Bomba is both a traditional dance and musical style of Puerto Rico. ^[1] Its origins are rooted in the island's history of African slavery but today has evolved into a community expression of Puerto Rican culture.It is Puerto Rican because it has elements of the Taínos ( Arawaks), the Spanish, and the African native. While Bomba can be used as the generic name for a number of rhythms, it is truly about a creative, interactive relationship between dancers, percussionists and singers. Today it's practiced as a communal activity in its centers of origin in Loíza, Santurce, Mayagüez and Ponce. Also, Puerto Rican migrants have brought the tradition to some parts of the U.S. mainland. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Puerto Rican Bomba is the first native music of Puerto Rico ^[3]. Although it is unclear when exactly Bomba was developed in Puerto, the first documentation of Bomba dates back to 1797. During the 1800s there were several documented accounts of the use of Bomba as a rebellion tool against the slave owners, and organizational methods for initiating slave rebellions. ^[3] This particular style of music originated in Puerto Rico amongst the slaves who worked the sugar cane fields. ^[4] These slaves came from different regions of Africa so they could not easily communicate with each other but they found common ground in music. Through Bomba, they could "forget" that they were enslaved and heal their pain. With the Bomba, they healed their pains, did weddings and rebellion, fighting against the landowners and labor exploitation, they used it to their religions (Explanation Note: The Bomba is cultural and not religious, if they used it for their religions, that was their decision but this was not originally made for religion causes), in short, everything. As these slaves migrated to different regions of the island, each region began giving its personal twist to Bomba. For example in the region of Ponce they play with larger drums played vertically, rather than the horizontal method used in other regions. After a few years songwriter Rafael Cortijo introduced bomba to the Concert Halls by arranging it with brass instruments and more simple rhythm patterns, today bomba can be found anywhere on the island and in fusion with different styles like Jazz or Salsa music.

Up until the 1940s and 1950s, Bomba was heavily racialized and associated as premodern and Black. Bomba had been a marginalized music genre until musical artists like Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera from the group Cortijo y su Combo, popularized bomba by taking it to various parts of the Americas and the world. ^[5] On an international level bomba was fused with various national and regional musical genres creating a hybridization of bomba. On the Island of Puerto Rico however, bomba did not unfold in the same manner, it remained true to its folk tradition and geographically confined to parts of the island where there was a majority of Black Puerto Ricans in towns such as, Loiza, Ponce, Mayagüez, and Guayama. ^[5]

Characteristics of the Bomba

Bomba is described to be a challenge/connection between the drummer and the dancer. In the Batey (sugar workers' town) or a Sobera'o (circle or dance area), the Subidor will score sounds for the steps that the dancer makes, and the Buleador or Follower, follows the rhythm that is constantly played until the “Cantador/a” (singer) says so. The dancer enters the Batey to stroll around, showing off, marking their territory and space. The dancer greets the Primo Barrel and begins its “Piquetes” (improvised Bomba steps). The dancer, with his/her “Piquetes” would be creating his/her own music and history, inspired by the song. Also, the dancer challenges the Primo Barrel Player (“Tocador/a”) by doing a rhythmic dialogue and making it difficult to follow him/her. Thus, it is the drummer who attempts to follow the dancer, and not the more traditional form of the dancer following the drummer. Finally, when the dancer finishes providing the “Piquetes”, bows again to the Primo Barrel and the next dancer does exactly the same protocol. The “Piquetes” must have "elegance, firmness and shape." The "figures" are the “Piquetes” that must be executed with "elegance" and "firmness". During the dance, sometimes the audience shouts "Speak!". This is because the dancer is having a musical conversation or communication with the Bomba Drum (Primo) through his/her “Piquetes”. Traditionally, “Bailadores” (male dancers) perform their “Piquetes” with their body and the “Bailadoras” (female dancers) perform with the body and / or skirt with the petticoat.

The Bomba traditional dress for men is white hat, white shirt and black or white pants. The women used to wear turbans, white shirt and skirt with petticoat. Petticoats were handmade to show them off in a flirtatious way for men and to create envy among other female dancers. How to hold and use skirt in the Bomba dancing is unique. This is because the dancer is having a musical conversation or communication with Dresser through their pickets. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Bomba also is composed by three or more singers and a solo singer, the singing has a dynamic similar to those of "Son" where the lead singer sings a chorus and the other responds, and in between choruses the lead singer will improvise a verse. The theme of most bomba songs is everyday life and activity. In the case of a certain song called "Palo e Bandera", the lyrics discuss a love triangle between a female dancer, a female singer and the singer's husband, the primo player. The wife realizes her husband is cheating on her with the dancer and decides to teach her a lesson on the dance floor.

