Son Montuno

Son montuno on vinyl: son with trumpets

In short: Son montuno is a form of Cuban son shaped above all by tres player Arsenio Rodríguez in the forties: he expanded the line-up with trumpets, piano and conga and gave plenty of room to the montuno – the call-and-response section over a repeating pattern. The style is one of the foundations of salsa. The Vinyl Room currently has 11 son montuno records.

What is son montuno?

The trumpet at the centre: Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros is represented with “Y Sigo Con Mi Son”.

From New York: singer and producer Roberto Torres is represented with productions such as “Conjunto Crema” and “Ritmo De Estrellas”; alongside them come Conjunto Candela with “Conjunto Candela 79” and Pepito Torres y Orquesta Siboney. Under this style tag we also have Sabu Martinez’s “Sabu’s Jazz Espagnole” and Alonso Wilson from Panama.

What to look for

Our son montuno records date mainly from the eighties; 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

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FAQ

What is son montuno? A form of Cuban son with trumpets, piano and conga and plenty of room for the montuno.

Who shaped son montuno? Above all Arsenio Rodríguez in the forties.

What does montuno mean? The part of a piece in which singer and chorus alternate over a repeating pattern.

Which son montuno records do you have? Here, for example, Chocolate Armenteros’s “Y Sigo Con Mi Son” and “Conjunto Candela 79”.