MAMBO MUSIC
History
Mambo music owes its origin to earlier dance forms and musical styles. When the European social dance, the Contradenza, arrived in the islands of Haiti and Cuba, the people there transformed the dance and subsequently the dance music into something livelier until it could no longer be considered the Contradenza. Several musicians began marketing this new musical style as "mambo" and some even traveled to New York City and Mexico, hoping to gain more popularity. In Mexico and New York, the mambo became all the rage and new musicians adopted it rapidly. A new style of dance which involved complicated footwork and quick movement was formed to accompany the mambo. Later, the mambo evolved into several other dance styles, including the cha-cha-cha.
Instruments
Mambo music is typically played with the following instruments:
Mambo music utilizes jazz instruments and Cuban rhythmic instruments- creating a unique sound.
Mambo music utilizes jazz instruments and Cuban rhythmic instruments- creating a unique sound.
Characteristics
Mambo music follows a specific pattern and possesses certain characteristics that make in unique from other musical forms. It is almost always played with a 4/4 meter and the tempo is predominantly allegro. Mambo music features repetition in melodic thoughts that create a common overall theme. The key signature is major with a few accidentals. This major key signature, along with the mezzo forte to forte dynamic range, create an exuberant atmosphere that made mambo music so popular.
Pérez Prado
Pérez Prado, a Cuban-born musician, is considered by many to be "The Father of Mambo." While Prado did not invent the mambo style of music, he did help popularize it when he traveled to Mexico City and formed a mambo band. He also toured throughout Mexico and the United States and the new musical style gained many followers. One of Prado's mambos is included below.