So. Much. Music.We shouldn’t let too many words get in the way of it. Let’s take a video tour of some of Caribbean musical genres. Pick a couple at random and dive in.
— Danzón: a formal Cuban “contradanza”
— Punto Guajiro: poetic music from rural Cuba
— The three kinds of Cuban rumba (all three rock): Guaguancó | Columbia | Yambu
— Trova: Cuban Spanish-style guitar ballads
— Changüi: Elemental Cuban music from the island’s East
— Son: Western Cuban syncopated African-Spanish fusion
— Conga: from Havana | from Santiago de Cuba
— Mambo: syncopated Cuban dance
— Cha Cha Chá: one, two, cha cha cha!
— Timba: modern fusion of many Latin genres with a “street” feel
— Bomba: Afro-Puerto Rican percussive dance
— Plena: “the sung newspaper” with African beats
— Guaracha: once-upon-a-time, humorous Cuban theater music
— Salsa: Puerto Rican international dance phenomenon
— Reggaeton: Puerto Rican rhythmic danchall
— Merengue: Domincan dance (1-2, 1-2)
— Bachata: Passionate Domincan Spanish-influenced crooning
— Mento: Essentially, Jamaican calypso
— Ska: Next generation mento, dancing on the upbeat
— Rocksteady: Slower, groovier ska
— Reggae: Political Jamaican groove
— Dancehall: Jamaican dance “riddims”
— Calypso: Trinidadian island folk
— Chutney: Indian fused Trinidadian dance
— Soca: Infection Trinidadian party music
— Steelpan: melodic Trinidadian percussion
— Zouk: Party dance music from Martinique
Explore these genres of music from The Caribbean:
