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Mambo(music)Wikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Mambo(music)
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Mamboisamusicalformanddancestylethatdeveloped
originallyinCuba,withfurthersignificantdevelopments
byCubanandPuertoRicanmusiciansinMexicoandthe
USA.Theword"mambo"means"conversationwiththe
gods"inKikongo,thelanguagespokenbyCentral
AfricanslavestakentoCuba.

Contents

Mambo
Stylistic
origins

Mainlydanznwitharrangementsof
sonmontunoandswing

Cultural
origins

1940sCubansinHavana,drawingon
HaitianCubaninfluences

Typical
Conga,cajon,bongo,timbales,claves,
instruments uprightbass,piano,trombone,
trumpet,saxophone
Subgenres

1 History

ChachachaPachanga

1.1 Origins(Contradanzaandcharanga)
1.2 Mexico

Fusiongenres
BoogalooMozambiqueSalsamusic

1.3 NewYorkCity

MusicofCuba

1.4 Chachach

Generaltopics
Relatedarticles

2 Dance

Genres

3 Mambomusicians
4 Seealso
5 Notesandreferences
5.1 Notes
5.2 References
6 Externallinks

AfroAfroCubanjazzBolero(filin)Cancin
ChachachCharangaCongaContradanza
(habanera)CriollaCubatnDanznDescarga
GuajiraGuarachaHiphopMambo
MozambiqueNuevatrovaPachangaPiln
PregnPuntoguajiroRockRumba
(guaguanc,columbia,yamb,batrumba,
guarapachangueo)Son(montuno)Songo
TimbaTrova
Specificforms

History
Modernmambobeganwithasongcalled"Mambo"
writtenin1938bybrothersOrestesandCachaoLpez.
Thesongwasadanzn,adanceformdescendedfrom
EuropeansocialdancesliketheEnglishcountrydance,
Frenchcontredanse,andSpanishcontradanza.Itwas
backedbyrhythmsderivedfromAfricanfolkmusic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambo_(music)

Religious
music

AbakuArarLyesMakuta
PaloSanteraYuka

Traditional ChangCorosdeclaveKirib
music
NengnTumbafrancesa
Mediaandperformance
Music
awards

BenyMorAward

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Origins(Contradanzaandcharanga)
ContradanzaarrivedinCubainthe18thcentury,whereit
becameknownasdanzaandgrewverypopular.The
arrivalofblackHaitianslaterthatcenturychangedthe
faceofcontradanza,addingasyncopationcalled
cinquillo(whichisalsofoundinanothercontradanza
derivative,Argentinetango).
Bytheendofthe19thcentury,contradanzahadgrown
livelyandenergetic,unlikeitsEuropeancounterpart,and
wasthenknownasdanzn.The1877song"Lasalturas
deSimpson"wasoneofmanytunesthatcreatedawave
ofpopularityfordanzn.Onepartofthedanznwasa
codawhichbecameimprovisedovertime.Thebands
thenwerebrass(orquestratipica),butwasfollowedby
smallergroupscalledcharangas.

Nationalisticandpatrioticsongs
National
anthem

LaBayamesa
Regionalmusic

AnguillaAntiguaandBarbudaArubaandthe
DutchAntillesBahamasBarbadosBermuda
BonaireCaymanIslandsCuraaoDominica
DominicanRepublicGrenadaGuadeloupe
GuyanaHaitiJamaicaLouisianaMartinique
MontserratPuertoRicoStKittsandNevisSt
LuciaStVincentandGrenadinesSuriname
TrinidadandTobagoTurksandCaicosVirgin
Islands

ThemostinfluentialcharangawasthatofAntonioArcano,whoflourishedinthelate1930s.Arcano's
group,ArcanoySusMaravillas,wasthefirsttocallapartofapopularCubandanceamambo.Hisgroup
wasalreadysayingvamosamambear,whichtranslatesto"let'smambo",inthemidtolate1930s.[1]Itwas
Arcano'scellist,OrestesLopez,whose"Mambo"wasthefirstmodernsongofthegenre.However,thefirst
mambothatwasactuallyrecordedwascalled"Rarezas"byhisbrother,bassistandcomposerCachao
Lpez,whoisoftendescribedas"theinventorofmambo."[2]

