Rumba

Rumba on vinyl: one name, many musical traditions

In short: Rumba is a name for several musics: in Cuba it means Afro-Cuban drum, song and dance forms such as guaguancó; under the same name a ballroom dance spread in the US and Europe from the thirties, musically influenced above all by Cuban son. In the Congo, Congolese rumba developed from the forties, inspired by Cuban records, and in Spain rumba flamenca. The Vinyl Room currently has 11 rumba records.

What is rumba?

From the Congo and East Africa: Tabu Ley Rochereau is represented with Mbilia Bel and Faya Tess on “Nadina”, plus the compilation “Kenya Special” with East African recordings from the seventies and eighties.

From Spain, Cuba and the ballroom: the Gipsy Kings and Los Amaya stand for rumba flamenca, Los Zafiros for the sound of sixties Cuban vocal groups, plus the soundtrack to the dance film “Strictly Ballroom”.

What to look for

Check the country of origin and the artist with each copy – the word “rumba” often stands for very different music; label, catalogue number and year of release help you tell which edition you have – it’s noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

New in

→ African · Flamenco · Son · Latin on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What is rumba? A name for several dance musics – from Cuba, the Congo, Spain and the ballroom.

What is Congolese rumba? Dance music from Kinshasa and Brazzaville that developed from the forties, inspired by Cuban records.

What is rumba flamenca? A Spanish form with flamenco guitars and hand-clapping, known for example through the Gipsy Kings.

Which rumba records do you have? Here, for example, “Nadina” by Tabu Ley Rochereau with Mbilia Bel and Faya Tess, and “Gipsy Kings”.