Sources from; From: http:// carlo260.supereva.it/arteaga.html, taken from Jose Arteaga, Musica del caribe, bogota, Editorial Voluntad SA 1994 and http://www.radio.cbc.ca./programs/latinbeat/noframes/gloss_txtnf.html
Agogo Ceremonial bell or cencerro used to invoke Yoruba deities. Each deity has his or her special Agogo
Areito - Musical representation of the indigenous Cuban Amerindians, the Tainos.
Bachata- A variant of the Son played in Dominican Republic.
Banda- A group larger than an orchestra. They double up on the brass and woodwinds.
Batá- Ceremonial drums of the Yoruba religion. They are traditionally three drums and are in turn called Iyá, Itótele and Okónkolo.
Batey Central plaza of a Cuban sugar mill. Originally a Taino term that meant central plaza of a Taino village.
Bemba Slang for the thick lips of black people. Term has been popularized in Cuban music in several songs.
Bembé Festivity to honor Yoruba deities. Special drums are made for the occasion.
Bongo- Small double drum resting on the claves
of a seated musician, called a bongosero.
Its heads are tuned a fourth apart.
Botarse Also known as soltarse. Refers
to when the complete orchestration comes in a
Son.
Cabildo A clandestine gathering where the Cuban slaves and freedmen worshipped and played music.
Cajon A box shaped percussion instrument struck with the open hand by a player who sits on the cajon.
Cencerro Metal percussion instrument or cow bell. Usually played by the bongosero player in Cuban music.
Chachacha A mid tempo Cuban dance made popular in the 50's.
Chango- Orisha (god) of thunder, lighting.
Fire, passion, energy, the drum, the child and justice.
Cinquillo Group of syncopated notes that form a regular
rhythm. Two group of similar structure are alternated with one
another in the structure of the Cuban Son. Played by the claves.
Clave - Rhythmic 2/3 or 3/2 Cuban model. This model is continued by the orchestra after being imposed by the claves.
Claves - Two striker sticks of resonant wood
that are played to provide the typical
rhythmic foundation of the Cuban Son.
Columbia One of the sub-genres of the rumba where the man performs mimetic movements imitating cane cutters, cyclists and baseball players.
Combo Musical group developed in Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Fifties. Consists of Piano, bass, trumpet, sax, conga drums, timbales, bongos and voice.
Conga drum A major instrument in the salsa rhythm section. The conga is literally the Congolese drum and begun life in the Afro- Cuban cults.
Conjunto - Musical group developed in the Forties in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Salsa is played generally by Conjuntos. A conjunto band consists of brass, congas, bongos, bass and piano.
Controversia - Musical duel of country origin in which two singers compete in improvising decimas or 10 line stanzas.
Corneta China Instrument of Asian origin introduced in Cuba at the turn of the 20th Century. It plays 5 high notes and it is used in the comparsas.
Coro the "chorus." In salsa the two or three voice refrain of two or four bars sung during montunos. The lead singer improvises against the refrain.
Charanga Also called "orquestra tipica" (typical orchestra) or charanga francesa. It is the first type of musical group to incorporate African and European instruments for the purpose of playing danzon music,
Chekere A type of Cuban maraca.
Decima A Cuban country music genre.
Descarga Improvisational part of a Cuban piece of music or "jam session," as it is known in jazz.
Echar un pie- Slang for to go dancing. To leave.
Erikundi Another type of Cuban maraca.
Fotuto- Also guamo or cobo. A conch shell that it's played in
Cuban and other types of Caribbean music.
Golpe Drum beat that marks the start of a piece of music.
Guaguanco A modern urban form of the rumba.
Guajeo- A constant lick played usually by wind instruments in salsa music that its used as a bridge between to section or to solo.
Guajira A Cuban country music genre. Also a woman of the country or hillbilly.
Guateque A guajira gathering or party in the Cuban countryside.
Guiro Or guayo, Cuban instrument made from a branch of the guiro tree.
Hit As in English, a popular song that is successful.
Hit parade hit parade
Improvizacion The improvisation section of the son.
Mamb0 A Cuban rhythm created in the 30's as a variant of the danzon.
Maracas- A pair of rattles made from trunk of the guira or from stretched leather. It has seeds in its interior that produce rhythm when shaken, In the son the left maraca is shaken constantly while the right is shaken in groups of three, giving a soung close to the word cha cha cha.
Marimbula Wooden box with steel levers that are played with the finger to produce bass sounds. Used in the early son bands, it has been replaced by the acoustic bass.
Monte The countryside, the mountains. Used as a theme in many Cuban music genres.
Montuno- Variant of the son. Also the name of the piano section that it is played when improvising. A section for improvising in Cuban and salsa numbers.
Orquesta. Cuban orchestra. Its components are 1- rhythm section, 9congas, timbales and bongos), 2- string and keys 9piano and bass), 3- brass or metals (trombones, trumpets, saxes), 4- voices (singers with maracas and guiros), 5- free section (flute, vivraphone, marimba, clarinets and tres).
Palenque Place where the African slaves went when they fled their European masters. Many of the typical rhythms were developed in the palenques.
Peña- The gathering place for the Cuban
trova or the Latin America Nueva Cancion
Rucu rucu A rhythm created in the 80's that adds jazz elements
to the son. Made popular by the group Irakere.
Rumba One of the main traditional Cuban music genres.
Rutina The musical idiosyncrasies of a soloist when improvising.
Sabor Roughly equivalent to the jazz term swing.
Sandungera Person who acts with grace or bonaire. Woman who walks in a very sensuous way.
Santeria The Afro-Cuban religion fusing the worshipping of African deities and Catholic saints.
Septeto Group of seven musician who form the typical son group.
Solar a gathering place in an urban setting. Also a vacant lot.
Solo The lead instrument section of a song.
Son The oldest and classical Afro-Cuban song form with an almost perfect balance of Hispanic and African elements.
Son Montuno- A variant of the son.
Sonero A son singer.
Songo A variant of the son with elements of funk, soul and other pop rhythms.
Sonora A form of the typical Cuban orchestra.
Tambore A drum.
Tonada a variant of the guajira.
Toque What is played in a percussion instrument.
Tres- small Cuban guitar with three sets of double strings
Tumbao The way the conga drum is played in the son. The sound makes up the word tum bao.
Vacunao The mimetic pelvic thrust imitating penetration performed by the men in the guaguanco form of the rumba.
Yambu- A form of the rumba danced by older couples where the pelvic movements are de-emphasized.
Yuka African dance still played in Cuba. Also the name of a drum.
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