Post on 21-Jan-2016
Part 4A Diversity of Popular Musics
Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
America’s Musical Landscape 5th edition
PowerPoint by Myra Lewinter MalamutGeorgian Court University
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
2© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics With the coming of rock and roll, American
popular music diversified as never before
Pop and country-western struggled to hold their own against the powerful new music
In time, various styles found audiences and vied for popularity with rock and among themselves
Disco, new wave, gospel, rap, jazz, regional and ethnic musics
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
3© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vernacular Art The beat generation of the 1950s
A term invented by Jack Kerouac Originally involving his talented friends who provided some
of the twentieth century’s most inspired poetry and prose Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac,
friends and colleagues stood for nonconformity… Which was a concept in vogue in Europe
At the same time, performers gave vent to the same spirit motivating the literary beats
James Dean, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
4© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vernacular Art: Visual Arts Visual arts found new means of expression and established new
artistic ideals
Pop artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Puzzled and intrigued his contemporaries Achieved new color harmonies with silk-screen prints His “serial” paintings, multiple repetitions of an image,
feature common objects of popular American culture Movie stars, advertising logos, political figures, more
Identified with some vernacular musicians of his day 1965: Punk rock group Velvet Underground
accompanied the showing of one of Warhol’s artworks
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
5© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vernacular Music During the twentieth century, popular or vernacular music
became a significant cultural concept and an important business
Recent decades have produced an unprecedented variety of popular music
Grunge, hip-hop, alternative rock, women in rock, new country, teenybop, Latin pop, rave
All of these styles have not replaced but rather joined rhythm and blues, classic rock, light pop, and the other music of our popular culture
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
6© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vernacular Music: The 1990s and Early Twenty-first Century 1990s: One of pop’s most experimental periods
Technological advances brought down recording costs Computerized inventories allowed stores to carry more
stock
Early Twenty-first century Downloading of music has changed the nature of the pop
marketplace Challenging major labels to find new ways to make money in
what may soon be the post-CD era
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
7© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vernacular Music Today We are in the midst of a prodigiously
productive period
Richer than any earlier time
Richer than any other contemporary culture in the variety, quantity, and quality of our vernacular music
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
8© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Latin Popular Musics Latin American music has enriched the popular and concert music
of the United States for at least a century and a half
This music is of more significance to North American popular music today than ever before
Southwest United States Traditional Spanish dance music is played
Other parts of the country Latin American dance music has affected pop and jazz
“Latin Pop” is a category in its own right on the Billboard trade magazine popular music charts
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
9© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Latin Popular Musics: Early Twentieth Century Latin popular dances took the United States by storm
First as exotic curiosities, then as fads, and finally entering mainstream American popular music
The Argentinean tango The first Latin rhythm to affect American pop A graceful, yet torrid dance, sedate in tempo, sensuous 1911: The tango was introduced to Broadway audiences 1913: Made widely popular as danced by Irene and Vernon
Castle in a musical A sophisticated fusion of European and African ingredients
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
10© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Latin Popular Musics: The Tango and the Habanera Lyrical tango melodies often suggest the influence of
Argentina’s Italian population
Tango rhythm is that of the Cuban dance, the habanera… Subdivides eight eighth-notes (four beats) into 3 + 3 + 2 Habanera beat has influenced United States popular music…
In Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s piano pieces Jelly Roll Mortin called it the “Spanish tinge” in ragtime W. C. Handy used habanera rhythm in the four-line verse
—”tango section”—between stanzas of “St. Louis Blues”
The habanera beat has been heard as the basic rhythm of numerous pop styles
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
11© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Latin Popular Musics: Influence of Latin Performers 1930s: Several Latin dances entered American pop through
