VA - Rumba Jazz The History of Latin Jazz & Dance Music 1919-45 (2010)

Africa and Latin America together have moulded American popular music since the beginning of C20. African influences have led to the development of jazz, gospel and blues while successive waves of dance music from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica have largely determined its rhythm. This compilation chronicles the emergence of habanera, bolero, tango, rumba, conga, samba, baion and charleston in jazz and dance music between the wars with the emphasis on rhythms from Cuba and Brazil.The Brazilian samba began to make its presence felt during 1930?s. It is the spring in the beat and the almost imperceptible skip at the end of each measure that differentiate it from Cuban rhythms. But of all Latin rhythms, none had such an all-pervasive influence as the rumba. Its journey from the Middle East through North Africa and Spain to Cuba brought it into American dance halls during the Depression. Its syncopated, rhythmic riffs liberated dancers from stuffy foxtrots and waltzes, opening up an altogether more sensual world of excitement and exoticism.