Sin clave y bongo no hay son.

• Author: Holston, Mark

Sin clave y bongo no hay son, by Fabio Betancur Alvarez. Medellin: Editorial Universidad de Antioquia, 1999.

Subtitled Musica afrocubana y confluencias musicales de Colombia y Cuba, this Spanish-language edition provides a unique perspective on how Afro-Cuban styles spread beyond the land of their origin to influence other Caribbean societies.

The author, a professor of sociology at two universities in Medellin, thoroughly discusses--and documents--the historic development of Cuban music, with particular locus on African antecedents and interesting observations on Haitian and Oriental influences. The work hits its stride, however, when the music's attraction to Colombian interpreters and audiences is documented...