Elio Revé
The musician who brought changüí from Guantánamo into Cuban popular music — Elio Revé's Orquesta Revé was a proving ground for several important timba"> timba musicians and the band that kept the eastern Cuban sound alive in Havana.
About
Revé was born in Guantánamo and was a master of changüí — the rougher, African-derived cousin of son that originated in the eastern province. He moved to Havana and founded his orchestra, which became known for incorporating the changüí rhythmic style into popular dance music. His band functioned as an incubator for talent: Juan Formell worked with Revé before founding Los Van Van, and several other important timba"> timba musicians passed through his orchestra.
Revé's contribution is often underrecognized because he worked in the shadow of larger-profile bands, but his role in keeping the Afro-Cuban rhythmic tradition connected to the popular music scene was significant. His son Elio Revé Jr. continued the orchestra after his death.
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 >Rumba is the most African-rooted of all Cuban music and dance forms — born in the streets, courtyards, and docks of Havana and matanzas"> Matanzas in the late 19th century, with no European instruments, no salon setting, and no pretense of European propriety.
Lees meer >Before son, before danzón, before any of the named genres — there was Nengón and Changüí in the mountains and valleys of eastern Cuba (Oriente, especially Guantánamo province). These are the oldest surviving roots of Cuban popular music.
Lees meer >Before son, before danzón, before any of the named genres — there was Nengón and Changüí in the mountains and valleys of eastern Cuba (Oriente, especially Guantánamo province). These are the oldest surviving roots of Cuban popular music.
Lees meer >Songo is the direct bridge between traditional Cuban music and timba"> timba. Developed by Los Van Van in the early 1970s, it rewired Cuban popular music by absorbing funk, rock, and jazz into the Afro-Cuban rhythmic foundation — and laid every groundwork that timba"> timba would build on.
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 >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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