In review--Bomba!

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World
Hijos De Agüeybaná
Agua del Sol
Tumi Music

So often we turn to Cuban music when exploring music of the Caribbean and don’t get me wrong, Cuban music possesses splendid qualities, combining the best of Afro-Latin and Spanish music traditions.  Even the Puerto Ricans in New York City turned towards Cuban music when they launched salsa music.  However, now that I’m listening to a traditional recording of Puerto Rican music called bomba by the group Hijos de Agüeybaná (Agua del Sol), I can’t understand why these delicious Afro-Latin dance rhythms haven’t enjoyed the same popularity as Cuban son, even if these rhythms along with Puerto Rican plena and Dominican merengue appear in salsa alongside the Afro-Cuban beats.  To think that my grandmother might have danced to bomba when she was a child growing up in Puerto Rico, warms my heart.

With the call and response vocals, especially on the titular track, I bet there are listeners who would confuse bomba with Cuban son.  Te Invito could be mistaken for Calypso, and Ven Ven and No me dejes solo for Cuban rumba of Santaría (a religion that combines Christian saints with Yoruba gods).  To confuse matters further, the musicians combine bomba with salsa and jazz on this recording.  If you’re looking for drum-centered music with call & response vocals that cause your hips to move against your will, pick up this recording.  Learn a new dance--Agua del Sol is available on September 25.

http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz and www.tumimusic.com and www.youtube.com/tumimusic

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