Mexico
In1948,hopingtogainmoresuccess,PerezPradomovedtoMexicoCityandstartedhisownband,where
hecomposedandrecordedmostofhismambos.[3]PerezPrado,dedicatedprimarilytoMambo,started
beingcalledElReydelMambo,andheappearedinseveralMexicanfilms.Hecomposedandplayed
severalsongsinspiredbythelifestyleofMexicoCity,like"DengueUniversitario"and"Mambo
Universitario"dedicatedtotheUNAM"GuadaGuadalupe","Lupita"and"NormaladeGuadalajara"
inspiredbyMexicanwomenand"MambodelRuletero",wherehenamesdifferentneighborhoodsofthe
city.HealsocoveredMexicansongs,like"MariaBonita","BesameMucho","LaRaspa",Angelitos
Negros,and"Granada(song)".Laterinthe1950sPerezPradoacquiredMexicanCitizenship,movedto
NewYorkforsomeyears,andthenreturnedtoMexicoCity,wherehediedonSeptember14,1989,aged
72.
BenyMoralsolivedinMexicobetween1945and1952itwastherewherepeoplestartedcallinghim
BenyorBennyinsteadofBartolo.HecomposedandrecordedsomeMambosinMexico,withMexican
orchestras,especiallywiththeonedirectedbyRafaeldePaztheyrecordedYiriyiribon,LaCulebra,Mata
siguaraya,Solamenteunavezand"BonitoySabroso",asongwherehepraisesthedancingskillsofthe
Mexicans,andclaimsthatMexicoCityandLaHabanaaresistercities.AlsoinMexico,BennyandPerez
Pradorecordedseveralmambosincluding"Lamucura","Raboyoreja",and"Pachitoeche".Inthistime
BennyalsorecordedwiththeorchestraofJess"Chucho"Rodrguez.El"Chucho"wassoimpressedwith
Benny'smusicalabilitythathereferredtohimas"ElBarbarodelRitmo".

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Prado'srecordingsweremeantfortheLatinAmericanandU.S.Latinomarkets,butsomeofhismost
celebratedmambos,suchas"MamboNo.5"and"QueRicoelMambo",quicklycrossedovertotheUnited
States.[3]

NewYorkCity
Inthe1950s,variouspublicationsinNewYorkCitybegantorunarticlesonanemerging"mambo
revolution"inmusicanddance.Recordingcompaniesbegantousemambotolabeltheirrecordsand
advertisementsformambodancelessonswereinlocalnewspapers.NewYorkCityhadmademamboa
transnationalpopularculturalphenomenon.[2]Bythemid1950smambomaniahadreachedfeverpitch.In
NewYorkthemambowasplayedinahighstrung,sophisticatedwaythathadthePalladiumBallroom,the
famousBroadwaydancehall,jumping.TheBallroomsoonproclaimeditselfthe"templeofmambo",for
thecity'sbestdancerstheMamboAces,"KillerJoe"Piro,AugieandMargoRodriguez,Paulitoand
Lilon,LouieMaquinaandPedro"CubanPete"Aguilargavemambodemonstrationsthereandmadea
reputationfortheirexpressiveuseofarms,legs,headandhands.AugieandMargobecamethehighestpaid
danceduointheworldandwerestilldancing50yearslater(2006)inLasVegas.
SomeofNewYork'sbiggestmambodancersandbandsofthe1950sincluded:Augie&Margo,Michael
Terrace&Elita,CarmenCruz&GeneOrtiz,LarrySelonVeraRodriguez,MamboAces(AnibalVasquezy
samsonBatalla),KillerJoePiro,PaulitoandLilon,LouieMaquina,PedroAguilar("CubanPete"),
Machito,TitoRodrguez,JoseCurbelo,Akohh,andNoroMorales.

