An Exploration of non-Flamenco Rumba
19/10/2015
My interest in South American music has grown very slowly over the years. Initially all I knew was what I saw as corny old stuff like Carmen Miranda. Perhaps Santana can claim first hit as something I liked, but I would have been more influenced by Ry Cooder, with his general celebration of Mexican music, and his "Buena Vista Social Club" (1997). Generally I resisted the world of "Latin" music as too chaotic, with unfathomable rhythms and cheesy singers.
When I began learning Flamenco dance, I encountered Rumba in the form of Rumba Flamenca. I was surprised to find it was a part of the Flamenco dance tradition. Rumba had previously meant little to me other than just one of the many unfathomably complex dance rhythms of Latin America like Samba and Mambo, known here when I was a child. Through having to learn dance steps, which I found difficult because they were not quite the regular rhythms I was used to in Rock music, I began to see a certain charm to the "Latin" way of movement. I was in a receptive state for this as I was already learning other flamenco dances in 12-beat patterns like 3,3,2,2,2; and 2,2,2,3,3, which was opening my mind to the fact that not all music is our boring 4/4 and 3/4 timing.
A couple of years ago, through the soundtrack of the movie El Violin, I discovered a South American form called Cumbia, which is "a whole nother world"; I began to combine it with my Flamenco interests and create a more open mind about South American music.
Recently I bought a triple CD "Beginners Guide to Brazil" (Nascente NSBOX 099, $5 The Warehouse) because it was so cheap, and found some music of interest on that.
Now, twenty years later, I have realised that my keen following of Flamenco prevented me from looking much at where Rumba came from, other than just knowing that Flamenco dances like Rumba, Guajiras, Colombianas and Milonga are not of direct Spanish origin.
I have at least posted a Blog on the Guajiras, "A dance track back to Spain from Cuba: Bailando por guajiras en el pasado."
To quote myself from that earlier blog, rumbas "belong to the family of songs (cantes) called "los cantes de ida y vuelta", literally, songs of departing and returning, more colloquially, roundtrip songs. They are styles resulting from Spanish music taken to South America, influenced and altered there, and taken back to influence the Spanish again.
I found myself recently wondering: "OK I know what Flamenco Rumba is, but what exactly is the Rumba that they talk about in the Americas? Can I recognise it as the same thing? Can I even identify it in a song?
I began to investigate, and have gathered here some of my findings
First, note that "Rhumba", with the "h", is a genre of ballroom music and dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States
during the 1930s. Ballroom rhumba differs completely from Cuban rumba both in its music and dance, and is not being considered here.
I thought first I would include a brief look at Flamenco Rumba as I have come to know it: -
When I began learning Flamenco dance, I encountered Rumba in the form of Rumba Flamenca. I was surprised to find it was a part of the Flamenco dance tradition. Rumba had previously meant little to me other than just one of the many unfathomably complex dance rhythms of Latin America like Samba and Mambo, known here when I was a child. Through having to learn dance steps, which I found difficult because they were not quite the regular rhythms I was used to in Rock music, I began to see a certain charm to the "Latin" way of movement. I was in a receptive state for this as I was already learning other flamenco dances in 12-beat patterns like 3,3,2,2,2; and 2,2,2,3,3, which was opening my mind to the fact that not all music is our boring 4/4 and 3/4 timing.
A couple of years ago, through the soundtrack of the movie El Violin, I discovered a South American form called Cumbia, which is "a whole nother world"; I began to combine it with my Flamenco interests and create a more open mind about South American music.
Recently I bought a triple CD "Beginners Guide to Brazil" (Nascente NSBOX 099, $5 The Warehouse) because it was so cheap, and found some music of interest on that.
Now, twenty years later, I have realised that my keen following of Flamenco prevented me from looking much at where Rumba came from, other than just knowing that Flamenco dances like Rumba, Guajiras, Colombianas and Milonga are not of direct Spanish origin.
I have at least posted a Blog on the Guajiras, "A dance track back to Spain from Cuba: Bailando por guajiras en el pasado."
To quote myself from that earlier blog, rumbas "belong to the family of songs (cantes) called "los cantes de ida y vuelta", literally, songs of departing and returning, more colloquially, roundtrip songs. They are styles resulting from Spanish music taken to South America, influenced and altered there, and taken back to influence the Spanish again.
I found myself recently wondering: "OK I know what Flamenco Rumba is, but what exactly is the Rumba that they talk about in the Americas? Can I recognise it as the same thing? Can I even identify it in a song?
I began to investigate, and have gathered here some of my findings
First, note that "Rhumba", with the "h", is a genre of ballroom music and dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States
during the 1930s. Ballroom rhumba differs completely from Cuban rumba both in its music and dance, and is not being considered here.
I thought first I would include a brief look at Flamenco Rumba as I have come to know it: -
A brief history of Rumba Flamenca in Spain
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Earliest representation of the style I could find.
Translation of the YouTube title: - "Pepe de la Matrona - Memories of Havana; Flamenco Rumba of the year1914 (Latin American Songs)" Recorded 1969. Many elements of this rumba are essentially Cuban, including exclamations. Between 1914 and 1917 Pepe was in Cuba, and from there brought to Spain some of the South American songs, such as the Milonga and some old Rumbas. Pretty simple no-fuss rendition |
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This looks to be late Fifties, early Sixties judging by the extreme dropped waist of the dress.
