Dancing On The "2"

The Western Fluke of History
by Aristides Raul Garcia (aka El Intruso)

Then you had the groups that played mainly Son Montunos. The main one was that of Arsenio Rodriguez. I will stay with this one for here you will find what many Cubans say today’s Salsa is; I disagree with them. To believe that today’s Salsa is Son, or Son Montuno, or Mambo will be to deny that the Music evolves. To deny the evolution of Latin music, one has to do a lot of oversimplifications; it is equal to killing a living thing, and Salsa is a living organism.

"Let us read and let us dance - two amusements that will
never do any harm to the world." ~Voltaire
  

In any case, the contributions of Arsenio Rodriguez, to the evolution of Latin Music are many; he took the small Son format and expanded it; he expanded the rhythm section to include "Congas", and Pailas (similar to the Timbales); he started to write music which was more urban in nature, and today’s Conjuntos are an inheritance of his creativity; en fin, he was setting the standards for Latin popular dance music.

"Ven Devorame Otra Vez,

By Azucar Moreno

All you have to do is buy some of his music, or records others have made in tribute to his work; listen to them. After you have done that go and buy some Mambo records; listen to them. After that, compare them to your collection of today’s Salsa and decide for yourself what sounds more like today’s Salsa. I can’t resist the temptation to tell you that, as far as I know, you won’t find a Mambo in Arsenio’s repertoire.

Ah, the "Congas" and the Tumbao. It is one of the dogmas of the Church of The Land of the Holy Two: "dancing on the 2 is also the proper way to "execute" the dance because this step pattern compliments the "slap" of the Tumbao rhythmic pattern which falls on the 2, it is the accent of the Tumbao". This is a real gem, for it reveals why some Cubans call "dancing on the "2" New York Style", dancing upside down (feeling wise).

Anyway, lets take a closer look into this. The Tumbao, in proper Spanish, Tumbado, is a rythmic pattern which derives its name from the percussion instrument on which it is played: the Tumbadora drums, better known, outside of Cuba, as Conga drums. In Cuba, there is not one single drum called Conga. There is a Carnaval music and dance called the Conga. The rhythmic patterns for this Carnaval music are played on drums similar to the Tumbadoras.

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Outside visitors to Cuba during the Carnaval festivities simply started to call any drum resembling a Tumbadora "a Conga drum", or a "Conga". Later, the Cohen brothers (Latin Percussion) decided to market the drums using the more appealing, simpler, and exotic name of Congas. They were extremely successful and the rest is history: in Cuba Tumbadoras, and outside of Cuba Congas.

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