Weekend self-care open thread: El clave cubano

I may have mentioned this once or twice. Maybe three times. But I'm Cuban-American. Although the politics espoused by many of my compatriots disgust me, Cuban culture is one of the things at the root of who I am. And nothing exemplifies that culture more than its music.

The clave to which I refer is the prototypical Cuban rhythm of our indigenous music, the son montuno. It is a 3-2 or 2-3 beat which is at the heart of just about all Latin dance music. Cuban exiles in New York joined with Puerto Ricans and developed salsa music, which revolves around the Afro-Cuban clave. Without that beat, Latin popular dance music would be much different.

But if all you know about Cuban music is la reina y diosa Celia Cruz, well, my friends, I'm going to blow your mind. From son montuno to trios to heavy metal, Cuban music is not just a musty museum holding onto past glories. It is alive and breathing and vibrant. Dictators of right and left haven't been able to kill it. It gives voice to people buffeted by the winds of superpower conflict. The corner store may be out of meat, but the barrio will still have an evening party.

Come on along and groove out.

As always, be ever kind to yourselves and those around you.