The style has many features that would last until the Seventies, including the basic rumba strum which I learned on the guitar, which involves a lot of damping of the strings to emphasis the rhythm. There are "motifs" which don't really qualify as "tunes", because everybody uses them at any point in a rumba as they wish, a bit like blues riffs. Fairly show-bizzy performance for TV I would guess. Does have a bit of fancy guitar playing. Mid to late Sixties?
Another TV performance, the full show biz treatment again, lots of shouting and clapping and the same fast strum to get the punters excited. This is a far cry from down-home rootsy Flamenco, which they call "Puro". Note there is little musical complexity or showiness in the guitar-playing. It is all in the rhythm and spectacle. The person who posted this clip actually calls it flamenco pop. At last a precise date: 1976
When ace guitarist Paco de Lucía released "Entre dos Aguas" he combined S. American influences with his Flamenco skills, including, radically, percussion and bass. Flamenco, and Rumba, would never be the same. Here is guitar-playing at its finest. It seems to me that many of the features of the rumba as popular today derive from Paco's innovations, although he did little work with singers. 2010
Just to show that Rumba is alive and well today here is a video with young performers under the name Soniquete, performing a Rumba Flamenca in the modern style which often has several singers, often female, using a type of harmony I don't have the knowledge to name. I call it pastel harmony, perhaps chromatic? I don't know. Emphasis is on rhythm and lyrics, not fancy guitar playing. The visuals are in the style of a modern pop video. (I don't know if there is a connection, these kids possibly weren't even born then, but Paco de Lucía had a Bulerías entitled "Soniquete" on his 1990 album "Zyryab".) |
What is Rumba in the Americas?
Rumba is Cuban in origin, arising from a mixture of African and Spanish roots. It has many sub-types leading back to different Cuban regions and the African tribal traditions of each region's slaves. It began, like blues, as a music of these oppressed slaves.
The history and development is apparently complex and obscure. There is a good overview of Cuban Rumba at Wikipedia, far too much for me to present here.
Long since rumba was taken to Spain, it has continued to grow and branch in the Americas, encompassing many styles over the years. During the period when it was fashionable in the USA, it was also taken up by entertainers in Africa, see below.
Since I am no expert, and not qualified to make learned comments attached to example videos, I will content myself with including a YouTube playlist. I have gathered together an overview to demonstrate the variety of styles through time and space. There is plenty of interest to any music-lover here.
I will, however, elaborate on the first item entitled "Rumba en Cuba 2012" showing modern dancing in Cuba, as it illustrates the three main stylistic groups of the Cuban Rumba family: -
It shows first a style called Guaguancó, which is a couple dance of sexual competition between the male and female. There is a good explanation at the link above.
Then a style called Yambú, which incorporates movements feigning frailty. It can be danced alone (usually by women) or by men and women together.
Then at 4:12 is a style called Columbia, which originated in the hamlets, plantations, and docks where men of African descent worked together. Unlike other rumba styles, columbia is traditionally meant to be a solo male dance. Men may also compete with other men to display their agility, strength, confidence and even sense of humor.
It has been interesting to find how far the Cuban rumba rhythm penetrated into American popular music after the first USA Rumba recordings in the late Forties.
I have also included an African clip from 1935, because "Congolese rumba originated from a fusion of various musical influences, including Cuban rumba, traditional African rhythms, and Congolese folk music. The genre's roots can be traced back to the 1930s, when African musicians, particularly those from the Congo basin, were exposed to Cuban musical styles such as son and rumba.",
and also some Spanish Pop which is not Rumba Flamenca.
See if you can recognise the relatedness of all these pieces of music.
The history and development is apparently complex and obscure. There is a good overview of Cuban Rumba at Wikipedia, far too much for me to present here.
Long since rumba was taken to Spain, it has continued to grow and branch in the Americas, encompassing many styles over the years. During the period when it was fashionable in the USA, it was also taken up by entertainers in Africa, see below.
Since I am no expert, and not qualified to make learned comments attached to example videos, I will content myself with including a YouTube playlist. I have gathered together an overview to demonstrate the variety of styles through time and space. There is plenty of interest to any music-lover here.
I will, however, elaborate on the first item entitled "Rumba en Cuba 2012" showing modern dancing in Cuba, as it illustrates the three main stylistic groups of the Cuban Rumba family: -
It shows first a style called Guaguancó, which is a couple dance of sexual competition between the male and female. There is a good explanation at the link above.
Then a style called Yambú, which incorporates movements feigning frailty. It can be danced alone (usually by women) or by men and women together.
Then at 4:12 is a style called Columbia, which originated in the hamlets, plantations, and docks where men of African descent worked together. Unlike other rumba styles, columbia is traditionally meant to be a solo male dance. Men may also compete with other men to display their agility, strength, confidence and even sense of humor.
It has been interesting to find how far the Cuban rumba rhythm penetrated into American popular music after the first USA Rumba recordings in the late Forties.
I have also included an African clip from 1935, because "Congolese rumba originated from a fusion of various musical influences, including Cuban rumba, traditional African rhythms, and Congolese folk music. The genre's roots can be traced back to the 1930s, when African musicians, particularly those from the Congo basin, were exposed to Cuban musical styles such as son and rumba.",
and also some Spanish Pop which is not Rumba Flamenca.
See if you can recognise the relatedness of all these pieces of music.