Tango Cubano
Maria Roumpalou
Tango is not widespread in Cuba. But it is still alive! It is mainly found in Havana and in Santiango de Cuba. On this Caribbean island where music and dance have always been a creative expression of the heart and soul of its people and their culture, whether happy or tortured. It was back to the early decades of the twentieth century that the beautiful and fascinating music of tango reached Havana from Buenos Aires and gained significant popular acceptance. The peak of its popularity was in the 1940s. The remarkable and sustained growth of the tango culture in this socialist island has a lot to do with the steady stream of Argentine artists and extensive tours to this Caribbean country.
However, it needs to be stated, that, although enjoying popularity around the world, Tango has Cuban roots! The Tango was derived from the traditional Cuban dance called the Habanera and even though many people associate the tango with Argentina, many Cubans claim it to be theirs.
Habanera rhythm and a couple of closely related variations are the quintessential tango syncopations. The habanera rhythm is central in tango music. In some version, it is used to create the pulse of the music, or as syncopated rhythmic accents in the accompaniment or melody. It can be found in all tango forms, tango, milonga and vals.
In Argentina, candombe, canyengue, milonga still exhibit their black roots— up-beat, lively and joyous. The tango took a turn about a century ago and became whitewashed. The more staid and less life-positive tango survived. In the warmer island atmosphere where tango was introduced at the 20s, it eventually fizzled out, while the habanera rhythms lived on.
After 1959, a few artists still performed in scenarios on the island or on the radio or in theatres, among them were Maizani Azucena, Tita Merello, Alberto Castillo, Hugo del Arril, Libertad Lamarque, Rosita Quiroga, Eladia Blazquez, Susana Rinaldi, Enrique Santos Discepolo, Astor Piazzolla, Angel Vargas, Osvaldo Pugliese, Horacio Ferrer and others / They incorporated nott only Cuban rhythms, as well as other foreign genres that had more acceptance and sympathy than the tango.
During its peak, many Argentine musicians settled in Havana and spread the tango trend, promoting the formation of many groups— Conjunto Rio de la Plata, Los Romanticos Gauchos, Orquesta del Rey Diaz Calvet, Trio Landa-Llerena-Tabranes, Duo Los Camperos and the orchestras of several radio stations— Mil Diez, Radio Havana Cuba Cadena Azul.
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