Bomba y Plena in Miami
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010The percussive traditions in the city of Miami are a rich combination of historical styles and new trends in world music. One can find all kinds of music in the city, where the nightclubs are constant demonstrations of the evolutions in rhythm, taking the earthy sounds of drums and setting them to electronic beats. Although these sounds are entirely contemporary, and even sound a bit futuristic, their origins are rather old, rhythmically, and reflect the world views and cultural traditions that are constantly migrating.
The diverse makeup of Miami’s population is the result of these migrations, and the local culture is a mix of European and Latin histories, although all parts of the world are represented here. Anyone visiting the city, whether on a cultural vacation, or to visit one of the best Miami golf resorts , will very likely come across bomba and plena .
They’re often mentioned together, although they are entirely different rhythms. Bomba and plena originate from Puerto Rico, and the tight relationship between the people in Miami and the island to the east is one that influences these Caribbean percussive traditions . Bomba is an older form, developed from African rhythms on the island in the colonial times of the 17th century, and plena is only a hundred years old. They both have open rhythms that are subject to great improvisation, and both are used to make comments on the daily life of the people. It may be heard as background music, and with a little investigation, its foreground reveals some fascinating visions of a shifting world.
