Son Cubano refers to a type of music as well as a dance both of which have been instrumental in the development of Cuban salsa. The music emerged in Eastern Cuba in the late 19th century with the dance evolving shortly thereafter.
Musicologists generally pinpoint the roots of son to the Oriente Province, where it developed particularly in mountainous regions such as Sierra Maestra.
Cuban Son is pivotal not only for salsa, but for modern music and dance as a whole, influencing dances such as the American rhumba and introducing the Clave rhythm and the use of drums to a wider audience, aiding in the popularity they enjoy in mainstream music today.
Literally translated, the word son comes from the Latin “sonus” meaning sound. It is the voice of the Cuban people which gained significant popularity when it was played at the celebration of Gerado Machado’s birthday. The then president of Cuba had requested for La Sonora Matancera to perform at his birthday party which significantly aided in the acceptance of this new musical style, as it was met with scepticism by many people at the time due to its lower-class background mixing African and Hispanic cultures.
Cuban Son combines the Spanish canción and traditions of Bantu origin by mixing Hispanic components such as the lyrical metre, vocal style and the use of the tres with African characteristics such as the percussion section, a call and response structure and the general use of the clave rhythm.
The music and dance can simply be referred to as Son, however, to distinguish it from other genres such as Son Mexicano and Son Guatemalteco, the term Son Cubano has become the norm to describe the particular dance and music genre that evolved in Cuba. There are various regional varieties of the genre in Cuba which have long been analysed by researchers for their musical and cultural values. Some of these include Son Montuno, Son Santiaguero and Son Oriental.
One of the most famous and influential artists Arsenio Rodríguez developed the so-called conjunto (meaning group or ensemble to refer to a small band) by adding several instruments to the more traditional Son Cubano ensembles popular at the time. These instruments (bongo, double bass, tumbadora, trumpets and guitar) are still seen in Son Cubano derivatives around the world and in many ways created the template for modern salsa music.
