That spirit of mockery characteristic of the guaracha was part of the mambo from the beginning.
Ned SubletteBlack musicians rhythmicized the contredanse, creating musical styles which evolved into the habanera (also known as the tango) and, later, ragtime, as well as the danza, danzรณn, and ultimately the danzรณn mambo and its offspring the cha-cha-chรก.
Ned SubletteOne often reads that the 1950s was the golden age of Cuban music, but it was really one long phase, from 1937 to 1958, each year with its own splendour.
Ned SubletteA second line is in effect a civil rights demonstration. Literally, demonstrating the civil right of the community to assemble in the street for peaceful purposes. Or, more simply, demonstrating the civil right of the community to exist.
Ned Sublette