Cuban rumba

Cuban rumba is an Afro-Cuban tradition of secular music, singing, percussion, and dance that developed in working-class neighborhoods of Cuba.

Clave (rhythm): A repeating rhythmic pattern that organizes much Afro-Cuban music. Rumba performers coordinate percussion, singing, and movement around related clave patterns.
Afro-Cuban culture: The cultural traditions and practices shaped by African ancestry and Cuban history. Rumba emerged within Afro-Cuban communities and draws on African-derived musical practices.
Rumba (dance): A family of partnered dances associated with Cuban and other Latin American musical traditions. Cuban rumba’s social dances are distinct from the standardized ballroom dance also called rumba.
Ballroom rumba: A standardized competitive and social dance derived partly from Cuban popular dance forms. Despite sharing a name and Cuban connections, ballroom rumba differs from community rumba music and practice.
Cajón: A box-shaped percussion instrument played by striking its wooden surfaces. Cajones served as early rumba drums before purpose-built conga drums became common.
Havana: The capital and largest city of Cuba, founded in the sixteenth century. Havana’s working-class neighborhoods became major settings for rumba’s development.
Rumba de solar: A rumba gathering held in a shared courtyard of a Cuban residential block. The solar setting links performance to the everyday social life of working-class neighborhoods.
Salsa music: A popular dance-music genre that developed from Cuban and other Caribbean traditions, especially in New York. Salsa shares Afro-Cuban rhythmic roots with rumba but is a distinct ensemble and dance-music tradition.
Conga drum: A tall, single-headed hand drum used in Afro-Cuban and other Latin American music. Rumba’s layered drum parts are now commonly played on congas.
Matanzas: A Cuban city and province on the island’s northern coast. Matanzas developed a strong rumba tradition alongside Havana’s.

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Afro-Cuban jazzRelated: Rumba rhythms and performance practices are related to, but distinct from, jazz fusion.