The "Seises de Bomba" ("Bomba Sixes") (songs) is divided into verses and choruses alternated, and the verses are improvised according to the story or theme song. In these songs, there were the events of everyday life are recounted. The public must always repeat the chorus after each verse.

Instruments

It consists of drums called barriles or bombas (made from barrels of rum, one named buleador and another primo or subidor), cuá (two sticks that were originally banged on the side of the barril) and a maraca. ^[1] Dance is an integral part of the music: The drum called "Primo" replicates every single move of the dancer, this is called "Repique". Although the origins are a little scarce it's easy to spot the elegance and poise of the Spanish Flamenco and the energy and soul of African dances. ^[1]

The traditional drums used in bomba are called barriles, since they have long been built from the wood of barrels. The high pitch drum is called "subidor" (riser) or "primo" (first), and the low pitch drums are called "buleador" and "segundo" (second). Not less important are the "Cuás" that are two wooden sticks banged on a wooden surface and a large Maraca that keeps time.

Rhythmic Styles

There are 16 rhythms of Bomba, ^[10] but 6 primary, and these derive others are Sicá ("walking"), Yubá (slow pace of feeling, sadness and courage and played mostly for the elderly, regional of Cataño and Santurce), Cuembé (flirtatious and sensual rhythm, mostly danced in pairs, regionally of Santurce and Cataño), Seis Corrido (formerly called Rulé, the rapid pace and only regional of Loíza), Corvé (only regional of Loíza) and “Holandés” (fast rhythm and regional of Mayaguez and Cataño). Sicá derivatives are Bambulaé, Danué, Calindá, Paule, Gracimá, Balancé, Cocobalé, Cunyá and Belén (this last rhythm was mostly played when the Bomba dance was performing his last song of the night). Yubá derivatives are Leró (rhythm mostly played in southern Puerto Rico) and Mariandá. The derivative of Cuembé is the Güembé (rhythm mostly played in southern Puerto Rico). So, there are others like the “Hoyo ‘e Mula”, “Alimá”, among others.

duple metre

• sicá
  • belén Santurce
  • calindá
  • cunya
  • danué
  • gracimá
  • paulé
• cuembé
  • alimá
  • balancé
  • belén Sur
  • cuembé Cataño
  • cuembé Santurce
  • güembé
  • güembé corrido
• holandé
  • francés
  • holandé Cataño
  • mariandá
  • mariangola
• bámbula
  • bámbula
  • rulé
  • seis corrido
• cocobalé
• hoyomula

triple metre

• yubá
  • corvé Loiza
  • yubá masón
  • yubá cuartiao
  • yubá Cataño
  • leró Sur
  • leró Santurce

Performers

Today there are many groups playing Bomba both as a traditional style and as a fusion with some other style. The most well-known traditional players are the Cepeda Family who have been playing Bomba for generations and the Ayala family, who are a family with a tradition of arts and crafts as well as Bomba music. ^[11] Rafael Cortijo took Bomba to the mainstream with his Combo in the 1950s and 1960s. Puerto Rican composer Roberto Angleró wrote and sang "Si Dios fuera negro" ("If God Was Black"), a huge hit in Puerto Rico, Peru and Colombia during the early 1980s.^{[ citation needed]} Rubén Blades made a cover version of it once; the song was even translated to French and became a minor hit in Martinique. Some of the local musicians who also play this style are Yuba Iré, Paracumbé, Bomba Siglo XXI, among others. Los Pleneros de la 21 are bomba / plena musicians who travelled to Hawaii to perform for the Puerto Rican diaspora in Hawaii. ^[12] Willie Colón adds occasional bomba breaks to his songs, most particularly in sections of his biggest solo hit, " El gran varón". Ricky Martin also mixes a bit of authentic bomba rhythm with other Latino influences in his aptly named song La Bomba.

In California it has been popularized by Maestros de Bomba en la Bahía at La Peña Cultural Center. ^[1]

In 1998, Son del Batey was founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by a group of college students at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. 1998 marked the 100-year anniversary of the United States invasion of Puerto Rico, and a time when popular discourse focused around national identity and colonialism throughout the island. ^[13]