History of Cuban Music

1492 - Christopher Columbus discover the island of Cuba.

Cuba’s aboriginal population is wiped out during a massive extermination by Spanish colonialists.

The African slave trade begins. Africans contribute their drumbeats, chants and dances. Europeans contribute song and classical music.

1971 - French-Haitian immigration to Cuba begins, with its contribution of contradanza and other musical forms.

19th c. - Carnival music develops.

Danza cubana develops locally from contradanza.

Rumba, the music of poor, develops in the outskirts of Havana and Matanza.

Lutes appear in guajiras the rural folk music.

Guaracha, inspired by Italian Bufo theatre, appears as a form of satirical and humorous songs.

1879 - the first danzon, debuts in the city of Matanza.

Habanera is born under the influence of the Italian opera, and the Spanish and French romanticism.

Son appears in the mountains of far eastern Cuba.

1886 - Abolition of slavery in Cuba.

1894 - Pepe Sanches, from Santiago de Cuba, composes the first bolero cubano.

1909 - The returning liberation army brings son from eastern Cuba to Havana.

1925 - The legendary Trio Matamores is founded in Santiago de Cuba.

1927 - Sexteto Habanero makes the first "son" recording in Cuba.

- Ignacio Pineiro forms the Sexteto Nacional. He later transforms the sextet into a septet by adding, for the first time, a trumpet to "son" music.

1928 - "El manisero" (The peanut Vendor) is performed for the first time in Paris by Rita Montaner.

1938 - Orestes Lopez creates with his danzon mambo, the forerunner of mambo.

1939 - Orquesta Aragon is founded during the boom of charanga francesa musical groups.

1940-60 - The "golden age" of Cuban conjuntos groups, i.e. Conjunto de Arsenio Rodrigues.

1951 - Perez Prado composes the first mambo hit "Que rico mambo".

Cha-cha-cha, by Enrique Jorrin, hits the Cuban dance floors.

1951-63- Beny More achieves great popularity.

1955 - Changui musician Elio Reve forms his orchesta.

1959 - From the triumphal Cuban revolution rises a new type of song : Nueva trova, with Silvio Rodrigues and Pablo Milanesas its main performers.

1965/6 - In Venezuela and New York City, the term salsa appears for the first time.

1969 - Juan Formel founds his charanga orchesta Los Van Van, and includes for the very first time electronic instruments.

1971 - Concert of Fina All Stars at New York City’s Cheetah Stadium. After this concert , salsa expands itself rapidly not only in Carribbean but as well as in the Latino communities of the U.S.

1973 - The Irakere band was born under the leadership of pianist Chucho Valdes.

Latin jazz develops rapidly now.

1978 - Adalberto Alvarez and Tiburon Morales found Conjunto Son 14.

1988 - Jose Luis Cortes founds NG La Banda and fuses the music styles of Chucho Valdes and Juan Formel. This marks the beginning of a new era in Cuban music(Timba).

1992 - The boom of timba cubana, developed out of son, rumba, and jazz - influenced by pop, funk and rock - starts.

1997 - Cuba’s traditional classic musicians and bands are re-discovered; among them Ruben Gonzales, Comay Segundo, La Vieja Trova Santiaguera, Laito y su Sonora and many more.