OCTOBER 9, 2015: UNIT 8:LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES POPULAR MUSIC IN AMERICA Dr. Love, professor

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Chapter 32: Latin Music in the United States, After American composer and pianist, Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s ( ) tour through South America and the Caribbean, he infused Latin influences in his music—the first noteworthy American music to show this influence Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, married at the time helped show that Latin music and musicians could blend into American life The biggest hit of 1955 was “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” by Perez Prado, one of the mambo kings

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Latin Music in the United States Latin styles formed in the Caribbean islands and Brazil as interaction between African and European influences We have a strong heritage of Afro-Cuban music as well as Afro-Brazilian music Unlike in the USA, these slaves kept much of their culture, languages, instruments (drums weren’t banned in the Caribbean—like the American South) and rhythms Afro-centric music from Latin American typically features: More percussion instruments Denser, more complex rhythmic texture Latin music is an American umbrella term for: Popular music from countries where Spanish or Portuguese was the native language Most of this came to US for social dancing: rumba, cha-cha, tango, samba Music created in the US by Latin musicians (some originating from Puerto Rico, Cuba, or Spanish Caribbean Music created by Americans without a Latin heritage who adapted Latin elements, mainly the rhythms into pop songs, dance music, and jazz

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES The Habanera and Tango Habanera was a popular new dance, particularly when a Mexican military band performed it at an International Exposition in New Orleans in Name is associated with Havana (Cuba) The new rhythm and dance soon travelled around the world, even catching the ear of French composer, Georg Bizet who incorporated a famous habanera in his opera, Carmen (1875)Carmen (1875) Others styles such as cakewalk and ragtime song share a similar rhythm to the Habanera Musical evidence suggests that the habanera also went to South American where is became the rhythmic basis for the tango The tango started in the saloons of Buenos Aires, Argentina It came to America via of Vernon and Irene Castle who captivated audiences with the dancing of the tango Latin dance fads in the US were part of popular culture, particularly in musicals and films

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Mainstreaming Latin Music Don Azpiazú and His Havana Casino Orchestra came to NYC from Havana in 1930 His band had lots of prominent Latin percussion instruments Were a huge hit at the Palace Theatre Their recording of “El Manisero” (“The Peanut Vendor”) reportedly sold over 1,000,000 units“El Manisero” Great enthusiasm for Latin music at this point Music publishers, performers, songwriters are now in full Latin mode Also triggered the second of Latin dance crazes—the rumba

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES The Rumba Rumba was of Cuban origin and developed out of the Afro-Cuban dance called son The son was very popular in Cuba, especially with the growth of Cuban commercial radio Since the music and musicians were heard but not seen, Cubans of African descent gained access to audiences who would not normally have heard them The Afro-Cuban influence on Don Azpiazú’s recording of “El Manisero” is evident in: Vocal (in Spanish) Prominent Latin percussion Reverse clave rhythm Clave rhythm is essential to Cuban popular music: Clave rhythm Played on two cylindrical wooden sticks that are tapped together Consists of five irregularly-shaped taps, spread over two four-beat measures The reverse clave rhythm has the second half of the pattern come first

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Americanized Latin Music: Cugat, Porter, and the Latin Song Hit songs now have Latin influences, from Irving Berlin to Duke Ellington With American song-writers starting to incorporate some Latin elements and sensitivity in their songs, along with Latin composers as well, some of these new Latin songs were to become pop standards Xavier Cugat ( ) was a Cuban violinist who came to US to play violin and eventually formed his own bands He helped establish a commercial Latin style Was very popular in Hollywood on film, he was also a fixture at the Waldorf Hotels in NYC and Hollywood Also performed alongside Benny Goodman’s band on the network radio show, Let’s Dance Among his biggest fans was Cole Porter Porter ( ) was an American composer of musicals (he wrote both music and lyrics) Porter lived at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC and heard Cugat’s band frequently Porter incorporated a lot of Latin influences in his songs, even though the lyrics don’t reflect anything “south of the border”—they don’t have anything to do with Latin culture Porter used the rumba or beguine rhythms/feel a lot “Begin the Beguine” (written by Cole Porter) performed by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra Was a big hit for Porter“Begin the Beguine” This arrangement is instrumental, even though the song itself has lyrics A rich overlay of percussion instruments add Latin flavour as well

