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La Rumba de la Musa

Rumba de la MUSA is a diasporic collective of artists who gather around the voice of the Caribbean drum encompassing members from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Chile, Panama, Colombia, and the US. La Rumba de la Musa is a multi-generational group of musicians, composed of long-standing pillars of the NYC Rumba scene as well a young group of rising stars.

Rumba de la Musa performs traditional Afro-Cuban Rumba, a musical form with roots in the African and European musical traditions that coalesced in Cuba sometime around the end of the 19th century. Rumba is interpreted by a lead singer and a chorus of voices that engage in call-and-response singing. They are accompanied by three conga drums and various percussion that play intricate, polyrhythmic parts. Though there are strict rules that govern the structure of Rumba, it is a highly improvisatory and nuanced musical form in which the singers, drummers, and dancers co-create each musical moment.