mambos
Mambos refer to a dance and a style of music associated with the mambo genre, a fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms and big-band jazz that originated in Cuba in the 1930s and 1940s. The term is used for both the dance and the instrumental music that accompanies it, characterized by a lively, syncopated feel and a strong rhythm section built on the clave.
The mambo developed from son and guaracha in Cuba and gained international prominence in the 1940s–1950s. In
Musically, mambo features horn sections, piano montuno, bass, and percussion (congas, timbales, bongos) with a clave-based
In the US, the mambo influenced salsa and Latin jazz; many communities continue to perform traditional Cuban-mambo
Iconic pieces include Pérez Prado's Mambo No. 5, which helped popularize the genre.