CHAPTER 32 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES American versus Latin Rhythms For many songwriters, “Latin” meant mostly a change in the rhythm From an uneven division of the beat into an even divsion The typical foxtrot beat is divided into a long/short rhythm Accented syllables often falling on the beat Unaccented syllables coming on the shorter part of the beat The Americanized Latin rhythm in “Begin the Beguine” divides the beat into equal parts The bass notes usually play on the first, third, and fourth beats The accompaniment chords fall on the off beats (two and four) This was the generic Latin rhythm pattern of American popular music from the 1930s through the 1950s Underneath “Begin the Beguine” are flowing triplets, not relying on the clave pattern In “El Manisero,” the clave pattern is the rhythmic reference point The above recording of Cugat’s shows how American composers borrowed from the Latin music they heard and interpreted it through their own musical understanding Latin bandleaders like Cugat accommodated the American composer Most Americans ignored the clave rhythm because it was so foreign, but they found the rippling beguine pattern more familiar

CHAPTER 33 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Chapter 33: Latin Music in the United States, Most Latin immigrants settled in New York in upper Manhattan’s east Harlem Cubans in NY also shared their music with other immigrant Latinos and Americans of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent There were two distinct Latin styles of music developed from the Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians who played: Downtown Latin style—intended for the white American market Uptown—served the needs of the ever-growing Latin community in New York This was more African with heavier percussion and denser, more complex rhythmic textures

CHAPTER 33 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES The Mambo This was the third 20 th century dance fad (after the tango and rumba) The mambo was a musical style created by Afro-Cubans living in New York Featured horns and riffs of the big bands with authentic Afro-Cuban son Was very popular in New York because of the influx of Cuban musicians and a supportive Latin population Many Puerto Ricans also in New York, as were many others from other parts of the Caribbean; upper Manhattan’s east Harlem, was called “Spanish Harlem” Many Cubans living and working in New York; many played in society dance orchestras; many played in clubs and on recordings The Mambo was born in 1940, when Machito (Frank Grillo, , New York’s first important sonero [lead singer in a son band]) formed his own band, Machito’s Afro-Cubans Machito hired fellow Cuban (and brother-in-law) Mario Bauzá as musical director Bauzá had worked in black swing bands and sought to combine Cuban rhythms with the horn sound of swing Despite the big-band riffs and bebop harmonies, mambo was still a basically Cuban music that was developed in New York The Palladium Dance Hall (New York) was the main place for mambo The mambo caught on with non-Latin audiences The mambo was Americanized and this style enjoyed great success The dilution of the mambo as it entered the mainstream similar to the watering down of the rumba But there was a more enthusiastic US audience for Afro-Cuban–inspired music

CHAPTER 33 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES The Mambo (continued) Two “Mambo Kings” helped propel and sustain the popularity of the Mambo in the 1950s Perez Prado ( ), pianist/bandleader, had a string of hits: called Mambo No. 1, 2, 5, etc. Also had a huge hit with “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” (actually more of a cha- cha) In many of his recordings, the Afro-Cuban rhythms and instrumentation are severely diluted or absent Tito Puente ( ) was the “king of the mambo” to the Latins Born in NYC of Puerto Rican parents, he was formerly in Machito’s band He played timbales and had strong brass section with strong full Latin percussion section “Complicacion” recorded by Tito Puente and His Band, 1958Complicacion Mixes big-band style horns with a full Latin percussion section Afro-Cuban rhythm elements are heard: Repeated riff conforms to the clave rhythm Several layers of percussion produce a tense texture with considerable rhythmic conflict Tumbao, an offbeat bass pattern Montuno, a piano part that is repetitive, even more syncopated that ragtime

CHAPTER 33 – LATIN MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES The Mambo and Beyond: Latin Music in the 1950s The mambo, like the rumba, spawned many imitations and adaptations Top singing stars dabbled in Latin music: Perry Como and Nat “King” Cole both recorded “Papa Loves Mambo” Dean Martin and Rosemary Clooney both scored with “Mambo Italiano”Mambo Italiano The mambo gave way to the cha-cha-cha, a new dance fad Simpler than the mambo and the tempo was slower It replaced the mambo as the Latin dance of choice for Americans Latin music also influenced jazz Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpeter/bandleader fused Latin with jazz: “cubop” (Cuban + bop) It was hard to mesh Latin rhythms with foxtrot or swing rhythms Latin rhythms in R & B songs, especially those from New Orleans, (and later on, rock and roll) were able to blend smoothly They didn’t have to adjust the rhythmic foundation for R & B Musical exchange with Cuban musicians ended in 1950 when Fidel Castro came to power Diplomatic relations were severed About a decade later, however, the mambo would get a makeover and become salsa!