big band music Especially that of popular bandleader Xavier Cugat, born in
Spain and raised in Cuba
Several renowned Latin performers began their careers at about that time Appearing in popular stage shows and later in film musicals
Desi Arnaz and Carmen Miranda
Three Latin areas—the Caribbean, Brazil, Mexico—have influenced popular, classical, and religious music in North America
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
12© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean The slave trade bringing blacks to North America
carried many slaves to the Caribbean islands
These slaves managed better than their northern counterparts to preserve their cultural traditions
The drumming largely forbidden in the North was tolerated south of the border
African tribal religions blended better with the Christian Catholicism prevalent in Latin America than with the Protestantism characteristic of the North
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
13© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean Since 1898 Puerto Ricans arrived to settle primarily in New York
City
Cubans have come to New York City as well as to Florida
Cubans and Puerto Ricans brought African-derived musical and dance forms to the United States
Because more African slaves originally were brought to Cuba, the black Cuban population is sizable and the African influence on its culture is strong
Chicago and Los Angeles have people from Haiti, Trinidad, and other areas of the West Indies
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
14© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The CaribbeanSanteria: The Way of the Saints Santeria is a religion created in the New World by slaves
brought from West Africa to the Caribbean sugar plantations
Nominally converted to Catholicism, slaves often fused their traditional beliefs and rituals with elements of their new religion
Thus, in Cuba the religious practice called Santeria evolved
In the United States Santeria has members of the Cuban, Puerto Rican, African American, and Anglo-American communities
Music is important to Santeria
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
15© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Santeria: The Music Traditional rhythms of Cuban batá drums accompany rituals
Batá are double-headed, hourglass-shaped drums Believed to be shaped like the thunder ax god Both heads of the drums are sounded with the hands Each rhythm constitutes a musical prayer to a specific god An oral tradition rooted in ancient Africa, ensembles evolve
their own performance style and technique
Each Santeria song is associated with a particular deity Sung without harmony in call-and-response fashion
The Leader improvises phrases in an open, relaxed vocal style characteristic of African practice
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
16© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Bomba Bomba = African-derived Puerto
Rican couple dance; one of the first Latin dances to become popular north of the border Allowing the man great flexibility and
freedom to display dancing skills The female performs fixed steps
The song’s text—in call-and-response fashion—concerns daily events
With drums, optional maracas, guiro (see photo) and cowbell
guiro
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
17© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Rumba Rumba: A group of Afro-Cuban musical
and dance forms Dancing couples hold each other a
bit apart, shoulders level, moving hips
Rhythm of two or four beats per measure, divided according to clave rhythm, tapped using claves (see image), which underlies Cuban dance music (refer to figure 15.2, page 256)
claves
First two measures: Habanera rhythm; second measure sounds on beats two and three; tempo variable but never very rapid
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
18© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rumba is the style at the deepest roots of Cuban music Arrived in Cuba with African slaves
Soon African languages were replaced by Spanish Melody lines adapted scales and figures from Spanish songs This synthesis seeded all Cuban music that followed…
Including son, chachacha, conga, mambo, salsa, cabaret music, pop songs, classical Cuban compositions
Around the world rumba reached into… Rhythm and blues, disco, Spanish flamenco-pop, African
guitar-rock
Rumba continues to evolve
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
19© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rumba: Instruments Traditional instruments
add to the exotic flavor of rumba Bongos
Pairs of drums of different size
Held between the knees
Usually played with the fingers and hand, sometimes with a stick
Bongos
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
20© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rumba: Conga Drums, Timbales, Maracas The Conga drum is the largest of the Latin instruments
Often played in pairs Sound is produced by their muleskin head
Timbre varying according to whether it is struck by the heel, palm, or fingers of the hand
Timbales Pairs of metal drums mounted on a stand, struck with a stick
Maracas Pairs of gourds filled with pebbles or seeds
Shaken or rotated by handles attached to one end
