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Forró is a rapid and lively traditional European-inspired couples dance and genre of music from Brazil’s northeast that laid the basis for the lambaba, which as we all know from the early ’90s, is “The Forbidden Dance.”
COUNTRY: Brazil
KEY INSTRUMENTS: Accordion, Triangulo, Zabumba
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A stunning example of the mix of East African, Arabic, Persian and South Asian influences found in Eastern Africa is Zanzibar’s taarab, which is dramatic Swahili orchestral music which features instruments from several continents: Middle Eastern oud and dumbek, Indian tabla, western electric keyboards, and the “Japanese taishokoto, described here as “a banjo/typewriter key hybrid. According to Zanzibar.net, “taarab rhythms reflect traditional dances like chakacha, Indian film scores, Cuban rumba, and various Zairean and East African dance musics. Perhaps most importantly, the genre’s lyrics radiate with the allusive intricacies of Swahili poetry and showcase the beauty of this long, literary tradition.” Zanzibari music isn’t all taarab, though that’s rightfully where most overviews of Zanzibar’s music start. For a one shot overview of Zanzibar’s music, take a look at this YouTube video called “Zanzibar: Taarab — an Ocean of Melodies.” It does start with a taarab performance, featuring orchestral arrangements including an oud, but then it moves on to some East African ngoma drumming (at 4:14), some dance and drumming with more of an Asian feel (5:22), some hip-shaking African dance (5:55) and back to a great multi-influenced melody, featuring floor patting and clapping worthy of any “All Around This World” music class (starts at 8:01).
For more information:
Wikipedia: the Music of Tanzania | More info | Zanzibari Ngoma drumming | Kidumbak: “a diminutive kind of taarab” | The Dhow Countries Musical Academy: “Music for Education. Music for Employment. Music for Enjoyment.”
Cumbia is a genre of music that originated on Colombia’s Caribbean coast as a ritual courtship dance of African slaves. At first only drums and claves accompanied the dance, but as Spanish colonial influence seeped into the music, guitars began to appear. Says Wikipedia, “According to legend, the accordion was added after a German cargo ship carrying the instruments sank as a load of accordions washed ashore on the northwest coast of Colombia.” Whether or not this is true, it’s a great story. Other instruments are:
— tambora, a large two-headed drum that the drummer plays with sticks,
— maracas and cajon (at 3:30–more about the cajon below), and sometimes
— the congas, a Cuban hand drum with African ancestry.
Put that all together to a 4/4 “two-step” rhythm and you get…cumbia, cumbia and more cumbia!
Today the genre has spread beyond Colombia popular all over Latin America, especially in Mexico. “Andean Cumbia” blends the indigenous music of Andean nations such Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru with the rhythmic beat. In Peru it has even developed into a distinct subgenre known as Chicha.
PLEASE NOTE: The lesson and embedded video are NOT “How to dance the Cumbia” tutorials. The goal of this lesson is to provide the tools for you to treat your very youngest students to their first introduction to cumbia and to inspire you to get up and dance together. (Your dance moves can’t be any worse than mine!) Ideally the lesson will be the first step on your and your students’ road to further cumbia exploration.
COUNTRY: Colombia, Mexico, Peru
KEY INSTRUMENTS: Accordion, Cajon, Claves, Congas, Guitar, Maracas, Tambora
SONGS ON AATW: LATIN AMERICA CD: Niño Colla, Tambobambino
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