Felipe Cabrera
One of Cuba's most important contemporary bassists — Felipe Cabrera combines deep knowledge of the Cuban bass tradition with jazz sensibility, working across timba"> timba, son, and Latin jazz contexts.
About
Felipe Cabrera is a Havana-born bassist who has worked with many of the important Cuban bands and artists, bringing a jazz-influenced approach to the Cuban tumbao bass tradition. His playing demonstrates the range of what the bass can do in Cuban music — from the driving, repetitive tumbao patterns that lock with the clave, to more melodic and improvisational approaches drawn from jazz.
He has worked extensively in Europe and Latin America as well as Cuba, bringing the Cuban bass tradition to international contexts.
Timba is the music this site is dedicated to exploring. It emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s and crystallized in the early 1990s — born in a moment of social crisis, built on the full accumulated history of Cuban music, and still evolving today.
Lees meer >Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the birthplace of some of the world's most influential music and dance traditions. African, Spanish, and French cultural streams collided here over centuries of colonial history, producing an extraordinary creative culture that exported itself across the globe.
Lees meer >The Casa de la Trova in santiago de cuba"> Santiago de Cuba is the spiritual home of Cuban traditional music — Son, Bolero, Changüí, and Trova. Founded in 1968 on Calle Heredia in the heart of Santiago's historic center, it has been the gathering place for the city's musicians for over half a century.
Lees meer >European cultural influence on Cuba came primarily through Spain (as colonial power) and France (through the Haitian migration and Caribbean trade). These influences shaped Cuban music's harmonic language, instrumentation, and dance forms.
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The clave is a fundamental rhythmic pattern and organizing principle in Cuban music. It serves as both a musical pattern and a guiding concept, deeply rooted in Afro-Cuban traditions.
Lees meer >The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba"> timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.
Lees meer >Timba, the explosive and rhythmically rich genre of Cuban dance music, transformed how the bass functions in popular music. In timba"> Timba, the bass is not just foundational — it’s fiery, funky, and free.
Lees meer >A Cuban popular dance music genre that emerged in the 1980s–90s
- emerged in the 1980s–90s
- influenced by songo, rumba, funk, blues, jazz, pop, rock and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
- Known for complex rhythm shifts, aggressive bass lines, and high energy that push dancers to improvise.
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