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
21© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Rumba in the United States 1930s—Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians performed
rumbas in New York’s uptown Latin district, El Barrio
Xavier Cugat and other bandleaders entertained downtown ballroom crowds in a rhythmically simplified Americanized version of the rumba
Tin Pan Alley songwriters produced songs with Latin American flavor, such as… “Heat Wave,” by Irving Berlin “Begin the Beguine,” by Cole Porter
The beguine is a native West Indies dance
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
22© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Cu-Bop 1940s: Cuban instruments and instrumentalists were
strongly affecting jazz
Another dance, the conga, a line or chain dance
Cu-bop merges Latin rhythms with bebop
Introduced by Dizzie Gillespie in a 1947 bebop concert
From then on, Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, and other musicians flavored much of their music with Brazilian, Cuban, Latin influences
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
23© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Importance of Rhythm Rhythmic patterns are at the heart of Cuban (and African)
drumming
Over a constant pulse other pulses are layered, then varied
Creating rhythmic expectation through repetition, then subverting it
This is what a jazz soloist does
Jazz musicians adapted such techniques
Stan Kenton’s band used the Latin effect double-timing which subdivides the beat, implying a faster tempo
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
24© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Mambo An Afro-Cuban form of big band dance music
Tito Puente (1923-2000)—born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents—became known as the “Mambo King” for his sophisticated versions of this Latin dance Puente was a percussionist and bandleader of Afro-Cuban
music, influenced by swing and Santeria
Couples danced the mambo moving forward and back The slower, simpler chachacha, popular in the 1950s is closely
related to or even a form of the mambo
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
25© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Mambo’s Influence Merged with big band jazz
Inspired many Tin Pan Alley songs recorded by…
Perry Como, Nat “King” Cole, more
The mambo affected 1950s rhythm and blues
Introduced Latin rhythms into early rock
Bo Diddley, Ray Charles, James Brown absorbed Latin percussion sounds and rhythms into their own music
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
26© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Salsa Late 1970s: Salsa emerged with new status
Salsa = sauce (literal translation)—was a term for peppy sounds
Today salsa sometimes refers to all African-Latin musics
Salsa had been dance band music with instrumentation, rhythms, flavor unlike swing band sound
Timbres: Voices, trumpets; or, flutes and violins Rhythms: Complex; varied Puerto Rican, South
American elements
Salsa had been a Cuban music considered a substyle of popular music for decades
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
27© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Salsa Sophisticated jazz musicians enthusiastically incorporated salsa
rhythms into their virtuosic performances
1980s and 1990s
Salsa in New York changed, acquiring a distinct African-American inflection
The match of young freestyle singers with classic salsa rhythms has proved powerful, as revealed by brisk sales of recordings by salsa artists
Marc Anthony, and, India
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
28© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Listening Example 54Ojos (“Eyes,” 1978)Composed by Willie ColónPerformed by Rubén Blades (vocal)Willie Colón (trombone)Listening guide page 259
Rhythm: Clave rhythmInstrumentation: Brass with trombone on lead lines; percussion,
including conga drum, timbales, bongos, maracas, claves, piano repeats syncopated patterns
Form: Two-partCanto (narrative) and montuno (rhythmic, more instrumental)
This performance exemplifies howsalsa musicians absorb varied influences and apply them to thisCuban style
Notice how the brass instrumentssound like those of big band jazz
Canto After a brass introduction, the first section, like the verse of aTin Pan Alley song, presents thesong’s narrative content
Montuno The second section alternates instrumental and vocalperformances, increasing intensity and rhythmic complexity
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
29© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Reggae Reggae fused elements of North American rock
and African Jamaican music to form a kind of “acculturated rock”
1960s—popular in England
1970s—popular in the United States
Bob Marley (1945-1981) was a leading performer who became famous in the United States
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
30© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reggae Reggae comes in several styles, all roughly
related to rhythm and blues But the polyrhythms are more complex Bass lines stronger Tempos more relaxed
Reggae combos consist of Electric guitars, electric organ, electric bass
guitar, drums Electronic studio techniques
Toasting or Dubbing = rapid patter talking, to influence development of rap music
Electric guitar
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
31© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reggae: Religious and Spiritual Implications Reggae—a vernacular music (rock) borrowed and
transformed by a culture (Jamaican) other than the one that introduced it (African American) to form a new style Represents a popular music with strong religious connotations
Rastafarianism = a black religious movement Many of the songs have urgent political content
Promoting the 1960s “back to Africa” movement
Marley’s spiritual descendents Buju Banton – His album Unchained Spirit Luciano – His album Ultimate Collection (2003) sings of moral
chastisement, spiritual uplift
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
32© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Caribbean: Calypso, a Song Style of Trinidad Popular in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean
Was a communication between African slaves forbidden to talk to each other Satirically humorous song lyrics Often sung in French-Creole dialect, or patois
Often mocked masters, politically charged, or risqué
Singer-composers take grandiose names, such as Lord Executor
1944: Lord Invader’s “Rum and Coca-Cola” sung by the Andrews Sisters led to Calypso’s popularity in North America, including Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song” (“Day-O”)
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
33© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Calypso Steel drum was the favorite accompanying instrument
1940s: The steel drum was developed in Trinidad The only new acoustic instrument of the twentieth century Made by pounding the bottom of a 55-gallon drum, concave
Chiseling various sizes of grooves to produce tones Timbre: Ringing
1970s: As calypso declined in popularity, other versions of calypso appeared Soca = A party music version, more up-tempo Rapso = calypso-style lyrics, rhythms influenced by hip-hop
Today: Calypso still has devoted fans
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
34© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Brazil The relaxed, easy pace of Brazilian music can be
related to the sounds and inflections of the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil
Brazilian dances—gentler, slower, less intense that the exciting Cuban and Puerto Rican musics—achieved their own popularity in the United States
But never to the degree of the hot Caribbean sounds
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
35© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Brazil:Samba and Bossa Nova 1949: The Afro-Brazilian samba, sometimes called the
national dance of Brazil, arrived in New York Became popular as sung and danced by the glamorous Carmen
Miranda
The word samba has religious connotations Samba has been the main dance at Rio’s Carnival, before Lent
1960s: Bossa Nova emerged as middle and upper class youth’s reaction against samba’s perceived commercialism Sometimes called jazz samba, it is derived from samba
Bossa Nova used elements of cool and progressive jazz with sophisticated Brazilian rhythms
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
36© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bossa Nova Less vibrant, more melancholy than Cuban-flavored music
Bossa nova adapted beautifully to the world of jazz Flexible rhythms, colorful instrumentation
Bossa nova met initial resistance from traditionalists They did not understand its elusive flavors, new sounds And, like bebop, bossa nova is for listening
Bossa nova is not a dance, but a rhythm--with subtle, flexible polyrhythms
Samba had Exotic stars singing, dancing, flashy band Bossa nova—Soft singing, single guitar, at most a four-
man band
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
37© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bossa Nova:Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) A leading figure of the bossa nova movement
The term bossa nova first emerged in the lyrics of the song “Desafinado,” by Jobim
Bossa = slang for something particularly distinctive Nova = new “Desafinado” = off key—The lyrics say that by singing “off
key” the singer tried to attract his beloved’s attention
Early 1970s: Rhythms and melodies of bossa nova were added to much music, including but not limited to… Weather Report, with Brazilian percussionists; Brazilian singer
of jazz and Brazilian music Flora Purim; Pat Metheny
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
38© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Listening Example 55Desafinado (“Off Key”)by Antônio Carlos JobimLyricist: Newton MendoncaPerformers: João Gilberto (vocalist, guitarist)and Stan Getz (jazz tenor saxophonist)Listening guide page 262, 263
Meter: Four beats to the barTempo: Slow, relaxedForm: StrophicGilberto’s calm voice is uniquely suited for the long, sinuous, chromatic
melodic line; notice the harmonies to make the singer seem “off key.”
If you say thatI sing out of tune, love,I want you to know that thiscauses me great pain.
Only the privileged have ears as good as yours.I only possess what God gave me.
If you insist in classifying my behavior as antimusicalI myself lyingshould arguethat this is bossa nova,that this is very natural….
