History of Latin Music in America (1850s to 1960s)

Vocabulary flashcards identifying key genres, figures, and historical milestones in the evolution of Latin music in the United States from the mid-19th century through the 1960s.

Corridos

Narrative ballads rooted in rural song traditions used by Mexican Americans to preserve stories of loss, resistance, and identity following the Mexican-American War ($1846$-$1848$).

Gregorio Cortez

The name of a historical figure whose life became the subject of a well-known border corrido focused on resistance and injustice.

Juan Díes

An ethnomusicologist whose lecture discusses the development of the corrido through three major phases: classical Sinaloa, Mariachi, and modern "Narco" Corrido.

Xavier Cugat

A performer who helped introduce Latin music to mainstream American audiences during the early $20\text{th}$ century ($1900\text{s}$-$1930\text{s}$).

Son cubano

A vibrant style of music, meaning "Cuban sound," that is influenced by both West African and Latin sources.

Rumba

A style of music and dance influenced by West African Yoruba culture.

Afro-Cuban jazz

A musical fusion that rose to prominence between the $1940\text{s}$ and $1960\text{s}$, blending Latin rhythms with jazz and big band traditions.

Mambo

A hybrid musical style that became integrated into mainstream American culture and urban nightlife mid-century, exemplified by the work of Tito Puente.

Tito Puente

A Brooklyn-born, Puerto Rican-American musician who wrote the Cuban-style mambo song "Oye Como Va" in $1962$.

Carlos Santana

A Mexican-American musician who covered Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va" in $1970$, leading to widespread popularity.

Samba

A Brazilian musical style that entered the United States mid-century; "Mas Que Nada" ($1966$) is cited as a pure example of this style.

Bossa nova

A Brazilian musical style that blended with American jazz, popularized by artists such as João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and Stan Getz.

The Girl from Ipanema

A famous bossa nova song written in $1962$ by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes.

Sergio Mendes

A Brazilian artist who popularized the song "Mas Que Nada" in $1966$ as part of the broader Latin influence on American culture.