined elements from rumba flamenca, Spanish gypsy music and pop. This became known asCatalan rumba(rumba catalana).[16]In the 1980s, the style gained international popularity thanks to French ensembleGipsy Kings.

In the 1990s, the term “tecno-rumba” was used to describe the music ofCamela,and laterAzúcar Moreno.[17]Since the early 2000s, the term rumba has been used in Spain to refer to derivatives of Catalan rumba withhip hopand rock elements, as recorded byEstopa,HueccoandMelendi.[18]

In Colombia[edit]

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, a fusion ofbambucoand Afro-Cuban music was developed inColombiaby artists such as Emilio Sierra, Milciades Garavito, and Diógenes Chaves Pinzón, under the namerumba criolla(creole rumba).[19]Rumba criolla is classified into different regional styles such as rumba antioqueña and rumba tolimense.[20]

In Africa[edit]

Main articles:Congolese rumbaandSoukous

In the 1930s and 1940s, Afro-Cuban son groups such asSepteto Habanero,Trio Matamorosand Los Guaracheros de Oriente were played overRadio Congo Belgein Léopoldville (Kinshasa), gaining widespread popularity in the country during the following decades.[21][22]Their recordings were also made available to the public as part of theG.V. Seriesof 10 "singles released byHis Master's Voicethroughout Africa. Once local bands tried to emulate the sound of Cuban son (incorrectly referred to as "rumba" in Africa, despite being unrelated toCuban rumba), their music became known as Congolese rumba or rumba Lingala. By the late 1960s, Congolese rumba was an established genre in most of Central Africa, and it would also impact the music ofWestandEast AfricaunderMuziki wa dansi.Franco'sOK JazzandLe Grand Kallé'sAfrican Jazzwere amongst the most successful Congolese rumba ensembles of the 20th century. A faster subgenre known assoukous(from the French wordsecouer,"to shake" ) was developed in the late 1960s by bands such asAfrican Fiestaand is often used as a synonym of the former.[21][23][24]

References[edit]

  1. ^Alén Rodríguez, Olavo (2010). "A History of the Congas".AfroCubaWeb.Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  2. ^Peñalosa, David (2011).Rumba Quinto.Bembe Books. p. 183.
  3. ^Moore, Robin (1997).Nationalizing Blackness: Afrocubansimo and artistic Revolution in Havana, 1920-1940.Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 54.ISBN9780822971856.
  4. ^Harper, Douglas."rumba".Online Etymology Dictionary.RetrievedDecember 5,2017.
  5. ^abDrake-Boyt, Elizabeth (2011). "Rhumba".Latin Dance.Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood. pp. 43–46.ISBN9780313376092.
  6. ^Waxer, Lisa (2002).Situating Salsa: Global Markets and Local Meanings in Latin Popular Music.New York, NY: Routledge. p. 12.ISBN9781135725341.
  7. ^abDíaz, Román; Palenzuela Jottar, Berta (2004). "Rumba". In Candelaria, Cordelia (ed.).Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture, Volume 2.Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp. 712–725.ISBN9780313332111.
  8. ^Hess, Carol A. (2013).Representing the Good Neighbor: Music, Difference, and the Pan American Dream.New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 115–116, 200.ISBN9780199339891.
  9. ^abMiller, Terry E.; Shahriari, Andrew (2015).World Music: A Global Journey(Concise ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. p. 255.ISBN9781317974604.
  10. ^Hubbard, Karen; Monaghan, Terry (2009). "Social Dancing at the Savoy". In Malnig, Julie (ed.).Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance Reader.Chicago, IL: University of Illinois. pp. 135, 144.ISBN9780252075650.
  11. ^Poey, Delia (2014).Cuban Women and Salsa: To the Beat of Their Own Drum.New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 13–32.ISBN9781137382825.
  12. ^Mora, Carl J., ed. (2005).Mexican Cinema: Reflections of a Society, 1896-2004.Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 86.ISBN9780786469253.
  13. ^Pietrobruno, Sheenagh (2006).Salsa and Its Transnational Moves.Lanham, MD: Lexington. p. 36.ISBN9780739114681.
  14. ^Pérez Custodio, Diana (2005).Paco de Lucía: La evolución del flamenco a través de sus rumbas(in Spanish). Cádiz, Spain: Universidad de Cádiz. pp. 96–97.ISBN9788496274754.
  15. ^Martínez, Silvia; Fouce, Héctor (2013).Made in Spain: Studies in Popular Music.New York, NY: Routledge. p. 45.ISBN9781136460067.
  16. ^Martínez & Fouce (2013). p. 21.
  17. ^Delgado, Lola; Lozano, Daniel (2004).Tribus urbanas(in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: La Esfera de los Libros. p. 158.
  18. ^Bianciotto, Jordi (2008).Guía universal del rock: de 1990 hasta hoy(in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain: Ma Non Troppo. p. 259.ISBN9788496222731.
  19. ^Bermúdez, Egberto (2008). "From Colombian national song to Colombian song". In Matter, Max; Grosch, Nils (eds.).Song and Popular Culture Special Issue: Popular Song in Latin America.Münster, Germany: Waxmann. p. 235.ISBN9783830920755.
  20. ^Miranda, Juan Carlos (1999).La rumba criolla en el folclor fresnense(PDF)(in Spanish). Fresno, Colombia: Universidad El Bosque. pp. 3–4.
  21. ^abAppiah, Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis (2010).Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 1.Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 407–408.ISBN9780195337709.
  22. ^Storm Roberts, John (1999).The Latin Tinge: The Impact of Latin American Music on the United States(2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp.217–218.
  23. ^Peek, Philip M.; Yankah, Kwesi (2004).African Folklore: An Encyclopedia.New York, NY: Routledge. p. 548.ISBN9781135948733.
  24. ^"Soukous dance king rules Kinshasa".18 November 2005 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
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