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
39© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mexico Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California absorbed many sounds
from nearby Mexico… Where folk music and popular music strongly reflect the songs
and dances of African slaves
Country music of the Southwest shows the Mexican influence Woody Guthrie, playing music in Texas in the 1920s sometimes
adapted Mexican topical ballads called corridos Corrido = Storytelling song, with roots in Mexico and the
southwestern and western United States
The Mexican ranchera (ranch song) “El Rancho Grande” became a standard of western swing bands
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
40© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mexico: Dances Dances traveled back and forth between Spain and Mexico
Dances acquired changes in name, instrumentation, performance style over time
These dances became popular in the Southwest
Baile = traditional Spanish social dance popular in the Southwest before and after the Civil War, and, today
Bailes are performed to celebrate engagements, weddings, joyful events
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
41© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mexico:Tejano and Norteño Music These are musical styles showing the influence of mid-
nineteenth century immigrants from Germany, Poland, and what is now the Czech Republic
Accordion in popular bands
Oom-pah-pah beat of polkas to Spanish songs and dances
Known as norteño in northern Mexico
Known as tejano in south Texas
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
42© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tejano Music 1950s: Tejanos were singing Tex-Mex rather than traditional
Spanish
1960s and 1970s: Orchestral sound infiltrated many tejano bands
1980s: Keyboards were included in the bands
1995: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was murdered The murder of this shining young star brought tejano music to
national attention The music is now more familiar and popular as it evolves Today’s tejano groups mix salsa, meringue, techno, pop;
accordion still dominates some ensembles
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
43© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mexico: Corridos Corridos = Storytelling songs with roots in Mexico and parts
of the southwestern and western united States
Relate the unofficial history of Mexican communities and their heroes
The focus is more on the story than on the music
Sung by solo vocalist with guitar Current popular music groups, such as Los Tigres del Norte, a
Mexican band, have performed and made corridos more complex
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
44© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mexico: Conjunto Conjunto = An ensemble accompanying dance and song in
norteño music, north and south of the Mexico-Texas border
As Mexican Americans spread throughout the southwestern United States as well as north and east, conjunto ensembles played their traditional norteño music
The ensembles included accordion, guitar, sometimes double bass,
drums, later on sometimes saxophone
They played polkas, waltzes, European dances popular in Mexico and the United States, and by the 1950s rancheras, corridos, and traditional Mexican songs
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
45© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Conjuntos: Recent Years Some modern conjunto musicians have resisted the traditional
polka songs
They have blended in other musical styles, including jazz, into performances
Besides saxophones, some have keyboards and synthesizers, creating conjuntos orquestales
Conjunto musicians have attracted enthusiastic new audiences to their música alegre (“happy music”) by…
Traveling widely Teaming up with other musicians Adding conjunto beat to other popular musics
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
46© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mexico: Mariachis Mariachis = Mexican groups of
strolling musicians playing string instruments and often led by one or more trumpets By 1970s, performed Mexican folk
music in the Southwest United States The music is joyous, often played at
weddings “Mariachi” may be derived from
mariage, French for “marriage”
Strolling mariachis entertain passersby
Mariachi sound is the musical symbol of Mexico
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
47© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Latin Music Today Latin music has become a vital force to the music of the United
States
Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Shakira
2000: The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences created a new Latin branch which presented the first Latin Grammy Awards that year
Latin Grammy Awards include
Pop, rock, tropical, regional, traditional, jazz, Brazilian, children’s, classical, production, video
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
48© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Listening Example 56Jarabe Tapatío
Traditional
Listening example page 267
Meter: Duple
Texture: Mostly chordal
Form: A series of strains, each composed with eight bar phrases (labeled A, B, C, and D)
The jarabe is a medley of dancesfrom various regions of Mexico,and tapatío means “from the cityof Guadalajara.” Jarabe translates as “sweet syrup,”perhaps suggesting the mixture of meters within one section of aJarabe, though no one knows themeaning for sure.
Part 4: A Diversity of Popular Musics Chapter 15: Latin Popular Musics
49© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Image credits: Slide 16: Guiro, Royalty-Free/Corbis Slide 17: Claves, ibid Slide 19: Bongo Drums, ibid Slide 30: Electric guitar, ibid Slide 46: Strolling Mariachis © Corbis