Salsa, Samba, Bossa Nova, Afro-Peruvian...these are all some of South America's musical genres that you will learn about here.
South America's musical genres are some of the most diverse on the planet. Everywhere you go on the continent, be it Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, or Chile music is always nearby.
Afro-Peruvian Music - Began by slaves that worked in plantations in coastal Peru, this lively, percussion heavy genre uses an array of instruments such as the cajón and quijada de burro, or donkeys jawbone. The group Peru Negro was signed to Talking Heads front man David Byrne’s Luka Bop record label.
Altiplano - Much like the huayno, the music of the altiplano uses panpipes, but thezampoña that comes in different sizes and is used extensively as a background instrument. This type of music centers on Bolivia, Lake Titicaca, and northern Chile.
Huayno - Huayno is the name given to the upbeat, traditional music of the Andes and is famous for the use of panflutes. The huayno uses two different equal length melodic phrases that are repeated over and over and is played with European string instruments such as the harp, guitar, and mandolin, or on the indigenous charango.
Bossa Nova - Bossa nova is suave, romantic, and cool and developed in the 1950’s as a replacement to Samba. Jazz musicians in the U.S. and Europe in the 60’s such as Stan Getz began playing bossa nova and even today there are dozens of new bossa nova albums covering the greatest hits of international artists such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, or Bob Marley.
Cumbia - Cumbia is a combination of the music of the Spanish, Indigenous Indians, and African slaves, who introduced the cumbia style of dance that evokes ankle shackles worn by the slaves.
Amazonian - Although little exits in the way of recorded or written music, many Amazonian tribes deep in the amazon rainforest most often combine drums and vocals.
Salsa - One of the most popular forms of music in Latin America. The Spanish Caribbean harmonies of this dance heavy genre can be found everywhere, but derived from Cuban music being blended with rock, pop, and jazz.
Samba - Samba's was invented in the late 1800's for Brazil's carnaval celebrations. They are generally performed by large percussion ensembles. In the 1920s and '30s, samba became more poppy by blending African and European melodies.
New Age - There is a new movement in large cities combining contemporary styles with traditional music. Artists such as Miki Gonzalez in Peru take traditional Andean and Amazonian songs and combine them with electronic instruments and beats.
Latin Popular Music - Latin pop music is what you are most likely to hear in large cities and less rural areas of South America. This is the music of the radio, of touring rock bands, and groupies just as in any other culture.
Reggaeton - This popular genre that originated out of Puerto Rico has hit South America with a fury and many reggaeton singers now come from places such as Colombia and Peru.
