Ned Sublette's Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo

I finally finished Ned Sublette's Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo and am quite impressed. Though clearly not written in an academic style, Sublette clearly possesses an erudite knowledge of Cuban musical history as well as first-hand experience of various Cuban genres. Occasionally Sublette makes some errors (such as referring to the Hausa people of West Africa as nomadic or semi-nomadic, like the Fulani, and suggesting a highly unlikely Chinese derivation of Yoruba divination), but his massive tome (which takes one from ancient Cadiz and the Mediterranean world to the 1950s) is accessible, humorous, informal, and an excellent overview of the various ways African and European creolization in the Caribbean developed through music.

He demonstrates how  various West and Central African religious and musical concepts fused with European traditions to give us new, beautiful creole music: danza, danzon, son, rumba, mambo, charangas francesas, bolero, guajiro, and salsa. The 'zarabanda' and the influence of West and Central African music on the European classical tradition was also quite interesting, as well as African influences on Iberian music before and during the European conquest of the Americas. In addition, Sublette clearly and expertly explains how Yoruba, Dahomeyan, Kongo, and Abakua religious traditions (such as Santeria), sacred music, instrumentation, and secret societies influenced Afro-Cuban culture and shaped Cuban culture overall for the last 500 years, finding its way into more European-derived traditions. Thus, one can clearly see how African rhythms and styles entered the Cuban musical landscape, giving us the tumbador, bongo, marimbula, African rhythmic approaches to playing the tres and European instruments like the guitar, horns, etc. African musical aesthetics of blending wood and metal in percussion found its way into Cuba, as well as gendered pairing of percussion and the Kongo baile yuka, the palero tradition, Lucumi (Yoruba) bata drumming, etc.

Furthermore, Sublette provides the reader with enough context and detail to understand what's going on in Cuba and its environs during this time. Clearly, one cannot study Cuban music in isolation, because it's in a state of constant communication with Mexico, the United States (especially New York and New Orleans), Puerto Rico, Haiti, France, Colombia and elsewhere. So Cuban society, political developments, changes in recording technology, the Cuban diaspora in Mexico and the US, the Cuban struggle for independence, and Cuba under US imperialism are all inextricably linked to the brilliant music of Cuba. Slavery, naturally, occupies a key role as well as the class and racial dynamics of Cuban society from the colonial era to the 20th century.

My only wish is that the second part of this book could finally come out so I can read Sublette's take on the latter part of the 1950s, the Cuban Revolution, Bebo Valdes, Celia Cruz, and the rise of salsa. If you are interested in learning more about Cuban music, this book is one of the best introductory texts. Enjoy!