Timba: The Sound of the Cuban Crisis

Vincenzo Perna investigates the role of black popular music in post-Revolutionary Cuba, in the 1990s in particular, analyzing the emergence of timba as a distinctively new style of Afro-Cuban dance music. Musically, timba represents an innovative fusion of previous popular and folkloric Afro-Cuban styles with elements of hip-hop and other African-American styles like jazz, funk and salsa. Timba articulates a black urban youth subculture with distinctive visual and choreographic codes.

List of Plates

viii

List of Music Examples

x

Acknowledgements

xi

Introduction

1

(18)

The cracking sound of the periodo especial

2

(2)

Facing Cuban and Latin music: the role of timba

4

(2)

Timba in the black diaspora

6

(4)

About this book

10

(2)

Overview of chapters

12

(3)

A final word

15

(4)

Part I Setting the Scene

1 Miusica bailable under the Revolution, 1959-1989

19

(35)

Popular music in Havana at the advent of the revolution

21

(2)

Socialism without pachanga: the forging of a new identity

23

(3)

Structural changes in music-making and education

26

(2)

The years of the 'self-blockade', 1968-1973

28

(4)

The 1970's crisis of dance music: cultural nationalism, music and the media

32

(4)

Precursors to timba: Cuban jazz, Bongo and the modernization of Cuban dance music

36

(8)

The impact of salsa and the resurgence of música bailable

44

(5)

Conclusions

49

(5)

2 Music in Havana at the Dawn of the periodo especial: the Emergence of Timba

54

(20)

Cuba into the 1990's: the advent of the periodo especial

55

(4)

The emergence of timba and the role of NG La Banda

59

(4)

The mark of timba

63

(2)

The decline of the collective and the rise of dance popstars

65

(5)

La Charanga Habanera and the spectacularization of timba

70

(2)

Conclusions

72

(2)

3 Facing the Market: Cuban Musicians and Audiences into the 1990's

74

(23)

Professional musicians before the 1990's

75

(1)

Changes in music regulation during the periodo especial

76

(3)

The role of foreign record companies

79

(3)

Facing the market: musicians

82

(2)

Facing the market: audiences

84

(4)

The impact of the US embargo

88

(2)

Popular music and censorship

90

(3)

Conclusions

93

(4)

Part II Matters of Style

4 Timba as a Genre and a Musical Style

97

(42)

Naming the style: son, salsa and timba

98

(2)

Hypotheses on the origins of the term

100

(2)

Timba, rumba and modern dance music

102

(3)

A new musical style

105

(1)

Instrumentation and sound

106

(3)

Identifying structure

109

(2)

Organization of the rhythm section

111

(8)

The role of improvization

119

(7)

The black roots of timba

126

(3)

El temba': analytical overview

129

(10)

5 Voices, Words, Bodies: Content, Meaning and Timba Subculture

139

(22)

Situating the voice: coros and vocal style

140

(3)

Lyrics: content and language in timba songs

143

(7)

Representing the body: timba as a subculture

150

(1)

The emergence of despelote

151

(4)

Dress and visual style

155

(2)

Conclusions

157

(4)

Part III Dangerous Connections

6 'Oh God, protect me!': Race, Religion and the Revolution

161

(31)

Afro-Cubans and their culture before 1959

163

(4)

After the revolution

167

(2)

Black culture between marginality and folklorization

169

(3)

Rumba in the symbolic geography of Havana

172

(5)

Dance music and santeria

177

(3)

Religion in Cuba after 1959

180

(2)

The orichas and the revolution

182

(2)

Marketing black culture

184

(5)

Conclusions

189

(3)

7 'You are a witch with no feelings': Sex Tourism, Gender and the Representation of Women in Timba Songs

192

(27)

The return of sex tourism in Cuba

193

(2)

The scandal of 'La bruja'

195

(4)

'Dale cintura, mulata!': Queens of Havana nights

199

(4)

A vulgar music? The image of woman in Cuban popular songs

203

(4)

Women and gender roles under the revolution

207

(3)

Jineterismo between escape and survival

210

(7)

Conclusions

217

(2)

8 'Find yourself a sugar-daddy who pays your upkeep': the Challenge of música bailable

219

(21)

Youth in Havana: dire life and consumer dreams

220

(4)

'El temba': Confronting the official discourse

224

(6)

The rise and fall of La Charanga Habanera

230

(3)

A changing climate

233

(2)

End of the party?

235

(3)

Conclusions

238

(2)

9 Marketing Nostalgia: the Rise of Buena Vista Social Club

240

(24)

The 'rediscovery' of Cuban music

241

(2)

The invention of Buena Vista Social Club

243

(1)

An alien in Havana: the rocker as a revivalist

244

(3)

The impact of Buena Vista in Cuba

247

(2)

Contortions of musical nationalism

249

(4)

Son vs. timba and Buena Vista vs. Team Cuba

253

(6)

Cuban music as world music

259

(3)

Conclusions

262

(2)

10 Beyond Palms, Rum and 'Che': Black Music into the New Millennium

264

(23)

Timberos backed into a corner

266

(3)

The revivalist wave

269

(1)

Rap, a lo cubano

270

(5)

The return of Latin jazz

275

(1)

The orphans of rock

276

(2)

Towards a Havana Renaissance?

278

(2)

Diasporic identities: timba and the black Atlantic

280

(7)

Bibliography

287

(31)

Discography

318

(6)

Documentaries, Films and Music Videos

324

(2)

Index

326

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Timba: The Sound of the Cuban Crisis

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials