The Spanish-speaking countries of the Greater Antilles (Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico) are a relatively small group of islands with a surprisingly wide-reaching influence on music. The birth place of enduring styles such as salsa and meringue and up-and-coming genres likereggaeton, the music of the region has yet be examined in a standalone volume. Robin Moore uses three themes-the cultural legacy of the slave trade, the creolization of Caribbean musical styles, and the impact of colonialism and race relations-to survey the region and draw parallels and contrastsbetween its various traditions. Each theme lends itself to a discussion of the Hispanic Carribean's classical musical traditions, as well as its contemporary developments. The text also provides substantive information on Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Dominican forms that have not been discussedelsewhere, and on historical Cuban forms such as the habanera, danzon, and music of the blackface theater in Havana. The author views the music of the region as a social text, telling stories of various kinds about power, dominance, culture contact, resistance, and adaptation. Designed to be used as one of several short and inexpensive case study volumes in the Global Music Series, this volume is appropriate for introductory undergraduate courses in world music or ethnomusicology and for upper-level courses on Caribbean and Latin American music and/or culture. Based onthe author's own extensive fieldwork, the text features interviews with performers, eyewitness accounts of performances, and vivid illustrations. The book also features listening activities that enable students to engage critically and actively with the text. The included 70-minute CD containsexamples of music discussed in the text, and supplementary material for instructors will be available on the companion web site.
