That would be a bit like people in Spain seeking to disown the word “Flamenco” to refer to that uniquely Adalusian gypsy music, that was originally played in cabarets and street side bars.
It is built around the juerga, an informal, spontaneous gathering that included dancing, singing, palmas (hand clapping), or simply pounding in rhythm on an old orange crate or a table. Flamenco, in this context, is organic and dynamic: it adapted to the local talent, instrumentation, and mood of the audience.
Or perhaps the people of Argentina should seek to disown the word, Tango, to refer to that uniquely native Argentine musical dance form. The word "tango" acquired the standard meaning of the place where African slaves and free blacks gathered to dance.
It was there the compadritos took the tango back to the Corrales Viejos—the slaughterhouse district of Buenos Aires—and introduced it in various low-life establishments where dancing took place: bars, dance halls and brothels. It was here that the African rhythms met the Argentine milonga music (a fast-paced polka).
Charlie Parker & Miles Davis |
John Coltrane |
Thelonius Monk |
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