La Rumba Me Llama (Rumba Calling).

Format:

Video

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Cultural life.

Music history.

Concerts.

Cuba.

Local Subjects:

South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Cultural life.

Music history.

Concerts.

Cuba.

Genre:

Documentary

Physical Description:

1 online resource (48 minutes)

Place of Publication:

Paris, Ile-de-France : Qwest TV, 2015.

Language Note:

In Spanish.

In English.

Original language in Spanish.

Original language in English.

System Details:

video file

Summary:

Directed by Oliver Hill, the documentary La Rumba Me Llama (Rumba Calling) explores the world of rumba. A matrix of Latin rhythms, this repertoire first appeared in the suburbs of Havana and Matanzas and is illustrated by different interviews as well as concert extracts. The words of the featured musicologist Maria Teresa Linares are particularly relevant and refer to the complexity of the genre’s register and its multiple codes. Throughout we are privy to a fascinating culture, one that is commented on by performers and people on the inside. The fact that the jazzmen of the group Mezcla are featured testifies to the impact of rumba on improvised music (Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker spring to mind). Moreover the late Juan Formell, creator of the mythical Los Van Van, gives a detailed analysis of the impact of this secular tempo on contemporary movements such as la timba and salsa. It is a profane film in many ways, though never far from the local syncretic rites systems. The rumba and its subgenres are also reviewed through the lens of dances like the yambu, a languorous parade performed in couples, and the columbia, a solo choreography reserved for men. By the end of the film we better understand this Caribbean tradition and, by extension, the innumerable bridges between Cuba and Africa. Vincent Caffiaux

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed July 16, 2025).