Rumba Doowop Vol. 2 1955-56

This 2-CD set is the second of a two-volume collection looking at the influence of Latin rhythms, notably the rumba, in the doowop vocal group strand of American R&B music during the decades either side of the Second World War. Africa and Latin America together have moulded American popular music since the beginning of the twentieth century. African influences have led to the development of jazz, gospel and blues while their rhythms have been largely determined by successive waves of dance music from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Every American musical genre from Broadway stage, Hollywood film, Tin Pan Alley pop and even country music has been affected to some degree. Dance forms and musical stylings such as habanera, bolero, tango, rumba, conga, samba, baion all have their origins in the Caribbean or in Latin America. New Orleans has been responsible more than any other city in the world for shaping the sound of twentieth century popular music. A sweeping statement that may seem, but as the birthplace of jazz, funk and arguably rock’n’roll, it really has no other contenders. At the heart of these three widely different varieties of music lies the rhythmic complexity of second line parade drumming. Its two-beat patterns combining military band and Caribbean rhythms underpin early jazz recordings much as they do those of Little Richard and James Brown. It is in this parade band beat that the first intimations of early funk drumming can be heard. This collection brings together over sixty recordings featuring vocal groups from the heyday of the booming doowop fraternity that was a key element of the R&B market in the mid- ‘50s, as popular music made its transition to rock ‘n’ roll. With carefully restored recordings and complete with a comprehensive 24-page booklet providing a detailed background narrative and discography, this is once again an absolute must for enthusiasts and collectors of classic R&B.