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Glossary · B
Glossary
Index
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Babalao
Priest of the Santería.
Bachata
Popular dance from the Dominican Republic. Often
identified by a discordant guitar line and simple
arrangements with a 4/4 timing. This does not
follow the clave
rhythm.
 Bandurria
String instrument similar to the lute. Used to
accompany the guajira
music. At one stage it had three strings;
today it has twelve strings organized in two groups
of 6 double strings.
Bambuco
Popular Colombian dance.
Bantú
People of bantú or congo
origin. In Cuba the proverb "Quien no
tiene de Congo tiene de Carabali" (He who
doesn’t have Congo ancestry has Carabalí
ancestry) is often used, referring to the high
degree of people of mixed race in Cuba. Musically,
they use the three yuka drums. A pagan ceremony,
held by the bantú is called a macuta.
Batá
The batá drums are the sacred hourglass-shaped
drums used in the santería
religious ceremonies. There are three types: the
okónkolo
or omelé the smallest; the itótele
which is medium sized; and iyá
the biggest and therefore leading drum. They are
formed by two membranes and are played on both
ends, with bare hands. The word batá means
drum in yoruba.
Bembe
A set of Afro-Cuban dances in honor of the orishas,
as well as the religious gatherings and festivities
that accompany these dances.
Bilongo
A curse cast by a warlock and the name of a famous
song where the Spanish language is mixed with
the bantú language.
Bincome o Biankome
Abakuá
drum.
Bocu
Drum made with membrane used in Cuba, particularly
in the Santiago Carnival.
Bolero
A blend of very diverse influences, this genre
becomes fixed as from 1880 in the eastern region
of Cuba, taken over by the trova singers who incorporated
a syncopated guitar banter (the rayado) into it.
Legend has it that the first bolero, Tristeza
(Sadness), was written in 1885 by José
"Pepe" Sánchez, a self taught
singer and guitarist. It is closer to the 20th
Century when the bolero actually arrives in Havana,
where it becomes popular in the social meeting
places and cafes owing to the musicians coming
from the Oriente
such as Sindo Garay. During the 20’s the
bolero, half-bred with the son,
opened up the way for the bolero-son, made popular
in those times by the tríos
and the septetos,
and which in these times are known as the ballad
or romantic salsa.
Bomba
Large drum used in Puerto Rico. Name of an African
dance and song.
Bombo
Criollo
Drum of European and military origin, an approximately
50 cm diameter, with two patches fixed in place
with two rings. It is used in carnivals and is
played with a mazo or bolillo.
Bonkó
Enchemiyá
Traditional abakuá
drum, of approximately one meter high with a twenty
centimeter diameter surface.
Bongó
Well known percussion instrument: two small drums
joined by a wooden piece. When played, the instrument
is placed in between the knees of the percussionist
(bongosero),
who plays sitting down
Bongosero
Player of the bongos.
In salsa music
bands,he may also be in charge of the
campana, in which case the bongos are interchanged
with the campana throughout the music.
Boogaloo
In the mid 60’s in the U.S., Latin music
was going through a crisis. The pachanga trend,
that had been entertaining dancers for some years,
showed signs of waning. Played by great bands,
the pachanga seemed inadaptable to the new times,
which throbbed to the sounds of the Beatles, the
twist, and the furious rhythm'n'blues, renovated
and made more moderate by Motown commercial soul
music. The swing of the great Latin bands appeared
ancient to the eyes of young Latinos in New York.
In this way, Latin music, twist and rhythm'n'blues
fused to produce the boogaloo, represented in
Pete Rodríguez’s hit "I like
it like that".
From then on, a great number of small groups created
the boogaloo fever, with variants such as the
shing a ling and the afroloo, which ruled Latin
music until the beginning of the 70’s, when
it handed its reign over to salsa,
for whom it had paved the way.
Botija
A wind instrument producing a full deep sound.
It involves a wine amphora with holes, which was
used to replace the double bass, mainly in son
orchestras.
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