Mozambique (music)

Izquierdo's rhythm made its début in 1963 in Havana on the television programme Ritmos de Juventud, with the presenter surrounded by drummers so in tune with each other that they created a piano-like sound, while simultaneously performing the Mozambique dance.

The dance looks like a cross between the "timeless" Afro-Cuban rumba and son, and the African-American twist, which was popular in the States during the early 1960s.

Rebeca Mauleón makes the point that because Cuban Mozambique originally began as a percussion genre, there is no set piano part for it.

The bell pattern was first played by Palmieri's timbalero Julito Collazo and later by Manny Oquendo, who came to be closely associated with the Mozambique timbales part.

The NY Mozambique bell was later adopted by drumset players in North American jazz and popular music.

For example, drummer Steve Gadd can be heard playing the NY Mozambique bell part on drumset (cymbal) during Paul Simon's song "Late in the Evening".

Both songo and NY Mozambique departed from the typical "angular" rhythms used in son montuno, mambo, and salsa, allowing more improvisational freedom for the conga drummer throughout the song.