MUSIC-012 Units 8-11 Vocab
habanera
A dance created in Cuba during the early nineteenth century that became popular in both Europe and South America. Its characteristic rhythm resurfaced in the Argentine tango and the cakewalk.
bop (bebop)
A jazz style that developed in the 1940s, characterized by fast tempos, irregular streams of notes, and considerable rhythmic conflict.
doo-wop
A pop-oriented R&B genre that typically featured remakes of popular standards or pop-style originals sung by black vocal groups. Doo-wop died out in the early 1960s with the rise of the girl groups and Motown.
surf music
A regional rock from California notable for high-register close harmony vocals and innovative guitar effects.
obbligato
A second melody playing under the main melody.
standard
A song that remains popular well after its initial appearance; songs that live on in recordings, films, and live performances.
tumbao
A syncopated bass pattern characteristic of Afro-Cuban music.
rhythm and blues (R&B)
A term used since the midforties to describe African American popular styles, especially those influenced by blues and/or dance music.
reverse clave rhythm
A version of the clave rhythm, in which the second half of the pattern comes first.
downtown Latin style
A watered-down version of Afro-Cuban music intended for the white American market.
rockabilly
According to Carl Perkins, a country take on rhythm and blues, performed mainly by white Southerners, that combined elements of country music with rock and roll. Rockabilly was most popular in the midfifties.
deep blues
Early acoustic blues originating from the Mississippi and surrounding areas.
mambo
First twentieth-century Latin dance fads to develop on American soil; it merged authentic Afro-Cuban son with big-band horns and riffs
montuno
In Afro-Cuban music, a syncopated accompanying figure, usually played on the piano, that is repeated indefinitely.
beguine
In American popular music, an Americanized form of the Cuban rumba. It has a similar rhythmic feel but lacks the clave rhythm heard in authentic Afro-Cuban music.
comping
In bop jazz style, chordal accompaniment played in rhythmically irregular or unpredictable patterns.
jump band
In the late 1940s, a small band-rhythm section plus a few horns that played a rhythm-and-blues style influenced by big-band swing and electric blues. Saxophonist/vocalist Louis Jordan was a key performer in this style.
claves
Pair of cylindrical wooden sticks that are tapped together
triplet
Rhythmic pattern that divides each beat into three equal parts
clave rhythm
The characteristic rhythm of Afro-Cuban music. It can be represented as: //X x x X x x X x // x x X x X x x x //. The x's indicate an eight-beat rhythm; X's are accented notes. To create a reverse clave rhythm, switch the two measures.
payola scandal
The practice of record companies' bribing disk jockeys to secure airplay for their records.
overdubbing
The process of recording an additional part onto an existing recording.
multitrack recording
The process of recording each part of a performance separately, then mixing them into a complete performance. The Beatles, along with their producer George Martin, were among the first to take full advantage of multitrack recording techniques.
uptown Latin style
The sound of authentic Afro-Cuban music in the 1940s and '50s.