Chachach
In1954,thechachach,akindofmambo,sweptthroughHavana.ChachachawascreatedbytheCuban
violinistEnriqueJorrn,amemberoftheOrquestaAmrica.Easiertodancethanthemambo,witha
squarishbeatandacharacteristichiccuponthefourthbeat,itspreadtoEurope.

Dance
In1943,amusiciannamedPerezPradointroducedthedanceformambomusic,themambodance.He
introduceditatLaTropicananightclubinHavanain1943.Healsobecamethefirstpersontomarkethis
musicasMambo.AfterHavana,PradomovedhismusictoMexico,wherehismusicandthedancewere
adopted.Theoriginalmambodancewascharacterizedbyfreedomandcomplicatedfootsteps.Some
MexicanentertainersbecamewellknowndancerslikeTongolele,AdalbertoMartnez,RosaCarmina,Tin
tanandLiliaPrado.MostoftheseaccompaniedPradoinlivepresentationsorwereseeninMexicanfilms.
WhilemambobecamemorerecognizedintheUnitedStates,theCubandancewasn'tacceptedbymany
professionaldanceteachers.Cubandancerswoulddescribemamboas"feelingthemusic"inwhichsound
andmovementweremergedthroughthebody.[2]ProfessionaldanceteachersintheUSsawthisapproach
todancingas"extreme","undisciplined",andthus,deemeditnecessarytostandardizethedancetopresent
itasamarketablecommodityforthesocialorballroommarket[2]Thus,comparedtothemamboinCuba,
mambohadadifferentmovementsequenceintheUnitedStatesandelsewhere,asitwaspopularized
internationally.[4]:141Thepopularized"mambo"intheUnitedStateswouldbeviewedasavariantofsonor
salsaamongCubandanceandmusicspecialists,andwouldlaterevolveintoamixtureofsalsaandrumba
thatisexpressedinclubsandsocialsettingsworldwide.[4]:142
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FollowinginthefootstepsofPradocameawaveofmambomusicians,suchasEnriqueJorrn.Some
experimentedwithnewtechniques,suchasfasterbeatsandtheuseofsidestepsinthedancethislatter
innovationformedthefoundationofchachacha,andwastheresultofJorrin'sexperimentation.

Mambomusicians
PupiCampo
EnriqueJorrn
CachaoLpez
OrestesLpez
BennyMor
PrezPrado
TitoPuente
ArsenioRodrguez
XavierCugat
CeliaCruz
TitoPuenteJr

Seealso
Frenchcontredanse
Guaracha
Latumbafrancesa
MusicofHaiti
Twoubadou

Notesandreferences
Notes
1. Sublette,Ned.CubaanditsMusic:FromtheFirstDrumstotheMambo.Chicago:ChicagoReviewPress,2004:
508
2. Garcia,DavidF.(2006)."GoingPrimitivetotheMovementsandSoundsofMambo".TheMusicalQuarterly89
(4):505523.doi:10.1093/musqtl/gdm006.(subscriptionrequired(help)).
3. Len,JavierF."Mambo."EncyclopediaofLatinoPopularCulture.Ed.CordeliaChvezCandelaria,ArturoJ.
Aldama,PeterJ.Garca,AlmaAlvarezSmith.2vols.Connecticut:Praeger,2004:510
4. Gonzalez,Anita(2003)."MamboandtheMaya".DanceResearchJournal35(2).JSTOR30045073.
hdl:2027.42/110138.

References
JulieMalnig,Ballroom,Boogie,ShimmiSham,Shake,UniversityofIllinoisPress,2008,page166.

Externallinks
PerezPradoandMamboMania(http://www.laventure.net/tourist/mambo.htm)
Documentary52':Mambo(http://www.documen.tv/asset/Mambo_film.html)
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