In the United States for about a decade, over one million slaves were imported into the country. However, up until the year 1886, more African slaves were imported into the island of Cuba than the United States during its slave time period. With such drastic numbers of African slaves, the newly named Afro-Cuban slaves began to make music. In the years to come, this music would drastically transform. Dating back to the 1880s, these Afro-Cuban compositions, known as Cuban sones used many instruments and rhythms from Africa. One famous Afro-Cuban Jazz artist named Arsenio Rodríguez started his compositions by adding what was called guaguancó to previous Afro-Cuban Jazz compositions. By adding rhythms such as septo to his music, Arsenio Rodrígez …show more content…
Three types of dances originated from Arsenio’s Cuban Rumba: guaguancó, yambú, and columbia ("Cuba: Son and Afro-Cuban Music"). These dances, starting with the creation of guaguancó, evolved even further with the creation of Cuban Rumba. These dances were practiced commonly among the Cuban population, leading to more popularity, thus leading to further innovations of Rumba. Cuban Rumba consists of multiple musicians: a vocal section, which consists of a lead singer and a chorus, and a percussion section, which consists of tumbadores (a conga type drum) and palitos (sticks beaten on the base of a drum) ("Cuba: Son and Afro-Cuban Music"). Rumba music evolved slightly from guguancó, especially with the incorporation of these new instruments. By adding these new instruments, Rumba artists (such as Arsenio Rodríguez) were able to add variety to the music, further enhancing popularity. This popularity, as stated above, led to further creations of Afro-Cuban music. Rumba contains rhythms known as “clave” which is often played by wooden round sticks that are beaten together. The clave is the base for almost all Afro-Cuban music, which is sung primarily in the Spanish language ("Cuba: Son and Afro-Cuban Music"). The clave that is used in these songs is what is used to keep the pace and rhythm of the song. The clave serves as a basic …show more content…
Arsenio Rodríguez changed Afro-Cuban jazz, specifically the septo parts of the Cuban son, by adding the conga, a second trumpet, and a piano to the music (Fernandez 62). The musical contributions that Arsenio Rodríguez added made modern music composing much more easy. With instruments like the piano and congas, contemporary rhythm and beats could be played to allow modern artists to popularize Cuban music. In the 1940s, Arsenio Rodríguez added a conga drum, a piano, and a second (and eventually third) trumpet to the sound of Cuban son. These new additions made way for the birth of a new type of music, known as conjunto. The sounds of these new instruments added a much more lively sound to the son, due to the bass of the conga drum and the force of the trumpets (Herman). Arsenio Rodríguez’s addition of the trumpet would forever change the way Afro-Cuban and Cuban music were heard. With these additions, Rodríguez was able to add a lively feel to the music, making modern music much easier to compose. Furthermore, the addition of these instruments added what was known as sabor (flavor) to the music. There is some evidence that the trumpet was integrated into the son even earlier, in the 1920s. The trumpet turned the style into more of a swing. This integration was then mastered in the year 1928 with the son “El Manicero.” That particular son was one of the