House of Clave
Glossary: form

Son Cubano

The Cuban root of it all — tres, bass, bongó and call-and-response.

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Born in eastern Cuba around 1900, son fused Spanish song and guitar with Bantu-derived rhythm and the coro's call-and-response. Its structure — a sung verse opening into a montuno — is the chassis salsa still runs on.

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form

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