Cuba’s danzón genre: ‘150 years later, it’s still alive.’

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ
Associated Press

MATANZAS, Cuba (AP) — At the end of the 19th century in Cuba, a new musical genre and dance emerged. The danzón was scandalous in some circles but it eventually became the national dance of Cuba and spread to other countries in the region. Now some danzón scores that were lost in the archives in the Cuban city of Matanzas have been rediscovered. Four of them were recently recorded by the Failde Orchestra, which is led by flutist Ethiel Failde, a descendant of the creator of danzón. The first danzón had origins in the old Spanish contradanzas and incorporated the Cuban musical heritage that had roots in Africa.