9781422279793

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Roots of Cuban Music and Dance W hen it comes to music, Cuba is one of the richest places on earth. The Caribbean island nation is only slightly larger than Tennessee, but it has spawned a profusion of styles whose influence extends well beyond Cuban shores. From Mexico in the north to Argentina in the south, much of the music heard throughout Latin America is rooted in Cuban music. Cuba’s contributions to popular music in the United States may be less wide ranging, but they’re still significant. Students of jazz history know that American masters like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker blended elements of Cuban music (including distinctive rhythms and percussion instruments) into bebop . A trained ear can discern an Afro-Cuban rhythmic pattern known as the clave (pronounced CLAH-vay) in Buddy

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